Wheat starch is the one and the only that makes the result consistent. It can’t be substituted with wheat flour.
Adding slightly salted chicken stock to the mixture improves the flavor of crunch lace. It makes it delicious!
Amounts, timing, and temperature are significant in this recipe. This recipe is for 6 large frozen potstickers cooked on 9″ skillet with a perfectly matching lid.
The lace structure is related to the amount of thin starchy suspension and the space it occupies when cooking. In other words, for a larger skillet, you need a more starchy suspension. You need less starchy suspension if you cook more than six dumplings in a 9″D skillet.
Total cooking time can be from 6 to 9 minutes, depending on the heat level — medium-high to high. Because even 6 minutes is a long time for cooking on high heat, it is essential not to overcook dumplings.
Your skillet needs to be 1) with a matching lid to ensure enough steam under it for initial cooking; 2) with ideally flat bottom — no indentations or deformations neither on a cold skillet nor when on high heat!; and 3) with a non-stick surface. If the bottom of your skillet is not flat, the starch suspension will create puddles, the structure of the lace will be irregular and missing in some areas. In other words, it won’t be perfect. It’ll still be tasty, though.
