By Hetty Lui McKinnon
Updated Oct. 12, 2023
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 15 minutes
- Rating
- 5(2,127)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Harness the crowd-pleasing power of dumplings in this hearty yet light main course salad. The base is simple and summery: Ripe tomatoes are lightly touched with salt, garlic and basil, providing a perfectly fragrant canvas for pan-fried potsticker dumplings. Salting intensifies the tanginess and fruitiness of tomatoes, while also coaxing out some of the juice, which becomes a light sauce for the dumplings. (Salting also works wonders for out-of-season tomatoes, meaning you could eat this salad all year round.) Use your favorite chile crisp as it is the dominant flavor in the dressing and will greatly impact the final dish; all brands of crisp will have different levels of saltiness and spice, so season accordingly.
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 2½pounds ripe tomatoes (any variety), cut into roughly 1- to 2-inch pieces (at room temperature)
- 1garlic clove, grated
- ½cup basil leaves, torn
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal brand) and black pepper
- 1pound frozen potsticker dumplings (not thawed)
- Neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable
- 1 to 2tablespoons store-bought crispy fried shallots (optional)
- 3tablespoons chile crisp (or chile oil)
- 2tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1tablespoon soy sauce, or more to taste
For the Salad
For the Chile Crisp Vinaigrette
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Preparation
Step
1
Place the tomatoes on a large serving plate or in a bowl. Add the garlic, half the basil leaves, 1 teaspoon of salt and a big pinch of black pepper. Toss to combine and set aside.
Step
2
To make the vinaigrette, combine the chile crisp, rice vinegar and soy sauce and whisk to combine. Taste and if it needs more saltiness, add ½ teaspoon more soy sauce.
Step
3
Heat a large (12-inch) nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium high for 1 to 2 minutes until very hot. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil and, working in batches, add the dumplings, flat-side down, and cook until the bottoms of the dumplings are lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Immediately add about ¼ cup of water to the pan, just enough to cover the base of the dumplings, then cover and cook until the water has evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes. (If your dumplings contain meat, cook for an extra 1 to 2 minutes, or according to packet instructions). Transfer the cooked dumplings to a plate and continue cooking the remaining dumplings. (If you prefer to steam the dumplings, see Tip.)
Step
4
To serve, place the warm dumplings over the tomato salad and drizzle with the chile crisp vinaigrette. Toss very gently. Top with the crispy fried shallots (if using) and the remaining basil leaves. Serve either while the dumplings are still warm or at room temperature.
Tip
- To steam, arrange the dumplings in a steaming basket lined with baking paper or cabbage leaves, place over a pan of boiling water and steam for 10 to 15 minutes.
Ratings
5
out of 5
2,127
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Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Becky Home-ecky
I need enlightening, what is Chile crisp? Where do I find it? ( what stores and what aisle?) Also where do I find crispy shallots? Is it something like the old fashioned onion crisps?
Kayla
Any recommendations for the best frozen dumplings?
Ellen Morrison
Trader Joe’s dumplings are all good. I also like most dumplings labeled “gyoza”, preferring that style bc I lived in Japan. Ajinomoto is a good brand.
Kaydee
Wow, this looks like a quick meal with many possibilities! Looking forward to trying it. Vegetable pot stickers, here I come! Maybe some wilted spinach thrown in and will opt for low sodium soy sauce or tamari.
Tammy
Question about using/measuring chile crisp: Should I stir it up and then measure out a tablespoon, so that I get a mixture of the solid bits with the oil? Or does one tablespoon mean one tablespoon of just the oil? TIA
Anna
I love the Asian flavor of this dish. I think I may try an Italian version with mini cheese ravioli. Throw in a bit of pesto, good olive oil, olives, capers, grilled red peppers, and fresh ground pepper to taste. More ideas are popping into my head, but I will stop riffing now!
Miriam
I invite people to explore their perception that MSG causes health problems. Doing some reading about it reveals that this idea has a racist history and there is not evidence that MSG is harmful. It’s an interesting and depressing history lesson. I’ve never noticed a reaction to eating MSG anyway, but once I read about it, it made me sad that Asian racism and mockery made their way all the way to food seasoning.
janet
Trader Joe’s frozen potstickers are excellent.
Megan S.
Lao Gan Ma is my favorite brand, if your town has a asian grocery, you may be able to find there, looks like it is also sold on amazon (at a markup). I buy it in Chinatown. Trader Joe's has a chili garlic crunch oil that I do not like as much, and Fly By Jing has a chili crisp that can be found it looks like at Target, as well as online.
Steve H
I love Chili Crisp. Our local store has Momof*cku Chili Crunch, which is good, but my favorite is Fly-by-Jing. It has just the right amount of heat (not too much) and is also not too salty.
Jane
I made this for lunch immediately after it was posted. I bought Mr. Bing chili crisp. I had “ROSTAD LÖK” fried onions from Ikea. I used the chicken cilantro mini wontons from Trader Joe’s. It was delicious. It is a great way to use up leftover or slightly past due tomatoes and basil. It also is one of the juiciest meals ever. It made an exquisite “sauce” that was designed to be sopped up with good bread. Long live the juice.
Anneliess Lush
Recipe for crispy fried shallots if you can't find in store:3 shallots sliced thin1/2 cup of vegetable oilCombine shallots and oil in medium bowl. Microwave for 5 min. Stir and continue to microwave 2 min longer. Repeat stirring and microwaving in 2-minute increments until beginning to brown (4 to 6 min). Repeat stirring and microwaving in 30-second increments until deep gold brown (30 sec to 2 min). Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towel–lined plate, season with salt, drain for 5 min
Kirsti
It's a Chinese condiment made with crispy onion, chile and sesame suspended in oil. Adds an earthy kick. Find it in supermarkets in the Asian products aisle.
Claudia
Someone asked about gnocchi - I think Korean rice cakes would also be awesome here
ProblemChild
Nothing about this recipe should work but the dish all of these unexpected flavor combinations create is astonishingly delicious. I'm going to be making this all summer long. PS: Don't mess with the ingredients or proportions because you think you know better. You don't. Make this as written. You'll be so glad you did.
JudiM
We both enjoyed this dish. I made a half-recipe, using quartered grape tomatoes and chili oil. Next time I will be sure to have chili crisp on hand and will eliminate the rice vinegar (per DH’s preference). I enjoy reading others’ notes, especially since a Trader Joe’s recently opened in our area and I can take advantage of fellow subscribers’ recommendations.
Taylor
Such a good easy recipe, I like it a little tangier so I add more rice vingear.
Yoshimi
Replace tomatoes with smashed cucumber and basil with cilantro and it’s a party.
marley
Added an English cucumber for more crunch and used a color variety of heirloom tomatoes. So fast and easy and jazzes up dumplings when we never know what to make in addition to them
Sebastian H
This recipe inspired me to make my own version. Being Greek, I made Greek salad and let it sit for 20 - 30 minutes at room temperature, then added cooked cheese ravioli and it was divine. Highly recommended for an easy vegetarian meal.
michael
My wife substituted peaches for the tomato and it was great in the summer, now with frozen peaches it’s also great!
mert
This is an amazing dish that makes for a pretty filling lunch on its own. Good tomatoes are a must!
Diana Gerstel
Amazingly easy and amazingIy good. I used Fly By Jing chile crisp from Wegman's and Wegman's brand dumplings.
Alex
This recipe has no business being this easy, this quick and this delicious. Used only 1 pound of Campari tomatoes, and about a third of the dressing, poured over Trader Joe’s potstickers. Unreal…
kathy
Chili crisp is available everywhere now but I buy crunchy fried shallots and red onion at my local Asian market. I’m obsessed with throwing them in various things. I buy potstickers from QVC when they’re on sale. Don’t judge me. Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Amy F
Seriously delicious!
Amy F
Best chili crisp is from Momof*cku. I love the hot honey chili crunch!
AA
This was delicious, but I found the amount of tomatoes to be disproportionate. I would have been happy with half of the recommended 2.5 pounds.
Susan
FABULOUS!! I made this exactly as written but did not think that the fresh basil added anything so I've left it out since then. I've probably made this 15 times since I discovered it. I've also started keeping a small jar of the sauce in the fridge to pour onto halved cherry tomatoes for a mid-afternoon snack...no dumplings just sauce and tomatoes.
Erin
This was such an interesting recipe! I used Nasoya Thai Basil Veggie dumplings, which I thought complimented the flavors well. I like that you can use any chili crisp you prefer, and the tomatoes really absorbed the dressing well. Great spicy kick, and so easy to make!
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