Homemade Pot Stickers

Potstickers/Dumplings/Gyoza (whatever you like to call them) are the quintessential comfort food in most Asian cultures. Even though I'm Hmong and my parents do not eat pot stickers... I know they would even enjoy the recipe below.  I learned to make my own because good dumplings are hard to find at the grocery stores!  Little did I know, they are ridiculously easy to make! Improvising is my favorite part of cooking, therefore, utilize what ingredients you may have on hand.

Ingredients: 
1lb of ground pork (or ground chicken)
1 cup of minced ginger
1 cup of scallions
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
1 tablespoon of rice wine
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 package of pre-made potsticker wrappers (found in the refrigerator section, by the tofu)

(mince both the scallions and ginger well)

Optional: 
1/2lb of minced raw shrimp

Potstickers can be made with many ingredients or very few. Trust me, in the end, comes out delicious! First step is make sure your wrappers are defrosted if you stored them in the freezer. (Don't put the wrappers into the microwave or in water, the wrappers will become doughy and not user friendly) 

Next step (don't be afraid to get your hands dirty!) mix all the ingredients together. I make sure all the scallions & ginger are throughly mixed with the pork; I mash up the mixture with my hands with some light pressure. You want to make sure the texture is mush like. (Sounds weird, but trust me, it creates a softer filling) 

Now on to the FUN part! Creating the beautiful potstickers! Take one wrapper in your palm and grab a tablespoon worth of filling (right in the middle is ideal). Fold the sides so the wrapper is now a half moon shape. You may want to use a dabble of water to make sure the sides stick. Pleats! & this is where I'm an amateur. I just tuck a little piece out and over to create a pleat; repeat throughout the wrapper until it's completely pleated. (See picture below) Now, repeat until you are finished with the filling.

Oh my pleats! Looks bad, but they taste delicious! :) 

Drools.... 

FINALLY! So close to the EATING part. Find a flat pan that has a large cooking surface w/a lid and heat it up! Oh yes, we are near the end. Once the pan is hot add 2 or 3 tablespoons of cooking oil and safely add the pot stickers. Pre-fry for 2 mins.Very important part... add a 1/2 cup of water (if you make about 20 dumplings) and close the lid. Please be careful: water and oil do not like each other! However, the secret to crispy bottoms is adding the oil first then you add the water so that the dumplings steam and the yummy insides cook throughly! 

Patience is a virtue.... please keep lid on until all the water has evaporated

Once the water has evaporated, uncover the pan and let the pot stickers get crispy with the oil that is at the bottom of the pan, (another minute). We are almost there, I promise! Get a large plate, one that covers the width of your pan and carefully flip the pan over on the plate. Volia! Crispy pot stickers! Serve up with your favorite dipping sauce. I like a simple sauce: minced ginger and black vinegar. 

Enjoy!

Kathy

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