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POTSTICKERS WITH SPICY DIPPING SAUCE

Makes: 22 Pot stickers

These take a bit of time to prepare, but gather the family around to help. Pleat the edges for a traditional look or you can just fold in half, which is much easier. I always double or triple the batch and freeze for whenever I need to prepare a quick dinner or appetizer. Freeze filled potstickers on a cookie tray, in a single layer, then once frozen put them all in a zipper seal bag. They last up to two months in the freezer.

Ingredients:

Filling:

2 cups finely shredded napa cabbage
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound ground pork or ground turkey
2 green onions, minced
2 tablespoons minced bamboo shoots
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

Dipping Sauce:

3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar or
balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce

22 potsticker wrappers
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2/3 cup water

Cooking:

  1. Put cabbage into a colander set in the sink. Add salt and toss. Set aside until liquid releases from cabbage, about 15 minutes. Squeeze as much of the liquid out as possible and squeezed cabbage to a clean bowl. Add remaining; mix well. Combine dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.
  2. Make each potsticker: Place a heaping teaspoon filling in center of potsticker wrapper. Brush edges of wrapper with water, fold in half, and press edges to seal. Set potsticker on work surface, seam side up, and lightly press to form a flat bottom.
  3. Heat a nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil, swirling to coat bottom. Add half of potstickers, seam side up, and cook until bottoms are golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add 1/3 cup water; cover, reduce heat to low and cook until water is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan. Cook the remaining potstickers, first adding the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan.
  4. Place potstickers, brown side up, on a serving plate. Serve with dipping sauce.

Adapted from Quick and Easy by Martin Yan (Chronicle Books)
Copyright © Yan Can Cook Group, 2005