Pot Sticker Dumplings

I don't think I had ever eaten a pot sticker before making these yummy pot sticker dumplings. They are good. Really good. I love Asian flavors and I love trying new things at home. These were a home run with everyone in my family, even my picky toddler boys. They loved eating them with chopsticks, and having their "own" little dipping bowl of sauce. This recipe comes from Lucinda Scala Quinn's Mad Hungry. I love that this recipe makes so many- you can eat half of them for dinner and freeze the remaining half for another night (just freeze uncovered on a baking sheet, in a single layer, for about one hour and then transfer to an airtight container or ziplock bag). The best part - you can cook them frozen! I found that cooking them straight from the freezer was a little tricky because they burned easily, so next time I will slightly thaw them before cooking in the wok.

Pot Sticker Dumplings with Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce

slightly adapted from Mad Hungry

Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons sugar
1 whole scallion, trimmed and sliced
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 tsp hot chili sauce
2 tablespoons water

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the dipping sauce. Set aside.

Pot Sticker Dumplings

Ingredients:

1/2 pound ground pork (can use ground turkey or chicken)
1 cup finely chopped baby bok choy
1 teaspoon peeled fresh ginger, minced
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 large egg white
36-42 dumpling wrappers
Canola, vegetable or peanut oil, for frying

Directions:

Chop the baby bok choy very fine. If you can't find baby bok choy you can use regular bok choy, not a problem. Place in a mixing bowl.

Mince the peeled ginger very fine. I use a Microplane. If you don't have one of these handy tools, invest in one. They are great for grating Parmesan cheese (or any hard cheese), ginger, and garlic. They are super sharp so watch those fingers. Add the ginger to bowl.

Add the minced garlic, ground pork, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and egg white. Combine gently. I used my hands to make sure it got evenly incorporated. You don't want to overwork the meat, so be quick and gentle.

Now set up an assembly line. Line up a few wrappers and place one teaspoon of the pork mixture in the center of each wrapper. Using your finger dipped into a small bowl of water, wet the outer edge of each wrapper. Fold over one wrapper at a time and use your fingers to pinch the edges together.

At this point it is easiest to just pick it up and seal shut with your fingers. Place on a baking sheet and continue until all the wrappers, or all the mixture if gone. You can make quite a few, I think I got over 40 both times I made these.

Now heat a wok (or large skillet) over medium heat and add about 1 Tbsp of canola oil (you can use vegetable or peanut oil).

Add a single layer of pot stickers and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Add about 1/8-1/4 cup of water to pan and quickly cover. Cook for an additional 4 minutes, or until water is evaporated and pork mixture is cooked through. I preferred the texture of these to be more crisp than soft, so I used 1/8 cup of water. Traditionally, pot stickers are steamed and not always pan fried so you may like them on the softer side. If so, use 1/4 cup water. If you are cooking these frozen you will need to add 2-3 minutes of cooking time.

Serve immediately with the dipping sauce. These pot stickers contain little bursts of strong flavors. I love the added flavors and tastes from the dipping sauce.

Serve with rice and steamed edamame.

Enjoy!

In exchange for an awesome lunch, Travis contributed his mad photography skills to this post.