Pot Stickers

Sous chef Cortney was in town and we decided to make pot stickers.  You don't make pot stickers unless you have help- they're super easy to make, but take a lot of time.  Your chances of wanting to make them again go way up if you have someone to chat with- making the never ending experience enjoyable.  Pot stickers are a great way to use up summer cabbage.  They freeze beautifully which means all your hard work can be enjoyed for future dinners.

I did experiment with the cabbage process.  Normally, you chop the cabbage, mix it with some salt, let it sit for 5-10 minutes, then squeeze the heck water out of it.  I'm a natural at making huge messes in the kitchen, so any step that intensifies that talent is not good!  There's a lot of water in cabbage- I got almost 2 cups out when I squeezed mine.  I talked to a few people who told me they skipped that step and their pot stickers turned out fine.  I tried using the coleslaw blend- it was fast and easy.  The cabbage is dried out from packaging so you don't have to remove any moisture, but it's stiff which makes it a little harder to mold into the wrappers.  (I would probably pulse it a few times in the food processor just to soften it).  Well, I'm going to be traditional, but experiment and see what works best for you.

RECIPE

1 head of cabbage

4 green onions, chopped

1 lb. ground pork

1 TBL fresh grated ginger

2 tsp sesame oil

2 TBL soy sauce

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp white pepper

1 TBL sugar

1 tsp olive oil

2 packages circular won ton wrappers

* Do a rough chop on the cabbage and put it in the food processor- pulse it until you have small pieces.  (Chop it in 3 or 4 'batches'.  Be careful how fine you chop the cabbage- you don't want a puree).  Put the cabbage and salt in a large bowl and let it sit while you measure out the remaining ingredients (except the won ton wrappers) into another bowl.  Use your hands to squeeze the water out of the cabbage; put the cabbage in with your pork/seasonings and mix by hand until everything is combined.  Get a small bowl of cold water.  Dip your fingers in the water and spread it around the edge of the won ton wrapper.  Press three pleats in it to create a "shell".  Place a small spoonful of pork mixture into the 'shell' and press the wrapper closed.  See the pictures below.  Place the pot stickers on a cookie sheet until your done wrapping  (cover them so they don't dry out).  Heat 2-3 tsp canola oil in a sauce pan.  Rub the bottom of each pot sticker in the oil and place them so they aren't touching each other.  Pour in 1/2- 3/4 cup water-(You want about 1/4 of the pot sticker covered in water).  Cover, bring to a boil and let them simmer until all the water has evaporated (about 7-10 minutes).  Remove the lid and let them simmer a few more minutes until the bottoms get crispy.  Serve with soy sauce.

OK-let's go through this again :)  Spread some water with your fingers around the edge of the wrapper.

 Fold it so the 'wet' side becomes the inside of the pot sticker.  Follow the pictures to make your 3 pleats.

 Add more water as needed to make sure it sticks well.

   
                                  

Now you have your "shell".  Hold it in your fingers like so while filling it.

(This picture has the coleslaw blend filling.)

You want to make sure they stand up like this so they cook right.

Don't worry- you'll be a pro by the time you're done!

Tips:

• Only pull a few wrappers out at a time so they don't dry out.
• If you choose to go with the packaged cabbage route- use 2 bags
• My sister adds 1/4 C. oyster sauce to hers- add it if you like that fishy flavor.
• Have someone help you-seriously.  It will take an hour to wrap them.
• You will have leftovers- you MUST freeze them.  Pot stickers get their name because they STICK well.  If you try to refrigerate them, they'll turn into a blob like this:  
  
  Leave the extras on the cookie sheet and freeze for several hours.  (I accidentally left them overnight once, and they were fine).  Put them in a freezer bag and freeze up to 2 months.  They don't need to thaw before cooking.  
• Use 2 pans if you need to make a lot for your family.  My 10" skillet could cook 15 pot stickers.
• In the first picture, you'll see those brown 'veins'- it's just cooked starch from the wrapper.
• I know a lot of people spice up the dipping sauce, but I like plain soy sauce..  I'm tired by the time I'm done making these so I do what's fast and easy.
• You probably won't use all the won ton wrappers- freeze them for the next time you make pot stickers, or fry them up for a salad.