Vegetarian Potstickers

By tulawdog

Ingredients

• For dipping sauce:
• 10 ounces firm tofu, drained
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1 ″ piece of ginger, peeled
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 cups shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
• 1 carrot
• 1 stalk celery
• 2 cups cabbage, finely shredded
• 1 cup bean sprouts, chopped
• 3 teaspoons sesame oil
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• freshly ground pepper and salt, to taste
• 2 packages gyoza/potsticker wrappers
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 small red chili pepper, thinly sliced (optional)

Preparation

Step 1

Crumble tofu with your hands until it resembles ground meat. Place in a strainer and set aside.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine onion, ginger garlic, mushrooms, carrot, and celery. Pulse until ingredients are roughly chopped. Place mixture into a large bowl. Mix in cabbage, bean sprouts, and tofu. Sprinkle mixture with sesame oil, soy sauce, pepper, and salt and mix well to combine.
Set up your station: bowl of filling, stack of potsticker wrapper, a small bowl filled with water, and a large baking sheet.
To fold: place wrapper in your non-dominant hand. Scoop about 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of the wrapper. Wet a finger on your dominant hand and lightly trace the outside of the wrapper. Fold wrapper in half to form a half circle and pinch at the top. Starting at the center, make 3 pleats down toward the bottom-right corner. Repeat on the left side. Continue with the remaining filling and wrappers.
To cook: heat a large, lidded saute pan over high heat. Add in 1 teaspoon oil and swirl pan to coat. Add pot stickers, pleat-side up, being careful not to overcrowd. Cook until bottoms are browned, about 5 minutes. Add in 1/2 cup water and immediately cover the pan to contain the splatter. After 30 seconds, when splattering has subsided, slightly crack the lid open to allow steam to escape. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until heated through and water has evaporated. Let cook for an additional 1 – 2 minutes to allow bottom to re-crisp. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.
To make dipping sauce: combine soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and chili pepper in a small bowl. Stir to combine.