Spring Potstickers

By tulawdog

Ingredients

• 1 lb bunch asparagus, woody ends removed, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped into small pieces (should be about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 cup peas
• 3/4 cup chopped scallions
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chives, minced
• 6 oz of cooked chicken sausage (or tofu), chopped into small pieces
• 2-3 tbsp oil, separated (high smoke point)
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 package of round dumpling wrappers (mine had about 60)
• pinch of salt
• optional: mirin, cornstarch

Preparation

Step 1

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of desired oil in a wok or large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add scallions, ginger, and garlic. Cook for about 1 minute then add mushrooms. Mushrooms will take about 10 minutes to cook fully (should no longer retain water). Next add the asparagus and cook for about 3 minutes then add peas. While cooking the vegetables I splashed mirin in the pan on a whim! If you chose to do this, make sure the liquid is cooked off.

2. Once all vegetables are tender add sausage, and chives and cook for about 1 minute. Move contents to a strainer and shake off any excess liquid (if any), then move to a food processor. Pulse contents briefly just to break down the vegetables into more manageable pieces. Let veggies cool for about 15 minutes, taste and add salt if desired, and stir in toasted sesame oil.

3. Time to construct the pot stickers! Fill a small bowl of water (you can mix cornstarch into this to ensure a strong bond, but it’s not mandatory) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay a dumpling wrapper out, lightly brush it with water, put about 1 tsp of filling into the center of it and fold in half. Secure the potsticker with a pleat like fold (this video is super helpful, skip to 2:30). Place finished potsticker on prepared baking sheet, pleats up. This activity is super fun when done with a friend!


Mine on the left, Michael’s on the right

4. To cook, heat about 1-2 tablespoons of desired oil in a wok or saute pan. Place potstickers in the hot pan and cook until bottom is a golden color, about 1 minute. Pour water into pan (1/2 cup for a large batch, 1/4 cup for a small batch) and quickly cover and let steam for 2 to 3 minutes.

5. Serve with ponzu sauce posted at the end of the asparagus tempura recipe. Any unused potstickers can be frozen! Cooking frozen potstickers is similar to fresh, just it may take about 5 minutes to achieve a nice golden crust when first added to the pan.