Pot Stickers

By oakleyj

Pork-stuffed dumplings are first fried, then steam-cooked, and fried again to produce dumplings that are delightflly crunchy on the bottom yet soft and tender at the top. Legend has it these pan-fried dumplings were created by mistake when a cook at the Imperial Palace was preparing boiled dumplings. He walked away from the stove and totally forgot about them (I've done that a few times myself!). When he returned, the water had evaporated and they were browned and crusty on the bottom. He nervously served them to the royal family, and luckily for him and the rest of us, the Emperor was pleased with the results. The dumplings are time-consuming to prepare if you make your own wrappers (you can purchase ready-made dumpling wrappers in Chinatown food shops in the fresh noodle section) but happily, the dough and dumplings can be make ahead and either refrigerated or frozen before pan-frying and steaming. Once cooked, they can be left in the pan for up to an hour before serving time, then gently reheated, adding a little more oil if necessary. Or to reheat the next day, bring them to room temperature, place in a nonstick pan with about 1 Tbsp water, cover, and steam-cook on medium heat for 5 minutes until heated through and crisp on the bottom.

Ingredients

• Seasonings:
• 2 cups finely chopped Chinese cabbage
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 pound ground pork
• 1 cup chopped green onions
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
• Grated zest of 1 medium orange
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp dry sherry
• 1 Tbsp potato or cornstarch
• 1 package dumpling wrappers
• vegetable oil for frying
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• Worcestershire sauce for dipping
• Dip:
• 1 Tbps sugar
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
• chili oil to taste

Preparation

Step 1

1. Place chopped cabbge in mixing bowl; add salt and toss well. Let stand 5 minutes. Take handfuls of cabbage; squeeze out as much liquid as possible and place in clean large bowl. Add ground pork and seasonings; combine well (hands work best). Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

2. Spoon about 1 Tbsp filling into center of each dumpling wrapper. Fold over to make a half circle. Brush edges lightly with water to help seal.

3. With your fingers, make about 6 pleats across dumpling, pinching to seal. It should curve into an arc shape on the top and be flat on the bottom. Set completed dumplings on a lightly cornstarched baking sheet. May be refrigerated several hours, covered or frozen. Partially thaw before pan-frying.

4. Heat a 12-inch nonstick or cast-iron skillet over hight heat. Reduce heat to medium, add 3 Tbsp oil; when hot, place pot stickers, flat side down, in concentric circles, each dumpling touching the next. (They should all fit in the skillet, otherwise do two batches) Tilt and gently shake pan to distribute oil evenly. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown, checking frequently. Be carefully not to brown too much.

5. Pour in chicken stock, cover, and gently boil over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until stock evaporates. When you hear a sizzling sound, drizzle in 2 Tbsp oil, tilting skillet to distribute oil underneath dumplings. Fry for about 5 minutes or until bottoms are crisp and golden brown. Use a spatula to loosen bottoms of pot stickers, if necessary. Carefully invert onto a serving plate or platter, browned side up.

Serve with Worcestershire and/or dipping sauce.