Mmmm, pot stickers from the freezer for lunch with steamed veggies. My 6 year-old's favorite meal of all time.
When I was 19 I spent a year in Xi'an, China and while there I learned how to make pot stickers. They are a very traditional food, especially during the Chinese New Year. They say.... the more you eat, the more wealth and health you will have all year long AND they are so easy to put in your freezer. And oh yes, they taste amazing, we always wish we had more. You can put what ever you want in them, make them vegetarian, or add in nuts and berries, etc.. In restaurants in China they wheel out carts with hundreds of different kinds for you to choose from.
Pot Stickers
Makes 10 to 12 appetizer-size servings
2 packages of circle wonton/dumpling wrappers (2-inch circles)
2 cup thinly sliced Napa/bok choy cabbage (diced sweet potato works as well)
1½ pounds ground pork sausage
4 teaspoons minced fresh or bottled ginger
1 green onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons soy sauce
Dice cabbage into very tiny pieces. Discard the rest of the cabbage or use in a soup. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except wonton wrappers, mixing well with hands.
Lightly flour 2 cookie sheets. Put some water in a small bowl to dip your fingers in. Wet one side of a wonton wrapper and spoon 2 teaspoons filling on the center of the wrapper. Fold in half like a taco and pinch edges closed. If the edges don’t seal, wet them with your fingers and pinch edges until they seal. Continue filling wonton wrappers until sausage mixture is gone.
Place pot stickers on a lightly floured cookie sheet and freeze for 1 to 2 hours. Then put frozen pot stickers into a large zip-top freezer bag. Pull out pot stickers as needed for dinner.
To serve: Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a non-stick skillet, then place frozen wontons in the skillet on high heat. Add 3 tablespoons water and cover with lid to steam the pot stickers. Cook until liquid is gone, about 7 or 8 minutes. When pot stickers turn brown and crispy on one side, flip them over and cook the reverse side until it is brown and crispy. If you flip them too early, they will stick to the pan. Also, only cook them on a non stick skillet.
Serve potstsickers hot with dipping sauce.
*A more healthy way to cook pot stickers is to drop them into a pot of boiling water . When they float to the top, they are done. Serve hot with dipping sauce.
Dipping Sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
Combine ingredients and place in small bowls for each person to dip pot stickers in. For a spicy sauce, add 1 teaspoon hot sauce or chili pepper flakes.
After making pot stickers today I threw some chopped califlower and carrots in the pot with 2 Tablespoons of water and covered them with a lid for about 8 minutes. They got some of the yummy left over bits on them and I topped them with a little of the dipping sauce. De LISH!
Watch this video to learn how:
