by A.J. Coltrane
Pot stickers are really easy to do. They’re somewhat time consuming, but almost impossible to screw up. Most of the time they’ll fool people into thinking that you can cook. I don’t use a recipe for them — something like this will work fine as a leaping off point:
The “Recipe”:
1 lb Ground Pork
1/2 Large Head Cabbage, finely shredded
1/2 cup – 1 cup Scallions, finely chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Sesame Oil
1 package (4″ square) Wonton Wrappers — Buy two packages to cover overruns, they freeze just fine. Extra wrappers can also become Crab Rangoons if you have cream cheese in the house.
Other good stuff: Black Pepper, Sambal Oelek/ hot sauce, minced Bell Pepper, minced Cilantro, Ginger, minced Onion, Soy Sauce. Any of those in small quantities will be fine.
The Assembly:
Use a food processor, even one of the little cheap ones is highly recommended as a time-saver. I would also suggest that the assembly process happen while sitting down, in front of a television, with beer. It’s much more pleasant that way.
1. Cut all vegetables into pieces that the food processor can handle. Working in batches if necessary, pulse the food processor to finely chop vegetables. Do not puree.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
3. The Setup:
Two plates, one for folding the pot stickers and one for the finished product. A small bowl or ramekin with some water — the water will be used to seal the pot stickers. Plastic wrap for covering the finished pot stickers — the pot stickers can sit in layers on the plate, with plastic wrap between the layers.
4. Take one wrapper out the package and place on the “assembly” plate. (The wrappers will dry out quickly, make sure to keep the package covered, or at least mostly closed.) Place about 1 tsp+ of the filling into the center of the wrapper. I use two forks for this to keep my hands relatively clean. (Use one fork to pick up the filling, then scrape off with the other fork and onto the wrapper.) Lightly wet one finger in the bowl of water and moisten two adjacent edges of the wrapper. Fold the two “dry” edges over to meet the “wet” edges, removing as much air as possible. Crimp the filled wrapper a few times.
The Cooking Part:
Note: You’ll need a non-stick skillet that has a lid. Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons of canola oil. When the oil is hot add as many pot stickers as will fit in one layer into the pan.
Cook about 2-3 minutes. Resist the urge to poke, move, or otherwise disturb the pot stickers.
Add 1/8 cup of water to the pan and immediately cover. Watch out for splattering oil/water. It’s best to have the lid in your hand hovering over the pan when you add the water so that you can slap on the lid when the water hits the heat.
Cook about 4-6 minutes. The goal is to have the water finish evaporating just as you’re ready to remove the lid.
Remove the lid and cook an additional 2 minutes to crisp, finish browning, and evaporate any leftover water. Cut open one pot sticker to ensure that the pork is cooked through.
Repeat until all pot stickers are done.
Sweet and sour sauces go well with this recipe. Also good is the classic soy/sushi vinegar/ hot sauce combo (1 part soy, ~1 part sushi vinegar, and a dash of hot sauce. You can substitute white wine vinegar and a little sugar for the sushi vinegar.)
It looks like a big project, but it’s easy. Most of the preparation can take place in front of the TV. Painless.
FlatbreadGarden 