Asian Pork Potstickers (AKA Gyoza or Dumplings)

 We ate these for dinner tonight over some Botan Calrose Rice steamed in a rice cooker with a small piece of kombu (seaweed).  However, we usually just make these for parties.  They are very impressive looking, very easy to make, and taste delicious!   Instructions sound complicated but once you do it once, it is so much fun!

ASIAN PORK POTSTICKERS


Potstickers: 
1 lb. ground pork
1 tblspn soy sauce
1/3 cup sliced green onions (3-4 stalks)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp fresh minced garlic
1 tsp fresh ground ginger
1 cup freshly grated carrots (2-3 carrots - don't buy already grated ones, they are too long and thick)
1 package dumpling wrappers (find in most grocery stores, always in asian groceries, you can also use won ton wrappers or pierogi wrappers, don't use egg roll wrappers)
olive oil


Equipment:  mixing bowl, teaspoon, small cup filled with water, small pastry brush or very clean paint brush, wok or saute pan with tight fitting lid


Dipping Sauce: 
1/4 cup soy sauce 
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp sesame seeds




Go ahead and mix all the dipping sauce ingredients together in a small bowl, cover, and put in the fridge so the flavors can mix well.  Mix all ingredients for dumplings except wrappers and olive oil together and mash up together with your hands - this just works better that mixing any other way to make sure all the carrot bits are fully incorporated.  Cover this bowl and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 30min before you begin making the potstickers.   Take each potsticker wrapper and spoon a heaping teaspoon of the pork mixture into the center.  Take the small brush and lightly brush a bit of water around the very edge of half the wrapper and fold over.  Pinch together the sides very tightly being sure that no air bubbles are trapped next to the meat, and that all edges are sealed.  Once this is done you should end up with around 30 dumplings.  I always end up with extra filling to make one or two delicious asian porkburgers!  If you are not making these for a party, but for a meal, you can freeze the rest of the dumplings for up to 6 months.  Now heat your wok or pan up to a medium low heat with a tsp - tblsp of olive oil in your pan (depending on how large your pan is) place 5-8 dumplings in the pan and let fry for about 1 min.  Then add several tblsp of water (about 3) and cover the lid tightly.  Wait 3 min, and open the pan again.  If all the water is gone, turn all dumplings over and let the other side slightly brown and crisp up again (about 1 min.)  Remove and plate.  


Some people like to add  about a cup of chinese cabbage (nappa cabbage) to this mixture or to replace the carrot with it.  I like the carrot because they taste sweeter.  You can also just steam these in an asian bamboo steamer and leave out the oil to make them healthier!  

Prep

Before Steaming and Pan Frying

Asian Porkburger made out of leftover filling

Finished Product!  Yummy!

Below is the amazon link to the brand of soy sauce that I use - so you will recognize it in the store.  As usual, this link is to soy sauce in bulk (6 bottles) which is a very good price. I much prefer this brand to Kikoman or others.  Also a link to a very good bamboo steamer and a package of kombu, which is a dry seaweed that you can add to white rice while cooking to give the rice extra flavor.  Then you discard the cooked seaweed piece.