Pot stickers

The summer I turned 20 I visited my brother in Beijing.  It was a big deal for me to get there, I had to get an invitation from him.  Then I had to fly to Hong Kong and make the rest of my travel arrangements from there since I couldn't fly directly to Beijing from the US.  

One of the things that I remember the most about that trip was the jiaodz (boiled dumplings) that we ate at a place called ErTan.  They were wonderful!  The jiaodz were hand made including the wraps.  The name "jiaodz" indicates that you are steaming them not frying them.  When I lived in Taiwan we ate them at least once or twice a week and they were almost as good as the ones we ate in Beijing.  In Taiwan we called them "SweiJiao" but they were exactly the same thing cooked in exactly the same way.  Once or twice I had "GwoTie" or pot stickers.  I never thought the pot stickers were as good as the sweijiao.  They were the same thing just cooked differently, boiling vs. frying.  You'd think that frying would taste better than boiling but it never does, at least for me. Maybe its just the memories that boiling the dumplings brings up in my mind.

Most Americans know and love pot stickers but I long for those wonderful jiaodz that I ate for the first time in Beijing.

You can use pot sticker wraps(skins) that you buy in the store or you can make them yourself.  They'll be easier if you buy them but they'll taste better if you make them.  They'll also taste better if you take the time to carefully pleat them when you are sealing them.  I don't know why...they just will.  You can boil, steam or fry these once they are made.  They freeze well before they are cooked, just don't freeze them stuck together.  Place them separately on a tray in the freezer then put them in a bag once they are frozen solid.

Pot stickers

1              lb.           Ground pork (ground chicken or turkey may be substituted for all or part)

1              lb.           Chinese cabbage (Napa cabbage), finely chopped

1              cup         minced green onions

1              tsp          minced ginger

3              Tbsp      soy sauce

1              tsp          salt        

1              Tbsp      sesame oil

Pot sticker wraps

Mix all of the ingredients together except the wraps. 

To create a dumpling hold the pot sticker wrap in the palm of your hand.  Place about 1 teaspoon of the meat mixture in the center and fold the wrap in half.  Press the edges together and seal with water. You may want to pleat the edges as you seal them to make these look nicer.  Place on a floured tray until ready to serve.  These may be frozen and served later.  Be sure if you are freezing them that they are individually frozen and do not stick together while you are freezing them.

To serve you may place them in salted boiling water until they float or steam them.

To serve them as pot stickers: heat a nonstick skillet with a little oil in the bottom.  Place the fresh or frozen dumplings in the hot oil and cover the bottom of the pan with pot stickers until they are barely touching one another.  Cook for a minute and then pour water in the pan until the water come up about ¾ of the way up the pot sticker.  Place a cover on the pan and cook until all of the liquid is evaporated. 

Serve with a dipping sauce.

Dipping sauce

2              parts      Soy sauce

1              part        Vinegar

Sugar (just a little)

Sesame oil (dash)

Grated ginger (optional)

Hot sauce (whatever kind you like) (optional)