Homemade Pot Stickers with Ground Pork & Vegetables

Makes: 40-45

Ingredients:
Potstickers:
2 cups Napa cabbage, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 pound ground pork
¼ cup minced green onion
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine (shaoxing wine) or dry sherry
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 package pot sticker or gyoza wrappers (10-12 oz., about 4 dozen)
¼ cup vegetable oil, or as needed
About 1⅓ cups water

Dipping sauce:
Soy sauce to taste
Chinese black vinegar or rice vinegar to taste
Hot chile sauce or oil to taste

Directions:
1. For the pot sticker filling: In a bowl, mix the cabbage and salt. Let stand until the cabbage is limp, 10-15 minutes. Pour the cabbage into a colander. Squeeze handfuls of cabbage to remove liquid and return the dry cabbage to the bowl. Add the pork, green onion, cornstarch, soy sauce, wine, ginger, and garlic. Stir to mix well.

2. To fill pot stickers assemble the elements for filling alongside a small bowl of water, flour-dusted shallow baking pans or plates, plastic wrap, potsticker wrappers covered with plastic wrap, the filling, and a couple of small spoons.

Fast wrap: For each potsticker, place a wrapper on a board or pot sticker mold. Place one tablespoon of filling in the center of the wrapper. Moisten edge of half the wrapper with water. Fold wrapper or mold in half over filling and press to seal. Stand the potsticker up so the seam-side is on the top.

Traditional shape: Moisten edge of wrapper and fill as in the fast wrap method. Bring edges together over filling and press in the center. Then on one edge, make 2 or 3 pleats on each side of center and press to opposite side to seal. Repeat making pleats on other side. These small pleats on one side of the wrapper cause the potsticker to curve slightly.

As each pot sticker is filled, set them down on flour-dusted baking pans, seam-side up, in a single layer. Keep the pot stickers and unfilled wrappers covered with plastic wrap to keep moist. Repeat to fill remaining wrappers. (If made ahead, cover and chill, up to 6 hours. Or freeze until solid, then transfer to containers, seal, and freeze up to 2 months.)

3. To cook pot stickers Set a 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon oil, and rotate pan to spread oil. Set the fresh or frozen (no need to thaw) potstickers, seam-side up, slightly apart in pan. Cook until the bottoms are golden, 1 to 3 minutes, Add ⅓ cup water, cover tightly, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until all the water is absorbed, 5-6 minutes. Transfer to platter and serve or keep warm in a 200°F oven. Repeat to cook remaining potstickers, making sure all water has evaporated from pan before adding more oil as needed with each batch. Wipe pan with paper towels if surface gets cluttered with browned bits.

4. For the dipping sauce, in a small bowl, mix soy sauce, vinegar, and chile sauce to taste. Dip pot stickers in sauce to eat.

Enjoy!