Peking Potstickers

Similar to Japanese Gyoza, Potstickers are actually the pan-fried version of Chinese Dumplings, Jiao Zi (boiled and served with clear soup). It's pretty easy to make and the process of wrapping it is part of the fun! It is definitely a good activity for gathering family or friends together in a dumpling-wrapping session and have a Dumpling Night!

I would recommend that you wrap as many dumplings as you can and simply freeze the remaining of them for the next meals. Just arrange each one of them on a flat tray or plate and freeze it for an hour until it hardens, then toss everything into a Ziplock bag and seal tight. It can be stored for up to a month in the freezer. To cook, you just have to boil the water and cook without thawing the dumplings beforehand.


Ingredients:

1 pack of Dumpling wrapper skins (can be easily found in most Asian Food Stores)
1/2 pound Ground Pork (or Beef/Chicken/Shrimp)
Garlic Chives (chopped finely)
Parsley (chopped finely)
Ginger (chopped finely)
3 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Chinese Cooking Wine (optional)
1 tbsp Fish Sauce
1 tbsp Sesame Oil
1 tbsp Corn Starch


Instructions:

Mix everything up with the meat including the sauces in a big bowl and wrap the filling with the dumpling wrapper skins.

Step-by-Step on how to wrap the dumplings

• Fill the center the dumpling wrapper skin with about half a tablespoon of meat filling.
• Dip a finger into a small bowl of water and wet the edges of the wrapper skin to make it stick when you do the folding.
• Fold the pleats as show in the picture above and then press firmly on the edges to ensure that it is sealed nicely. (you can wet the edges a little bit more if needed.)

Then, coat the non-stick pan with a thin layer of oil and pan fry the dumplings on medium-high heat, when the bottom begins to turn golden brown, pour some water into the pan just enough to form a thin layer of boiling water. This is to steam the dumplings and not boil it. 

Cover with a pan lid for about half a minute and remove. When the water has all evaporated, add in a gentle amount of oil to pan-fry it again until it turns golden brown. Turn over each of the dumplings to the pleated side facing down to fry evenly. 

Serve with chili oil or chinese vinegar.