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Pork & Shrimp Potstickers

Alejandro Ramon
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What can I say, I have a love affair with potstickers. It started years ago when researching Asian cuisine during my culinary apprenticeship. The combination of flavors, fillings, cooking methods, and dipping sauces are endless. When served with a quick stir-fry vegetables and you will have a quick and delicious meal. That is, once you’ve filled and shaped the pot stickers of course.

Potstickers, perfect little savory package of flavor and texture. I like twice cooking the potstickers; First frying the bottoms in canola oil until brown and crispy and then adding stock to the pan and covering to steam. The last step is to remove the lid and let the bottoms crisp back up before serving. Inverting the pot stickers onto a warm platter and serve with a sublime dipping sauce.

For me making the potstickers reminiscent of the work to make tamales. No one makes just a dozen. Rather if your going to take the time to make them, you make them by dozens! Why not make it a group project? Get your family or friends involved in filling and shaping the pot stickers. You’ll find that everyone will enjoy the time spent with each other and the new skills of making the pot stickers. Any extras can be frozen on a plastic wrap lined sheet tray and then placed into a freezer bag for later enjoyment. The pot stickers can be taken frozen from the freezer and cooked right away. This recipe for the potstickers makes about 100 dumplings.

I like to process the pork and shrimp in a food processor. The texture of the finish potsticker will be much better. When choosing the Pork Butt look for well marbled roast. Remember that fat is flavor! It will give the best flavor possible to your pot stickers.

Making potstickers gives us the opportunity to learn about Asian culture too. Don’t be afraid to explore the Asian markets in your area, browse the isles, ask questions, and learn! The owners of small independent markets are more than happy to share their own recipes. Pointing you to their favor ingredients. Stocking up your pantry with all the ingredients needed to make potstickers or stir-fry will make quick work for when you get a craving for that perfect little package of dim sum goodness!

The full instructional video for “Pork & Shrimp Potstickers” is on my YouTube channel “Just One Bite, Please?” Found at the bottom of this post.

Equipment for Dipping Sauce: (Shop my Amazon Page for Ingredients & Equipment)

Dipping Sauce:

  1. In a mixing bowl combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, granulated sugar, garlic chives, ginger, garlic, chili garlic sauce, and black pepper. Whisk to dissolve the sugar and combine well.
  2. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Set aside and let flavors develop at room temperature while making the potstickers.
  3. Refrigerate any remaining dipping sauce in an air tight container.

Equipment for Potstickers: (Shop my Amazon Page for Ingredients & Equipment)

Pork & Shrimp Potsticker Filling:     (Yields about 100 Dumplings)

Measure                   Ingredients

Mixing the Filling:

  1. In a food processor grind the shrimp to a paste. Place into the mixing bowl.
  2. Grind the pork pieces in 2 batches. Grinding until the pork is fine texture. Scraping down the sides of the processor bowl as necessary. Place the ground pork into the mixing bowl along with the shrimp.
  3. To the mixing bowl add the garlic chives, shallots, ginger, garlic, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, toasted sesame oil, sea salt, and black pepper to the shrimp/pork mixture.
  4. Beat the ingredients with a wooden spoon until the filling is well combine and sticky. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Filling the Pot Stickers:

  1. Fill a small bowl with cold water and set aside.
  2. Open 1 package of dumpling wrappers.
  3. Place 1 dumpling wrapper on your palm. Dip a finger into the water and rub the water on the outside edge of the dumpling wrapper.
  4. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of filling in the center.
  5. Bring the opposite edge of the dumpling wrapper together in the center (it will look like a taco) and pinch the wrapper together.
  6. Staring on the right side, pleat the wrapper 3 times pinching the dumpling wrapper each time. Do the same to the left side.
  7. If done right the potsticker will have a moon shape with a flat bottom, a pleated side, and a smooth side. Don’t fret if they are not perfect. By the time you get to the last one you’ll have the hang of it.
  8. Place the filled and shaped potsticker on a plastic wrap lined sheet tray or cutting board and cover with plastic wrap to keep the dumpling wrapper from drying out.
  9. Continue until all the dumplings are formed. Dumplings can be made ahead of time and refrigerated or cooked right away.
  10. Any remaining uncooked potstickers can be covered and frozen. Once frozen the pot stickers can be placed in a plastic freezer bag. Cook the potstickers directly from the freezer.

Cooking the Potstickers:

  1. In a 12″ non-stick saute pan add 2 Tbsp. of canola oil and heat over medium heat until hot.
  2. Add the pot stickers to the saute pan in a circular shape fitting them together with a little space between each pot sticker.
  3. Fry the pot stickers on medium heat until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy.
  4. Add 1 cup of chicken stock to the pan and cover the saute pan and cook for 8 minutes covered. The chicken stock will be absorbed by the dumpling wrappers during this time.
  5. After 8 minutes uncover the saute pan and cook for 2 more minutes or until the stock is evaporated and the bottoms of the potstickers start to fry again.
  6. place the cooked potstickers onto a warm platter and serve right away with the dipping sauce.
  7. Enjoy
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