Asian Pot Stickers and Sesame Dipping Sauce

I have to admit that I was intimidated by the idea at first . . . pot stickers? This sounds like the kind of thing that should be left to chefs, but my good friend assured me she could walk me through my first attempt and I'm so glad I took her up on it. These were amazing! They are a bit labor intensive, but nothing that can't be done in an hour (or less with some "night before" preparation).

Here's what you'll need:

Asian Pot Stickers:

1 medium onion chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped

1 to 2 teaspoons ginger grated

1-2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1 package wonton or egg roll wrappers

Cooked shredded chicken, cooked shredded pork or cooked sausage

Shredded cabbage and carrot mix (coleslaw mix)  

1 can baby corn

1 can waterchestnuts

2 scallions chopped

¼ c cilantro chopped

½ c bean sprouts

¼ c mushrooms chopped

¼ c red bell pepper chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Canola oil 

Dipping sauce: 

¼ c rice wine vinegar

¼ c low sodium soy sauce

1 scallion chopped

¼ t crushed red pepper flakes

Sriracha sauce (optional) 

Since I made this at a friend's house she already had some of the ingredients ready when I arrived (cooked chicken, sauteed onions and ginger), so you aren't getting the usual picture of all the ingredients, but here's some. You should know what everything is except maybe the Sriracha sauce, which you can find in the Asian food aisle and it comes in a plastic bottle with a green lid and basically looks like hot sauce (which is what it is).

Feel free to use all or some of the above listed ingredients. We left out water chestnuts because we had some haters in the bunch. I could have done without mushrooms, but to be honest, I didn't even notice them because there is so much stuff in these. Definitely add these cute baby corn cobs!

To get started, combine the first four ingredients in a skillet and cook about ten minutes or until the onions are transparent. Set aside and allow to cool completely. (I would recommend doing this quite early or even the night before. You'll want to cook your meat early too).

Next, mix all the ingredients in the dipping sauce together. The Sriracha sauce will add some kick if you are into that. If not, there is no harm in leaving it out and having a mild sauce. The flavors will blend better if you let it sit.

Next, chop your pre-cooked meat and all the other veggies and good things into tiny pieces and combine in a large mixing bowl.  Add the completely cooled onion mixture. Mix well with your hands so that everything is distributed evenly. (You want ALL your pot stickers to be delicious don't you?)

Now you are ready to fill the wrappers. Open the wrappers and cover the open package with a slightly damp towel because filling them will take some time and the wrappers dry out quickly. Lay out 4-5 wrappers and wet the edges of them with your finger, a pastry brush, or a spray bottle. Put about 1 tablespoon of filling in each wrapper.

Seal the dampened edges by pressing them together (pretty hard) with your fingers. You'll want to avoid over-stuffing because these wrappers can tear pretty easily and are NOT stretchy, but don't worry too much about small tears - they'll still cook up just fine.

Make as many as you can eat! Leftovers will taste best if you store the filling separate from the wrappers and make them right before you want to eat them.

Now for the really fun part . . . . Heat about 1 Tablespoon of canola oil in a large non-stick skillet. When the oil starts to ripple reduce your heat to medium and add the pot stickers to the oil (carefully - from back to front so you don't get burned). Cook several at a time, but don't allow the pot stickers to touch.

Cook them over medium heat about 2 minutes until the sides and bottoms look golden brown and crispy.

Then, pour about 1/4 cup water into the pan (using the pan lid as a shield to avoid splattering yourself) and cover immediately. All you are doing here is steaming the pot stickers. Cook another 1-2 minutes and remove them from the pan.

Store them in a warm oven until ready to serve. Then just keep cooking them up in small batches until you have a delicious heaping tray of pot stickers like these! Serve with rice and dipping sauce. Make these when you have guests - They'll think you're a rockstar!

-Meg