Homemade Potstickers

For the past few weeks, I have been completely obsessed with potstickers. Obsessed. In fact, at one point, the local Chinese restaurant in town actually ran out of them, because of me. Truth.

It’s an addiction.

So last weekend, Jon joined me in the kitchen with the attitude that we were going to conquer the potsticker, by hand, despite being the least Asian folks I know. We laid out all the ingredients for the filling, which Jon took to task, and I set about to making the dough.

Why MAKE the dough, you ask? Why not use premade frozen wonton wrappers?

Location, folks. I tried Food Lion. Krogers. Wal-Mart. No one had frozen wonton wrappers. So, I was forced to make my own. The recipe is simple simple simple. Two parts flour, one part water. Mix it up, flatten it out.

MmmmKay.

From this point in my potsticker making life forward, I will either A) Hit the Asian Market in Blacksburg and try to find the wrappers, or B) Use the pasta machine. Rolling that dough out super thin is HARD! And as soon as I would roll it out, it would shrink back up. I cursed the Chinese, the Japanese, the Koreans, the Vietnamese, even the Brazilians for having a language I can’t understand. It was a true labor of love, me wanting to make these potstickers.

But, once we got going, figured out a method, rolled, filled, pinched, pleated – it went okay. We found the best method was to roll and use each wrapper as we needed it, versus make all the wrappers and then fill them. It just seemed to go faster that way. All told, we ended up with about 50 really big potstickers (not the smaller ones like you find at the Asian Take-Out restaurants. 3 per person will make a meal, combined with rice and a nice side of carrots or peas.) And despite my newfound distaste for rolling out the dough, it really was good. Ours are a little thicker than the wonton wrappers, and I am a carbohydrate loving woman, so this suited me just fine.

Give it a go this weekend, I think you’ll enjoy it!

Homemade Potstickers

• 3 cups cabbage, shredded (we used coleslaw mix)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 pound (41-50) shrimp, peeled, deveined and finely chopped
• 1 pound ground pork
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons beer (you could use wine)
• 1/4 cup green onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 2 tablespoons minced wet garlic

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Be sure to remove as much liquid from the shrimp as possible before adding it to the mix.

Wrappers/Dough

• 4 cups All Purpose Flour
• 2 Cups Water
• Pinch of Salt

Combine in the bowl of a stand mixer, and, using dough hook, combine. Roll out on well floured surface.

To Assemble:

Roll half of the dough into a tube, then cut into even, individual pieces (25-30 per half). Roll out each piece of dough as flat as possible, but make sure that it is thick enough to not have holes in it. We made ours roughly 4-5 inches in diameter. Fill with 2-3 tablespoons of the filling. Dampen the edge of the potsticker with water, using your finger, then pinch and seal into dumpling form. Set aside on pan until you have enough to fill the pan. Place in freezer on the pan, then, once frozen, you can place them into a freezer bag for later use. Continue until all dough is used.

To Cook:

Whether fresh, or frozen, cooking is the same. Pour about 2 tablespoons of oil in a large lidded pan, and heat over medium heat. Arrange preferred number of potstickers in the pan, and allow to cook, uncovered, for 2 minutes, or until golden on the bottom. Add 1/4 cup of water to the pan, and cover. Reduce to heat to low, and cook for 8-10 minutes. Remove lid, and increase heat back to medium, and cook for 5 more minutes. If you would like both sides browned, flip them and cook for a couple more minutes.

Serve with rice and your favorite dipping sauce.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!