Chinese Pot Stickers

Make authentic Pot Stickers at home!

Ingredients

Meat Filling

• 1 1/2 pound ground pork
• 6 tablespoon soy sauce
• 6 scallions, minced
• 2 tablespoons dried shrimp, soaked and minced (optional)
• 3 tablespoons shrimp water (optional)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 egg
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds Chinese cabbage
• 2 teaspoons salt

Pastry

• 5 cups flour
• 2 cups water

Cooking and Serving

• Peanut oil
• 1/2 cup water
• Vinegar
• Chinese hot oil (chili oil)
• Soy sauce
• Fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions

1. Meat Filling: Mix together well the pork, soy sauce, scallions, dried shrimp, shrimp water, sesame oil, peanut oil, ginger, egg and garlic. Set aside. Core cabbage and chop it finely. Cover cabbage with the salt and let sit for 1 hour. Press out the water and add the cabbage to the meat mixture. Set mixture aside until ready to assemble pot stickers.
2. Pastry: Mix flour and water. Keep it rather soft for ease in handling. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Cut or pull off walnut-size balls and roll each one out to the size of a 3-inch circle. The edges of the dough should be thinner than the middle. Fill each round with approximately 1 teaspoon of meat filling. Pinch together in the shape of a half moon.
3. Cooking and Serving: Heat about 2 tablespoons of peanut oil in a skillet and stand the pot stickers up close together in the skillet with the seam side up. Sauté over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Do not allow them to burn. Add 1/2 cup water, cover, and steam for 20 minutes.
4. Serve immediately with vinegar, Chinese hot oil, soy sauce and cilantro.