Pot Stickers

A friend of my family's shared this recipe with me (something not often done). There aren't many solid measurements in this recipe. It simply takes a lot of practice, which she certainly has.  She makes these in large quantities, and then freezes them in order to pull them out for hungry football watchers. I made these one year for a potluck, and nobody ever let me forget it. Very time consuming, but extremely worth it.

Dough:

Flour
Boiling Water --- Finish with Cold Water

Pour water over flour until moist. Mix and knead until a dough forms. Set aside and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

Filling:

A mixture of Ground Pork and Turkey
Cabbage

The ratio of cabbage to meat will be 2 :: 1. So if you have 2 pounds of meat, you will need 4 pounds of cabbage.

1 Bunch Green Onion, chopped fine
2 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger, chopped fine
Shitake Mushrooms (7-10) soaked for 1-2 hours, chopped finely
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Sesame Oil
1-2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1 Tablespoon Sugar
Dash of Salt

Take cabbage and chop fine, either by hand or with a food processor. Place cabbage in a collander and squeeze out excess water. Blend cabbage with salt. Mix meat with all ingredients (except cabbage), and mix well. Add cabbage just before you're ready to cook the potstickers, and mix well. Take the dough and separate it into equal parts. Take each part and roll into long skinny cylindars, with a width slightly larger than that of a quarter. Slice the cylindars into half inch pieces. Take each piece and roll into 2 inch disks. Take a teaspoon of the filling and place in the middle of each disk. Fold each disk in half and press to seal. Pinch the ends as well and crease to seal. To cook them (remember, the filling inside is raw) place them in a large pan of canola oil. Cook for 15 minutes, or until golden brown on the outside. These also freeze well. When you cook them from frozen, place in a pan of water. Boil until dough is soft. Remove just long enough to oil the pan, and return potstickers to pan. Cook until brown on each side

Dipping Sauce:

1 Tablespoon Fresh Ginger, chopped finely
5-8 Cloves Garlic, chopped finely
2 Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro, chopped finely
1/2-3/4 Cup Soy Sauce
1/2 Cup White Vinegar (or less, if you prefer)
1 teaspoon Sugar
1/4-1/2 Cup Sesame Oil
1 heaping Tablespoon Korean Chile Powder

Mix all ingredients in a medium size bowl, and serve with potstickers. This sauce is also excellent to marinate chicken in or to make fried rice with.

If you have leftover filling (which you probably will) roll it into bite size balls. Brown in a frying pan until each side is brown, and then finish in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Serve with the above sauce. A peanut butter soy sauce is an excellent dipping sauce as well.