Pork and Chive Potstickers.

Happy Monday everybody! I hope you had a good weekend. Please excuse the slowness of my website. I need to speed things up, it’ been bogged down by a surprising number of hits lately. Not that I’m bragging, I just didn’t realize I would need to upgrade so soon! Because if I don’t upgrade, none of you will come back and visit me. And I like making new friends. It’s like hosting a party and not having enough alcohol. People are just gonna find another more awesome party to crash :(

I am also getting kinda self-conscious lately…with more and more wonderful foodies visiting my blog, I feel like I have more eyes behind me, watching me prepare food. I know, it sounds creepy, and that’s my own quirky little problem :P

Enough chatting, more cooking!

It’s about time I made some dumplings. You’ll enjoy these! There are soooo many versions of dumplings, and this is one version. It’s a really tasty version, too. The filling consists of ground pork, Chinese chives and tofu. Yes, tofu. Trust me, you won’t taste the tofu, and the combination makes the dumplings more savory. You’ll see….

Be sure to use Chinese chives. They are flat looking, not like the little thin tubes you see on normal chives.  And they have a more subtle flavor, not too overpowering.  You can find them in asian markets, or maybe in the ethnic produce section of your supermarket. I used regular chives once…not a good idea.  Way too strong.

Pork and Chive Potstickers (makes approx. 100 potstickers)

printable recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1 lb. firm tofu, chopped finely
• 1 cup Chinese chives, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. ginger, minced
• 3 Tbsp. Hoisin sauce
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 tsp. soy sauce (light soy sauce if you’re able to)
• 1 tsp. 5-Spice powder
• 1 egg
• 2 packages of dumpling wrappers (about 50 wrappers per package) 
• oil for pan-frying

Quick Directions:

1) In a skillet, saute the chopped chives, garlic and ginger with a tsp. of oil, with a pinch of salt. Saute for around 5-6 minutes, and set aside.

2) In a large bowl, mix the first 10 ingredients together.

3) The floured side of the dumpling wrapper should be faced up. Place a small spoonful of filling into center of dumpling wrapper. Dab water on the edges, press firmly shut to form a half-circle. Repeat process until finished.

4) Pour 2 tsp. oil on a pan, turn to medium/medium high heat. Place dumplings flat side down on pan, making sure enough space is between them. Pan-fry the bottom until it is golden brown.

5) Pour enough water into the pan to immerse the dumplings halfway. IT WILL SIZZLE, SO BE CAREFUL! Put a lid over it (leaving a crack so the steam can be released), cook for 6-7 minutes until the water has almost totally evaporated. Carefully scrape off the pan, they will be sticking (hence the term ‘potstickers’). Repeat the process until finished.

6)To freeze potstickers you do not cook, place dumplings in a single layer (not overlapping) on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet on a flat surface in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. Take them out, and place them in a single layer in freezer zip-lock bags. Place them back in the freezer, flat side down, so they don’t clump together. After 6+ hours when they are totally frozen you can move them around your freezer and they won’t stick together.

_____________________________________________________

Illustrated Directions:

Chop the chives, mince the garlic and ginger.

  

  

  

Drizzle about 1 tsp. of oil into a skillet.

Saute the chives, garlic and ginger for 5-6 minutes on medium heat. Add a pinch of salt.

  

Add the first 10 ingredients together in a large bowl.

   

  

  

  

  

  

  

Combine this mixture well. I used my hands. The tofu should be crumbled so finely that the mixture should look like the image below:

To wrap the dumplings, place the wrapper with the floured side up. Place a small spoonful of filling in the center. Dab water on half the circle.

  

  

Fold the dumpling in half, pressing firmly to hold it shut, forming a half circle.

If you want to get fancy, and this is another way of folding dumplings together.

Rather than pressing it shut all at once, create folds by overlapping an inch of the top half onto the flat bottom half.

It’s hard to explain, so just check out the picture, and I think you’ll get the hang of it once you try it yourself.

One fold:

Then two folds:

Then three folds:

4, 5, 6 folds. Voila! Just press firmly to make sure they’re all tightly secured.  And repeat this process until finished.

Place them on a large baking sheet or dish, careful not to overlap them.

In a large skillet/pan, heat 2 tsp. oil on medium heat. Place dumplings flat side down, making sure not to overlap them. Brown the bottom (should take a few minutes), just flip one up to check.      

  

When the bottom is golden brown, pour enough water into the pan to immerse half the dumplings. BE CAREFUL, AS IT WILL SPLATTER! Use a lid to shield yourself. Then put the lid on the pan, leaving a crack open to let steam out.

  

Cook on medium-high for 5-6 minutes. Take the lid off when almost all the water has evaporated. Carefully scrape off the pan, they will be sticking to the bottom (hence the term ‘potstickers’).

  

Put onto a dish and serve. Pat yourself on the back, you’ve done a great job! :)

Dipping sauce (optional): light soy sauce, pinch of pepper, and dash of vinegar.

 

To freeze uncooked dumplings:  place dumplings in a single layer (not overlapping) on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet on a flat surface in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. Take them out, and place them in a single layer in freezer zip-lock bags. Place them back in the freezer, flat side down, so they don’t clump together. After 6+ hours when they are totally frozen you can move them around your freezer and they won’t stick together.