Mmmmm, pot stickers! I love pot stickers. The first time I had ever heard of them was when I was about 12 or 13 and we were at a restaurant called Marco Polo. I was a pretty picky eater back then though so there was no way I was going to try them but my mom, dad and sister did and they enjoyed them. The first time I actually tried them was the summer of 1984. I don't remember what I was wearing (hee hee hee) but I know where I was and who encouraged me to try them. I was doing volunteer work at the Reagan Bush headquarters here in St. Louis and one of the other volunteers, Maria Sanchez, told me that they were really good and that I should try them. There was a Chinese restaurant on Delmar and 170 which was close to the headquarters and we would order lunch or dinner from there every few weeks or so. Once I tried them, I loved them. Maria then gave me a recipe and I've been making them ever since.
A few years ago when we were eating dinner at the Culver Pavillion prior to one of the Muny performances, they had pot stickers as one of the appetizers and they were served cold on a bed of Chinese cabbage. Yum! A perfect summer meal. So, guess what we had for dinner tonight...
They really aren't very difficult to make. Here's the recipe...
- 1 pound ground chicken or pork
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 cup chopped water chestnuts
- 3 to 4 TBS low sodium soy sauce
- 1 package of won ton or pot sticker skins
- 1 egg, beaten
Place ground chicken or pork in bowl. Chop green onions using most of the dark green part and discard the white part or store for future use. Add ginger, water chestnuts and soy sauce and mix thoroughly. Place about 1 1/2 tsp of mixture in the middle of a won ton skin. Brush edges with egg and fold and press edges together. Steam for approximately 10 to 12 minutes. Heat 2 to 3 TBS of oil in a skillet and place pot stickers in skillet, flat side down, cooking until dark brown.
I made them with pork for years. About 5 or 6 years ago, I started making them with chicken and I actually prefer them this way. I think they are much less greasy and I would assume that they're healthier too. When serving cold, place pot stickers on a bed of napa or Chinese cabbage, pour a small amount of tamari and rice wine vinegar over the pot stickers and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top.
For the cold pot stickers, I do not fry them. I make them the night before and then place them in the fridge after steaming. I have a Rival steamer/rice cooker and I use 2/3 cups water and steam until water evaporates which is approximately 10 minutes or so. You can also use a stove top steamer basket. As for the edge crimping, I have a pot sticker crimper...
You can also just fold the edges together and press them with your fingers although this nifty little gadget is much quicker and it makes for a tighter seal. I don't remember where I bought it but I'm sure that it can be found at various kitchen stores.
Since there is no Muny performance tomorrow, we're going to eat at The Melting Pot. We haven't been there for about 2 or 3 years so I'm looking forward to it.
