
This month's challenge was hosted by Jennifer of
Use Real Butter. It was Chinese Dumplings.
I love postickers, and have only really ever had chicken or vegetable ones in the past. After reading Jennifer's history, I learned that the two most traditional fillings are pork and shrimp, and Michael got really excited when I told him pork was an options, so pork it was!
This month's challenge was primarily focused on making the wrappers from scratch, which I thought was an AWESOME idea, on account of I love making things from scratch. It was fun to try, but I have to admit, my favorite part of these potstickers was the filling! It was INCREDIBLE and SO full of flavor, I think it's going to be my permanent potsticker filling recipe.
It's completely adaptable to the kind of meat you choose, so if you don't eat pork, you could certainly substitute chicken or beef or shrimp.

I usually think the idea of ground meat in general is kind of yucky, so to compensate, I ground my own at home using pork loin chops that were on a really good sale and using the blade in my food processor. I cut the chops into 1-2" pieces and then pulsed them until I got a fairly good ground mixture. One plus is that I control what goes into the ground meat, and I avoid additional fat, since they were already very lean chops and I trimmed any visible fat.
I think I'm going to be "grinding" my own meat from now on. Price-wise it's very comparable, and it's less likely to be full of additives, additional fat, etc.
Anyway, onto the goods. If you want the recipe for the wrappers, visit the link to Jennifer's blog at the top of the post or visit
the daring kitchen.
Personally, I think I'll stick with storebought wrappers, even though the homemade ones were fun to try.
Pork Potsticker Fillingprintable recipeIngredients:
1lb ground pork
3 stalks green onion, finely sliced
5 napa cabbage leaves, finely minced
5 small mushrooms, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4c fresh ginger, finely minced
2Tbsp cornstarch
2Tbsp sesame oil
3Tbsp soy sauce (I use reduced-sodium)
generous pinch black pepper
1pkg round posticker wrappers (in refrigerated section)
Directions:
Make sure all vegetables are finely minced. You don't want a mush, you want a mince, but you don't want large chunks of anything in the filling. Combine all ingredients and stir well to combine. Scoop small teaspoons of filling into the center of each round wrapper. Use a pastry brush to brush water on one half of the wrapper's border.
Fold each wrapper in half tightly to enclose the filling and remove any extra air bubbles. Pinch the edge together tightly. Make several small folds at the top of each wrapper and set aside.
If you are making the potstickers ahead of time, place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment or waxed paper that has been sprinkled with flour. Place in the freezer until solid, then store in an airtight container or freezer bag until ready to use. Otherwise, use immediately.
To cook, heat a large pan with 1 Tbsp canola oil. Place about 1 dozen potstickers in at a time, flat side down. Cook 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat until bottoms are browned. Pour in 1/2c water and cover with a lid. Let steam 5-7 minutes or until water is absorbed and wrappers are transluscent.
If cooking frozen, add an additional 2-3 minutes cooking time.
Serve with dipping sauce or teriyaki sauce.