Pork and Shrimp Potstickers

I am in the mood to learn something new.  While every new recipe is a new experience, it has been awhile since I explored a new cuisine.  I began with Italian food in college, moved on to Mexican then Mediterranean and Middle Easter cuisines.  Then I stopped.  I loved all of those things so much that I didn't feel the need to expand any further.  Then I met Bo.

He introduced me to a new love and appreciation of Chinese food, Thai food and sushi.  And now my curiosity and creativity has gotten the better of me and eating these foods just at restaurants is no longer acceptable.  So I begin a new chapter by trying Thai and Vietnamese dishes.

This is where the potstickers come in.  One of my favorite foods, these little pockets of "hot stuff" are dipped in a spicy and sweet sauce and popped in the mouth for a tantalizing treat.  I took the advice of a blogger and purchased wonton wrappers.  I couldn't find the round ones to make them like hers, but I really was going for flavor.

While Bo worried these would be time consuming to make, they really zipped right along.  The beauty is the recipe makes about 30 so after choosing 6 to cook for our dinner, I froze the rest in a single file on a cookie sheet before wrapping them in foil and moving them to a freezer bag.  There has already been a request to move them out for another dinner.  I call that a success!

Pan Fried Shrimp and Pork Potstickers (Recipe from Steamy Kitchen)

1 package of frozen dumpling skins, defrosted overnight in refrigerator or 40 minutes room temp (do not microwave or set in water)
3/4 pound raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
3 stalks green onions, cut into 2 inch sections
1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots
1/2 pound ground pork
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon rice wine (or dry sherry)

for the slurry: 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water in a small bowl
water
cooking oil

Dipping Sauce
1 teaspoon Asian chili sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Wash the shrimp and pat very dry. In a food processor, add the shrimp, green onions, bamboo shoots and pulse several times until the shrimp is chopped to about 1/4 inch. In a large bowl, combine the shrimp mixture with ground pork, soy sauce, salt, cornstarch, ginger, rice wine. Mix well.

Spoon 1 teaspoon of the filling onto dumpling skin. Brush a bit of the cornstarch slurry
all around the edge of the dumpling skin. Fold over and press to secure edges. Make sure edges are sealed tightly. Shape the dumpling so that it has a flat bottom. Cover loosely with plastic wrap so that it doesn’t dry out.

When you are ready to cook, heat a large nonstick pan with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the dumplings, flat side down, not touching, to the pan. Let fry for 1 minute until the bottoms are light golden brown. Pour 1/4 cup of water into the pan and immediately cover with a tight fitting lid. Turn heat to medium and let the dumplings steam for 3minutes. 

Open lid and let the remaining liquid cook off about 1 minute. Cut into a dumpling to make sure that the filling is cooked through. Remove to plate, wipe the pan clean with paper towels (or wash) and repeat with remaining dumplings. Serve with dipping sauce.