Pot Stickers

I learned how to make these from a friend in Iowa that is from the Philippines.  This is kind of a hard recipe to post, because I don't have a recipe, and every time I make them they are a little different.  I even taught a class a couple of months ago at my house on how to make these, and even then the ladies were saying "how much of that did you put in?" I tried really hard to measure things the last time I made them, so I hope this all makes sense.  I took a few extra pictures of the process...I hope that helps.

Pot Stickers

1 lb ground pork
1/2-3/4 package coleslaw mix (by the salad mixes in the produce section)
1 package won ton wrappers (in the produce section of all grocery stores)
Salt (about 1 tsp)
3-4 chopped green onions (or 1Tbsp dried minced onions)
2 garlic cloves, minced (add more or less according to taste)
1/8 tsp grated ginger (optional)

Mix ground pork with about half of the package of coleslaw mix, salt, onions, garlic and ginger. Place about a Tablespoon of the meat mixture on a won ton wrapper.

Put some water in a bowl and with either your finger or a pastry brush, wet all four sides of the wrapper.  Then fold 2 corners together, pressing them together.

 Then bring up the other 2 corners, sealing it all together.

Using a NONSTICK skillet, place a little bit of oil in the pan, (I used about 2 Tbsp for my large 15 inch skillet) then place the pot stickers in the pan.

Saute over med/med-hi heat until the bottoms are a golden brown.

This is the tricky part.  At this point you need to add some water to the pan, but it is hard to tell you how much, because a lot depends on the size of pan you are using.  You need enough that it will last for the whole steaming process, but not too much.  I used about 1/2 cup in my 15 inch skillet.  As soon as you pour the water in, cover immediately.  Steam with cover on for 5-7 minutes, until pork is completely cooked through.

Remove cover and serve.

A few more bits of info:

*If you run out of water during the steaming process before they are done, add a little more and continue to steam

* You can add any other ingredients or seasoning that you want. You can also try using different ground meats, like chicken. (I have only used pork, but I bet others would work fine)

* We like to dip these in soy sauce that has a little bit of red wine vinegar drizzled into it

*You can freeze these.  After you have them assembled, freeze them in a single layer, after they are frozen, you can put them in a ziplock.  Then take them out and cook them from the frozen state, don't thaw first.  You will just need to increase your cooking time, and probably use more water.

* To make egg rolls instead of pot stickers, buy the egg roll wrappers (or you can make mini egg rolls with these wrappers).  Add the whole package of coleslaw mix instead of just half.  You can also add things like rice noodles, and bean sprouts.  Wrap them up egg roll style, starting with a corner, then tucking in the side corners (kinda like rolling up a burrito). Fry them in about 1/2 inch of oil, turning over once.

*These are fun to make for a group when you have everyone help you assemble them.

*Let me know if you have questions!