Pot Stickers

According to Wiki : "Dumplings are one of the major foods eaten during the Chinese New Year and year round in the northern provinces. Traditionally, families get together to make jiaozi for the Chinese New Year. In rural areas, the choicest livestock is slaughtered, the meat ground and wrapped into dumplings, and frozen outside with the help of the freezing weather. Then they are boiled and served for the Chinese New Year feast. Dumplings with sweet, rather than savoury fillings are also popular as a Chinese New Year treat."

I never knew jiaozi existed until i visited Beijing and had a lunch of jiaozi - boiled, steamed, fried. According to the guide, this restaurant serve the best jiaozi, but i did not like them, the skin was too doughy.

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Ingredients:

Filling:

2 cups chopped napa cabbage

1/2 tablespoon salt

1/2 pound ground pork (Don't get lean pork, the fat is good for juicy and flavorful dumplings)

2 tablespoons minced ginger

1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons thin soy sauce

3 tablespoons sesame oil

1 egg

1 to 2 cups chicken stock or water

HOT WATER DOUGH:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 - cup boiling water

More flour for dusting

Method:

Sprinkle cabbage with the 1/2 tablespoon of salt and let stand for 30 minutes.

Place the cabbage on a clean dishtowel or cheesecloth and squeeze out any water. The dryer the cabbage the better.

In a large bowl thoroughly mix the cabbage with all of the other ingredients, except the chicken stock.

In a stainless steel bowl mix flour and salt.

Slowly add hot water to flour in 1/4 cup increments.

Mix with chopsticks until a ball is formed and the dough is not too hot to handle.

On a floured surface, knead dough until it becomes a smooth, elastic ball.

Place back in bowl and cover with a damp cloth.

Allow to rest for at least 1 hour.

Working on a floured surface with floured hands, roll out dough to form a long 'noodle', 1-inch in diameter. Cut 1/4 or 1/2-inch pieces and turn them over so the cut sides are facing up. Flatten with your palm and roll out to the thinness you desire(Rolling will be easier if you have alot of bench flour which means use as much as you need). The dumpling wrapper, about 3 inches in diameter is a good size.

MAKING THE DUMPLINGS:

Place a small mound of filling in the middle of the wrapper. (Be very careful not to touch the edges with the filling as this will impede proper sealing of the dumplings.)

Fold the wrapper in half to form a half moon shape. Starting from right,, fold/pleat (i can only manage 3 pleats)to the center and pinch the wrapper tightly together. Proceed with this fold/pinch method for the left side. until the dumpling is completely sealed.

COOKING THE DUMPLINGS:

In a hot saute pan coated well with oil, place pot stickers flat side down and cook until the bottom is browned.

Have pan cover ready and add 1 cup of chicken stock, cover immediately. Be careful, the liquid will splatter! The stock will steam the pot stickers.

Check for doneness and if not add more stock may be needed, if meat is totally cooked, remove pan cover and cook until the dumplings are firm and fully cooked the stock has evaporate and the bottoms crisp-up again.

SPICY SOY DIPPING SAUCE:

1/3 cup thin soy sauce

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar

1/3 cup sliced scallions

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon sambal

Combine all and serve in a small bowl

Serves