Pork and Chive Potstickers


 These Pork and Chive Potstickers are the perfect appetizer. These delicious little bundles are stuffed with pork, chive, and cabbage and are fried and steamed to create crisp yet juicy bites. Potstickers are one of those recipes that does take a while to make and are consumed literally in seconds. But all this hard work is definitely worth it once you take a bite into one.


Servings: 50 potstickers

Difficulty: Medium

Prep Time:  30 minutes   |   Cook Time: 10 minutes   |   Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ pounds ground pork
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon crushed chili flakes
  • 2-3 tablespoons chives, finely chopped
  • 1 ½ cups Napa cabbage, shredded
  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, finely grated
  • 1 package potsticker wrappers (or dumpling wrappers)
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • Oil, for frying

Directions:

Add the pork, soy sauce, sesame oil, chili flakes, chives, cabbage, 1/4 cup of water and ginger to a large bowl and mix to combine. Do not overmix the pork or else the filling will be tough once cooked. Once combined, set aside.

Add the extra 2 tablespoons of water to a small bowl. You will need this to seal the potsticker wrappers once they are stuffed.

Next, set up your assembly line. Line up the potsticker wrappers, pork mixture and water. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set it near the assembly line so you can set the potstickers on these once they are wrapped.

To wrap the potstickers: Add about 1 tablespoon of pork mixture to the center of a potsticker wrapper. Dip your finger into the water and trace it along the edges of the wrapper to moisten it. You can simply fold the potsticker wrapper directly in half and pinch the edges together to seal it- this is perfectly fine.

To make a crimped edge, fold the wrapper in half and insert your ring finger of your right hand between the two edges to keep them separated. Place your forefinger of your left hand to mark where the fold will go. Use your forefinger of your right hand to pinch and fold the wrapper over the edge of your left forefinger- all while keeping the remaining edges of the wrapper separated with your ring finger. Then use your and your left thumb and forefinger to pinch the wrapper shut. Continue this process along the remaining edge of the wrapper making 5-7 crimps per potsticker. Practice definitely makes perfect in this case, so don’t worry if the first few come out weird! Once sealed, place the potsticker on the baking sheet and continue to fill the rest of the potstickers.

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To cook: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the gyoza, making sure to leave space between them so they don’t stick together. Fry the potstickers for 2-3 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown.

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Once they are golden brown, add ¼ cup of water to the pan and cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid. Reduce the heat to medium and let the potstickers steam for 3-4 minutes. If the potstickers are frozen, they will take about 8 minutes to steam.

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Finally,  remove the lid, increase the heat of the pan to medium-high and let the potstickers re-crisp for another 2 minutes.

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Serve the potstickers immediately with Chili Oil or the sauce of your choice.

As this makes a big batch, you can freeze the potstickers for later. Simply arrange the potstickers on a baking sheet so that they are not touching each other and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Once frozen, you can portion them in resealable bags and you will have them ready to go whenever you get another potsticker craving. You can also cook them straight from frozen- just add another minute or two to the steaming process!

Enjoy!