Pork-Ginger Potstickers with Fire Sauce

Homemade Potstickers take some effort to prepare, but the flavor and texture are superior to anything I've ever had at a restaurant, and a lot cheaper too.  The advantage to homemade is in the texture: ground pork with little nuggets of ginger, garlic, and water chestnuts wrapped in a bite-sized won-ton with a salty/spicy dipping sauce create a flavorgasm of deliciousness.

When selecting a mixing bowl, I stand by my rule that you should always grab one size bigger than you think you need.  Remember to cook the pork until crumbly, drain the grease, and allow it to cool before you add it to the mix.  You can use a big spoon to stir, but I prefer to use my hands for that task.

Wrapping the potstickers is the time-consuming part of the preparation.  Kate can usually crank out about 60 in an hour.  We prefer the square won ton wrappers, but the round ones would work just as well.  Make sure to try and squeeze out all the air when you fold the wrapper over the filling.

The Fire Sauce is just a simple mix of three ingredients: Soy Sauce, White Vinegar, and Mongolian Fire Oil. It will separate if it sits too long, so give it a vigorous stir before you eat.

Before you start cooking, preheat the skillet over medium-high.  Add a dollop of oil and as many potstickers as will fit without touching, and let them brown for 2-3 minutes.  I like to use a metal spatula to gently separate them from the pan before I add the water to steam.

When you think they are ready, pour in the water and immediately cover the pan.  Wait until very little steam is still escaping (about 2 minutes), then remove the lid and remove the potstickers.  Kate and I like to eat them as they cook, but you could prepare them all before serving.


For the Potsticker Mixture:

• 1 lb Ground Pork
• 1/3 Head Cabbage, finely chopped
• 1/4 C Green Onion, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp Ginger Root, finely chopped
• 4 oz Water Chestnuts, drained and chopped
• 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 2 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 C Carrot, grated
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 tsp Sugar
• 2 tsp Sesame Oil
• 1 Tbsp Cooking Sherry
• 16 oz Won Ton Wrappers

1. Cook Pork in large skillet over medium-high heat until brown and crumbly.  Drain fat and allow to cool.
2. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix all ingredients excepts wrappers.  Chill for at least one hour.
3. Spoon approximately 2 tsp of mixture onto won ton wrapper.  Fold wrapper and seal edges with moistened fingers.  Freeze potstickers in parchment-paper lined ziploc bag.

For the Dipping Sauce:

• 1 Tbsp Mongolian Fire Oil
• 2 Tbsp White Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce

1. Mix ingredients in a small bowl, then pour into individual dipping bowls.

For the Potstickers:

• 6-12 Potstickers per person
• Vegetable Oil
• Water

1. Heat 2-3 Tbsp of Oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Put 6 potstickers in skillet and cook until GBD on bottom.
3. Pour 1/3 C water into skillet and cover, steaming for 2-3 minutes.  Remove potstickers from skillet and repeat.