Vietnamese Pork & Shrimp Dumplings (Pot Stickers)

Chinese News Years is around the corner so I will be making pot stickers for the celebration. Pot stickers are mini meals that are easy to make and easy to eat. The fillings are soft and moist, and the wrapper is thick and chewy. Plus, the dumplings are versatile. You can use any type of ground meat and any type of vegetables. Made too many? Pop the uncooked ones in the freezer and they can keep for months! I also love to use pot stickers as a way to sneak vegetables into my children's meals. Works like a charm.

Vietnamese Pork and Shrimp Dumplings (Pot Stickers)

Make about 35 pot stickers

Ingredients

Pork/Shrimp Filling

12 oz ground pork shoulder/butt
1/2 dried shrimp (soak in warm water for 5 minutes. Drain then mince)
3 bok choy stalks (mince; you can also substitute with 1-1/2 cups minced bamboo shoots)
2 green onions (mince)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 package (14 oz) pot sticker wrappers (also known as gyoza wrappers)

To seal potstickers

1 egg (beaten)

Spicy Soy & Vinegar Dipping Sauce

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 Thai chilli pepper (minced)

Instructions

Combine the filling ingredients in a bowl.
For each wrapper, add about two teaspoons filling.
Brush edges of wrapper with the beaten egg. Fold over and pinch to seal. Feel free to do any fancy pleating here if desired.
In a medium size pot, bring water to a boil and cook the pot stickers for about 5-8 minutes or until the pot stickers float to the top. You can also pan-fry/steam the pot stickers. To pan-fry/steam the pot stickers, heat up a pan with a bit of vegetable oil (just enough to lightly coat the bottom). Brown both sides of the pot stickers. Once you have both sides golden brown, add about 2-3 tablespoons of water to the pan and cover the pan with a lid for about 5 minutes. The steam will finish the cooking. Remove lid and allow the steam to evaporate completely. Continue to pan-fry just long enough for the residual oil to crisp back up the pot stickers (about 1-2 minutes).
Combine all the dipping sauce ingredients in a bowl and serve alongside pot stickers.

Add 2 teaspoons of filling to each wrapper

Pinch the outside corners. Then pinch up to the top.

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Pot stickers are mini meals that are easy to make and easy to eat. The fillings are soft and moist, and the wrapper is thick and chewy. Plus, the dumplings are versatile. You can use any type of ground meat and any type of vegetables. Made too many? Pop the uncooked ones in the freezer and they can keep for months!