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Potstickers

(recipe, Max Chan)

Ingredients

1. 1 lb. ground pork or turkey
2. ½ cup chopped fresh or canned water chestnuts
3. 1 cup raw prawns, shelled, deveined, and chopped
4. 1 cup chopped Napa cabbage
5. 2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
6. 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
7. 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
8. 1 Tbsp. Chinese rice wine (shaoxing wine) or sake
9. 1½ Tbsp. sesame oil
10. ¼ tsp. white pepper (if unavailable, use black pepper)
11. 1½ Tbsp. cornstarch
12. Vegetable oil for frying
13. Water or broth for steaming
14. 30 to 40 gyoza wrappers (see Note)

Steps

1. In a bowl, place the ground pork or turkey with the water chestnuts, prawns, and Napa cabbage. Mix well, then add the remaining ingredients (excluding the vegetable oil, water, and wrappers). Stir vigorously in one direction; this will keep the filling fluffy. (If the filling is mixed in various directions, the filling will flatten and toughen.)
2. Place a tablespoon of filling in the middle of each wrapper. Moisten the edges of the wrapper with a little water and fold over in half to make a half-moon shape, then press to seal the edges. Repeat with the remaining filling and gyoza wrappers.
3. Heat a little oil in a wok or nonstick skillet. Place the potstickers in the pan and add some water or broth. Cook until the bottoms of the potstickers are browned and the filling is cooked through. Serve warm, with soy sauce on the side for dipping.

Note

Shao mai skins and gyoza wrappers are often shelved near the tofu in supermarkets.