Pot Stickers/Crab Rangoon
Pan fried/simmered stickers
Pot stickers, an Asian dumpling, are traditionally steamed or briefly pan fried before simmering in broth. Our version, last night, was prepared by deep frying until golden. If you decide to simmer them, you'll want to consider cooking the pork thoroughly before assembly*, then place stickers--not enough to overcrowd--in a skillet over medium heat. Allow to cook for two minutes, seam side up, in a very small amount of oil. Watch closely so as not to let burn. Lower heat, pour broth (1/2 cup or so) to about midway up and cover. Allow to steam until firm but done; pot stickers will become somewhat translucent. Almost all liquid should have evaporated. If baking in batches, remove to a warm oven to keep until serving.
If you are unable to find round gyoza/pot sticker wrappers (found in the refrigerator/freezer section of specialty markets), you can substitute square wonton skins (wrappers) by inverting a 3-inch diameter glass on the center of each and cutting, to make a circle. If you do not want to cut the skins, you can fold them into a triangle shape before pinching them closed. Recipe can be easily doubled or tripled, depending on your need. As written, serves 3-4 as an appetizer. Adjust proportions to suit your family.
One more note: They were a fun novelty when fried. Although we enjoyed them, I'll most likely go back to a shallow fry/simmer method next time.
1/4 pound ground pork
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
1 green onion, minced
1 tsp water chestnuts, minced
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 egg, beaten
Vegetable oil, for frying
Gyoza/Pot Sticker wrappers
Optional: Sesame oil, shredded cabbage
In a medium bowl, combine the first nine ingredients. Add 1 TBSP of the beaten egg, reserving the rest. Preheat oil in a deep saucepan to 375.
Spoon 2 tsp filling into the center of a wrapper, keeping the remaining wrappers covered with a damp cloth. Brush a little of the remaining egg around half of the edge of the wrapper and fold the wrapper over the filling. You may wish to pinch the wrapper closed or you can seal it so that it is pleated around the edges. Take care not to allow extra space in the stickers as they will puff with air. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Deep fry the stickers, in small batches, for 3-5 minutes or until golden. Drain on paper towels. Serve with sauce. (We prefer gyoza).
* At your discretion.
A couple of notes on this. This is one of the few instances where I would recommend using imitation versus fresh product. Make sure that your rangoon filling is very creamy. When you first mix it, you might be tempted to add extra crab. It's really not needed and may cause the end product to have a crumbly texture.
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 (8 oz) package imitation crab, finely shredded (you may also use 6 oz can or larger of fresh crabmeat, drained and flaked)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 green onions, minced
Splash of soy
Wonton skins (wrappers)
Preheat oil, in heavy saucepan, to 375. In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, crab meat, garlic powder, green onions and soy. Place 1-2 tsp of the cream cheese mixture in the center of a wonton skin. Moisten the wrappers with water around the edges and fold, pinching to seal. If you'd prefer, you can also gather the ends up in a 'beggar's purse'. In small batches, fry wontons 3-5 minutes, or until golden. Wontons may also be baked in the oven at 375 for 15 minutes. Brush uncooked wontons with egg wash before baking. Serve with sauce, if desired. (I prefer Duck/sweet and sour)
