Rosie’s Recipes: Ply Me With Potstickers (2024)

By Rosie Hawthorne on January 14, 2020

Every now and then, I get a yen for Asian cuisine and one of my go-to favorites is potstickers. They’re quick. They’re easy. And they’re quite versatile. Golden brown and crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside, these pan-fried dumplings make a great appetizer or meal.

My basic filling is ground pork and/or shrimp with shredded cabbage, but you can easily go vegetarian with these, if you’re of that persuasion, letting the cabbage dominate and complementing the filling with shiitake mushrooms, water chestnuts, bok choy, and tofu. Be creative!

The procedure is simple: after filling and sealing the potstickers, the bottoms are lightly browned in oil, then water is added to the pan, the pan is covered, and the dumplings steam until the filling is cooked.

For the potstickers, I use wonton wrappers which you can find in the produce section of your grocery store. As much as you’ll want to, avoid over-filling the wrappers. They’ll split and make a mess. And be sure to offer an assortment of dipping sauces.

Here’s my basic recipe which you are welcome to customize, along with a few sauces for your dipping delight.

If you like, you can make a big batch of potstickers, freeze them on a baking sheet first, and then place in a freezer bag for cooking later.

Potstickers

• 18 or so wonton wrappers
• ½ cup shredded cabbage
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 1 TB minced carrot
• ½ cup minced shrimp
• ½ cup ground pork

Marinade for pork and shrimp:

• 1-inch cube fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 TB soy sauce
• 1 TB rice vinegar
• 1 TB sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil

I buy fresh ginger root, slice it into 1-inch chunks, bag it, and freeze it. That way, I always have ginger on hand. When it’s time to use it, I peel it, place it in a small dish, and nuke it for about 25 seconds. That way, I can squeeze it and get lots of juice out of it. (I’ve found that you can’t get as much juice out when it’s fresh.)

Juice the ginger, then run the sliced cube through a garlic press, scraping off the pulp into a small bowl. Add rest of ingredients, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour over shrimp and pork, turning to coat. Let sit about an hour. Remove meat and combine with cabbage, carrot, and green onion, reserving marinade.

To assemble:

Place a small amount of pork mixture in the center of each wonton. Dip a finger in the reserved marinade (instead of water – more flavor!) and run over the edges of the wonton. Fold over diagonally and press to seal.

To cook: In a large skillet, heat a thin film of peanut oil. Lay potstickers in pan. (Not all at once. Cook in batches.) Brown on one side, then turn over and add a little water – maybe an ⅛ inch. Cover, reduce heat, and let steam, 3-4 minutes. Serve with assorted dipping sauces.

Dipping Sauce #1

• 1 TB rice vinegar
• 1 TB soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 heaping tsp sweet chili sauce
• 1/2 tsp hot mustard
  Mix all together.

Dipping Sauce #2
1-inch chunk ginger, juiced with a little pulp

• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 TB soy sauce
• 1 tsp Thai chili sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• Sliced scallion
• Mix all together.

Dipping Sauce #3

• juice of 1 lime
• 1 TB soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp minced garlic
• 1 TB rice vinegar
• 1 TB honey
• 1 TB finely chopped cucumber
• 1 TB chopped toasted peanuts
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 TB sliced scallions
• Mix all together.

Enjoy!

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