Originally from the Poon Yu village in Guangdong, China, my grandmother, Ngan Hoi Lee, and the Chinese side of my family later moved to Hong Kong. When I was a child, my grandma used to make these potstickers for our family, and when she lived with us, we would sit around the table and fill potstickers, freezing large batches to cook up later. (Our family would tease each other about who made the prettiest potstickers.) At every visit to my grandmother's home after I was grown up, she would cook these for breakfast.
Ingredients
- 4 cups finely shredded raw green cabbage, about 1/2 a medium-sized cabbage
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups raw ground pork, approximately 1 pound
- 1 teaspoon peeled, grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper (can use freshly ground black or white pepper)
- Green tops of 4 to 5 scallions, finely sliced, about 1/3 – 1/2 cup
- 1/2 cup finely diced shiitake mushrooms, dried and reconstituted or cooked fresh ones, optional
- 1 package dumpling wrappers, available in Asian grocery stores
- 1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar or seasoned rice vinegar
About this recipe
Making this recipe recently was a special experience for me. It was the first time I have made potstickers on my own since my grandmother passed away in 2018. My children love to eat them and I look forward to sharing this tradition with them. This recipe is an adaptation and probably not exactly how she made them, but they definitely come close and are a very satisfying dish to make and eat, both for the taste and as a way to honor and remember my grandma.
Instructions
To make filling: In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the cabbage with salt and let sit while you work with other ingredients, about 20 minutes. The cabbage will shrink down as the water comes out. Squeeze the cabbage to get out excess moisture. You should end up with about 2 cups of cabbage. In a separate bowl, combine pork, grated ginger, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper, green onion tops and shiitake mushrooms (if using). Drain the liquid from the cabbage and add the cabbage to the pork. Mix well.
To fill potstickers: Have a slightly dampened cloth napkin or towel handy to put over the wrappers so they don't dry out too much while you work. Place a sheet of parchment paper on the work surface. Place a wrapper in the palm of your hand. Using a teaspoon, add a small amount of filling into the center of the wrapper. While still holding the wrapper in one hand, using your other hand, dip your finger into the beaten egg and brush a small amount of the egg mixture onto one half of the edge of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half around the filling so the dry edge is close to the edge you put the egg mixture onto. Carefully make pleats one at a time, by folding and pinching the dry side of the wrapper, together with the egg-washed edge, to close it up. Four to five pleats should be enough. The egg mixture will help the dumpling seal shut.
To cook potstickers: For best results, cook in a wide, flat, nonstick pan. Place about 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan and heat to medium. Once the oil is hot but not smoking, arrange potstickers in the pan. They can be touching but not crowded, so you may need to do it in batches. Leave space to move them around a bit and turn them later. After the wrappers start to sizzle, very carefully add water to the pan until it is about ½- to ¾-inch deep. Cover and turn down heat to medium-low and cook until the water mostly cooks off. Then uncover and let the potstickers brown just a bit. Turn them over carefully to check the progress and get some color on the other side. Once all the water is cooked off and each side has a bit of golden brown to it, they are ready to eat. Remove from the pan. Serve hot, with a side of soy sauce and vinegar as a dipping sauce or your preferred hot sauce.
To make ahead and cook later: Freeze wrapped potstickers on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, making sure they are not touching. Once frozen solid, combine in a container or bag and keep frozen until ready to cook. The cooking process is the same for frozen or fresh.
