Recipe(tried): Pot Stickers with Soy Sesame Sauce

This recipe came from an old Food & Wine magazine. These pot stickers are wonderful & well worth the effort. Many dim sum pot stickers we have had in restaurants are heavy & doughy. After making these we realized they needn't be that way if you follow these directions & make sure you cook them in the last step until they are translucent on top, while controlling the heat so they don't burn on the bottom. I always use a cast iron skillet for this last step. The bok choy shrinks drastically when you blanch it, our son always marveled at that first time consuming step resulting in such a small (tho important) amount. The dipping sauce is also very good, the perfect companion to the pot stickers.

Pot Stickers

1 medium head of bok choy (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 lb. lean ground pork
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon Oriental sesame oil
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root
2 teaspoons dry white wine
1 1/2 teaspoons light soy sauce
Pinch of freshly ground white pepper
50 round water dumpling (Goyza) wrappers, preferably Twin Dragon*
1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon peanut oil
Soy Sesame Sauce (recipe follows)

*Available in the freezer section of Asian groceries and some supermarkets

Separate the leaves from the stalks of the bok choy. Wash & dry thoroughly. Cut enough of the stalks into 1/4-by-1/2-inch slices to measure 1 cup. Shred enough of the leaves to measure 1 1/2 cups firmly packed.

In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt & the baking soda. Add the bok choy stalks & leaves & blanch for 1 minute. Drain immediately & rinse under cold running water; drain well. Squeeze in a kitchen towel to remove excess water.

In a large bowl, combine the bok choy, pork, scallions, egg, cornstarch, sesame oil, sugar, ginger, wine, soy sauce, white pepper & remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Mix well in one direction with chopsticks or a large spoon until thoroughly blended. Refrigerate the filling uncovered for 3 to 4 hours, or covered overnight.

To form each pot sticker, spread about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the filling down the center of a round wrapper. Wet the edge of the wrapper with water. Close into a half-moon shape, pleating as you seal the wrapper. Pinch the pleating to seal firmly. Press one side of the dumpling against the fleshy part of your hand at the base of the thumb to create the classic curved pot sticker shape. Repeat until all the dumplings are made.

(The dumplings can be prepared ahead to this point and frozen up to 2 months in advance. Thaw before proceeding.)

To fry each batch of dumplings, heat 3 Tablespoons of the peanut oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over high heat until the first wisp of smoke appears. Arrange 3 rows of dumplings in the skillet, 5 or 6 in a row; they should be touching lightly. Cook for 3 minutes. Carefully pour 1/2 cup cold water into the skillet, cover, reduce the heat to moderate & cook until all of the water has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, rotating the pan to distribute the heat evenly, until the dumplings are golden brown (sometimes they get quite dark) on the bottom and somewhat translucent on top, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove the dumplings from the skllet and drain on paper towels. Repeat twice with the remaining oil and dumplings. Serve hot with Soy Sesame Sauce.

Soy Sesame Sauce
Makes about 1/2 cup sauce

1 1/2 Tablespoons chicken broth or water
1 Tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 Tablespoon light soy sauce
1 Tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1 Tablespoon Oriental sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed hot red pepper
1 Tablespoon thinly sliced scallions

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Let stand for about 30 minutes to let the flavors blend.