Oriental Pot Stickers

For the longest time I have wanted to make some sort of pot sticker using some traditional flavors of the orient with ingredients I like. It was my first attempt and despite the fact that technically they could have been crimped better, the overall flavor was good.

One of the things I was not able to find was round wonton wrappers so I ended up with square and did the best I could at "crimping" them closed. I'll admit that for me that was the most difficult part of putting these together; the rest was a piece of cake.

What I like about these fried and steamed lovelies is they are something different, they are affordable and you could in fact change out ingredients and make them with flavors from a different culture. Pot stickers are a nice light meal for the warmer months. Instead of serving them with a vegetable or other noodle combination, fresh fruit would be perfect. Fresh cantaloupe or grilled peaches perhaps.

• 16/20 ct shrimp - peeled deveined - diced
• package of wonton wrappers
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 2-3 tbsp. scallions - sliced
• 1 1/2 tbsp. garlic - finely minced
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (or more if you like spicier)
• 1 tbsp. or so of oil - canola or vegetable for browning the bottoms of the stickers
• 1/2 tsp. oil for the marinade
• water - for steaming and for sealing the edges of the wontons.

Depending on how many are in your family, I think 6 pot stickers per person is a good sized portion. It takes about 1 shrimp diced per wrapper. If you have wrappers left over you could use them to make raviolis for another nights meal, or cut them into strips and fry them in oil as a nice little side for some sort of stir fry dinner.

1. Peel and de-vein the shrimp if it is not already done. Save the shrimp shells for stock. Make sure you thoroughly wash the shrimp if you have purchased it frozen.
2. Cut the shrimp into very small pieces and place in a glass bowl.
3. For the marinade: In a small bowl combine the soy sauce, the 1/2 tsp. of oil and garlic, scallions and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir and add to the shrimp.
4. Refrigerate and marinate the shrimp for about 20 minutes to 1/2 hour.
5. For each wrapper use about 1 tsp. of the marinated shrimp.
6. Using your finger, dip in water so you can make a seal for all sides.
7. Fold the wrapper over from edge to edge, or corner to corner. Press to seal and then crimp them together.
8. Lightly press the non crimped side so you have a flat edge.
9. Over moderately high heat, heat a skillet and add in 1 tbsp. or so of oil - you want the pan screaming hot when you put in the dumplings.
10. Cook about 3 minutes until the dumplings are nice and browned on one side. Do this in batches if necessary.
11. Add about 1/3 cup of warm water to the pan with the browned stickers. Cover and steam over medium heat for at least 4 minutes to make sure the shrimp cooks all the way. Test one to be sure the shrimp is cooked. Cook longer if necessary.
12. For presentation, slice more scallions and sprinkle on top of the dumplings.

Serve with your favorite rice dish and some stir-fry vegetables for an authentic dining experience. I suggest using match stick sized vegetables sauteed quickly for bright color and crisp texture.

A person commented I did not include a dipping sauce so here is one you can use:

• 1/3 cup dark soy sauce + 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1. Place all ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.