potstickers

This summer I found a plum tree on a city street. After Pat and I raided it one night, it occurred to me that I had no idea what the hell I was going to do with 50lbs of plums. I promptly made and canned Chinese Plum Sauce. Then it occurred to me that I didn't know what the hell I was going to do with 15 jars of Chinese Plum Sauce...well I found a use for it. 

So I said to my mom..."mom, I made potstickers! and she was like....ewww, those things smell awful!" And then she realized that I made them from scratch, ya...funny when how you make them from scratch (and not buy them frozen from Costco by the bucket) they don't stink up the house! hmmmm.....


So my measurements are rough, like always, but you'll get the hang of it and be a potsticking pro by the end of the prep session.


1/2 head thinly sliced cabbage
2-3 finely diced carrots
1 block pressed tofu 
1 red onion, sliced
3 T grated ginger, (store your ginger in the freezer, it's MUCH easier to grate!)
1/2 head garlic, minced
1/2 c green onions, chopped
1 c chopped cilantro
canola oil
chili oil
1 c approx Chinese plum sauce
2-3 T soy sauce
1 T fish sauce
2 T rice wine vinegar
won ton wrappers, sometimes called dumpling skins


dipping sauce #1
1/3 c EACH soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, chopped green onions
1 t sesame oil
1 t rooster sauce (chili sauce)


dipping sauce #2
Chinese plum sauce recipe here


So, you will do the cooking in batches:
Cook veggies:
Get out the wok. Put a splash of canola oil and chili oil in, when oil is HOT, add onion, cabbage and carrot, saute until soft, add garlic, ginger, 1 T soy sauce, 1/2 T fish sauce, 1 T rice wine vinegar, 1/4c - 1/3 c Chinese plum sauce, cook for a few minutes more and put in bowl to cool. (the sauce measurements are approximate, adjust to your liking, taste as you go)
Cook tofu:
Repeat oil regime above, crumble tofu into wok, add 1 T soy sauce, 1/2 T fish sauce, 1 T rice wine vinegar. Get the tofu crispy without burning. When almost finished cooking, add green onions and 1/4c - 1/3c Chinese plum sauce. Add this tofu mixture to the veggie mixture. Add chopped cilantro and chill. 
When mixture is cool, get out won ton wrappers. I found that rolling them out thinner with a rolling pin helps the stuffing process i.e. you can get more filling in there...so, roll them out thin, use some elbow grease, put about 1-2 T filling in, seal with egg wash or water, pinch together and set aside. Making simple triangles is the quickest way to stuff them. 
Cook potstickers:
When you have all of them done, get out either a cast iron skillet or wok. Add a splash of canola oil, and when HOT, add a couple potstickers, fry until brown on the bottom, 2-4 min, turn over, add a splash of water, cover immediately and steam for about 2-3 minutes until water is evaporated. It might take a couple rounds to get the hang of this, but once you do, it will go fast.