Resumes, interviews, and potstickers

I think that I'm busier now that I'm unemployed. I'm trying to get all of these little chores done around the house, all while treating my job-hunt as a full-time job. Today I had a resume writing class online, followed by an interview (Yay!), and after that I decided to randomly make & freeze potstickers.

In order to do this, about 20 minutes before my resume class I prepped the ingredients. After they were complete, I placed them all on a tray to freeze. Once they're frozen I'll pop them into a freezer bag (you do this so that they do not stick together while freezing) and have them for whenever!

I followed a recipe that I've adapted from the book Dim Sum - The Art of Chinese Tea Lunch by Ellen Leong Blonder. I've made a few changes from the original, but not much.


Potstickers
Makes 24 potstickers
4 potstickers in 1 serving = 5 WW points

8 oz finely shredded napa cabbage (about 3 cups)
1 tbsp salt
8 oz ground pork
2 tbsp finely minced fresh ginger 1 scallion (white and green parts) finely sliced
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
pot sticker wrappers (they are 3 inch round wrappers, usually sold in packs of 40 or so)

In a large bowl, toss the cabbage with the salt and let stand for 30 minutes, until wilted. Rinse the cabbage under cold water and squeeze out as much water as possible. This should yield 2 cups of cabbage.

In a bowl, mix the pork, ginger, scallion, soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil, squeezing the mixture through your fingers to blend it well. Mix in the cabbage. Refrigerate the filling for at least 20 min and up to 2 hours to allow flavors to blend.

Dip a finger in water and run it along the edge of the circle of the wrapper. fill with about 1 tbsp of the filling. Press the sides together to form a half-moon shape, and try to pleat the edge with your fingers . Set them on a floured surface.

At this point, I set mine on a baking dish and placed in my freezer.

To cook, I steamed mine in my bamboo steamer over a wok for about 10 minutes. However, in the book she states to make proper potstickers... they should stick to the pot! So you heat a skillet, and add 1 tbsp of oil. When it is almost smoking, arrange potstickers in the skillet as close to one another as possible without letting them touch. Pan fry for 2 - 3 minutes over medium heat, checking to make sure they are not burning. Then carefully pour 1/2 c water in to the skillet, cover, reduce to low and simmer for 5 - 6 minutes. Uncover, and raise the heat to medium-high and cook for 2 - 3 minutes more until all of the water has evaporated and the bottoms are brown and crisp.

Serve with Soy Vinegar Dip:
1/4 c soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp sugar (I omitted this)
1 teaspoon scallion, green part only, sliced paper thin

Since I did not add sugar, I served this after I simply mixed it together. However, if you add the sugar, you should cook all but the scallions over low heat along with 2 tsp water until the sugar dissolves.

Enjoy!
~M