Pan Fried Shrimp and Pork Potstickers

I was eating sushi and potstickers before they were chic enough to be served at baseball games.  Thanks to my college friends, Nicole and Rodel, I have many fond memories of us scraping together a few bucks for an Asian meal fit for…well…umm….college students.

Imagine pulling out a hand-me-down frying pan with enough dents to practically be considered a hubcap.  We were pretty sophisticated college students back then.  A bag of frozen potstickers tumbled in hot oil would sizzle away as we gossiped about important topics, like who was cute in class.  I learned how to use chopsticks and even roll REAL sushi from them those college years.

While I have eaten many Asian dishes from many fancy restaurants since my college days.  My favorite memories will always be of standing over a frying hubcap with my friends.  When I made these homemade potstickers, they truly made me smile.  Ahhh…memories.

Pan Fried Shrimp and Pork Potstickers
Adapted from Steamy Kitchen

1 (50 count) package frozen dumpling skins, defrosted
½ lb. raw deveined shrimp, peeled and tails removed
¾ lb. raw pork, about 2 boneless pork chops with fat removed
2 Tbl. soy sauce
3 stalks green onion, rough chop
½ cup bamboo shoots
½ tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbl. cornstarch
1 tsp. fresh ginger, finely grated
1 Tbl. rice wine vinegar

For slurry:
1 Tbl. cornstarch
¼ cup water

Pulse the green onion and bamboo shoots in the food processor 3 times until roughly chopped.  Rinse the shrimp under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.  Rough dice the pork and toss in the food processor with the shrimp and vegetables.  Pulse 10 times until ground and well combined.  Transfer the meat mixture to a medium mixing bowl.  Add the soy sauce, salt cornstarch, ginger and rice wine vinegar.  Stir until completely combined.

Mix together the cornstarch and water until dissolved in a small bowl.  Lay six sheets of the dumpling skins evenly on a board.  Lightly brush all the edges of the skins with the slurry.  Using a teaspoon, place a teaspoon sized ball of the filling in the center of each skin. It’s important to not overfill the potstickers.  I found a teaspoon sized measuring spoon works perfectly.

Fold the dumpling skins in half and seal the edges.  I have a fun dumpling maker that helps seal the edges perfectly.  If you don’t have a dumpling maker, Steamy Kitchen gives a great demonstration on how to properly fold potstickers.  Repeat until all 50 sheets are filled.  Makes 50 pieces.

To Cook Potstickers:

Heat a large skillet with a tablespoon of oil until just under the smoke point.  Add a few dumplings in a single layer in the oil.  Fry for 1 – 2 minutes until lightly golden on one side.  Flip the potstickers.  Carefully add about 3 tablespoons of water to the pan and cover with a tight fitting lid.  Allow to steam for 2 – 4 minutes.  Remove the lid and allow any remaining liquid steam off.  Remove from the pan and serve.

Authors Note:  Every time I make this recipe, I end up with extra filling.  I found it tastes great when sautéed with scrambled eggs.  A unique flavor, but really good.

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