recipe:

pot sticker sauce

serving: 50
prep time: 20 minutes minutes
cook time: 20 minutes
total time: 40 minutes

ingredients:

2 cup soy sauce
2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sake
3/4 minced tsp garlic
2 both zested, and one juiced lemon

st. theresa's vegetarian potstickers

recipe by st. theresa of the net <terri@csd.uwm.edu>.

introduction:

you may want to read this whole recipe over before you even get out your knife as you will want enlightenment as to the zen of potstickers.

i make vegetarian potstickers. i know there are carnivores out there, and a shortcut for them would be using chicken broth instead of the veggie broth we will make as part of the whole potsticker experience. you can also brown pork (with ginger and garlic and onion) and drain well and add it to the potsticker mix. you may add some lightly heated egg to hold the veggies together more, but wait until just before cooking to add it to the veggie mixture.

the veggie mixture (and the broth) can be made a couple days in advance.

the broth can be used for many fine things, so i often make more than necessary.

tools:

ingredients:

dough:

mix about 1 c hot water with 1 c flour, mix well so it develops gluten or whatever so it will be chewy, add in more and more flour as it becomes more doughy. dough should be some what sticky, fairly squishy but not too ooozy. after mixing thoroughly, set aside where the cats can't get it

potsticker innards:

all you absolutely need are crunchy veggies, rice vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. suggested crunchy veggies include cabbage, onion, green onion, carrots shredded, bean sprouts, peppers, mushrooms, pea pods, celery, broccoli... you get the idea. as you prep the veggies, set aside the ends and skins and parts you don't particularly like but they may be edible. put them in a large pot with about a gallon of water and boil as you finish making your potstickers, or, if you're a slug, throw them on the compost heap and remember to open the can of chicken broth. chop the veggies extremely fine -- short, stubby coleslaw is good. depending on how much you have -- usually about two or three cups is adequate -- pour rice vinegar on to moisten but not flood it.... liquid should barely reach the bottom of the bowl with mixing. add a few squirts of soy sauce -- about a teaspoon or two. while fresh chopped ginger is the best, i've even used that ginger powder stuff, and it works, so toss in either a teaspoon or so of finely chopped ginger or a teaspoon or so of ginger powder. i always use fresh garlic, but i suppose in an absolute pinch you could use garlic powder, add in about a teaspoon or two of that. mix it all up and let it sit a little to let the flavors battle it out. the good thing about the veggies are that you can keep the veggie mix a couple days and make the potstickers at some future time. i don't think the dough is as hardy...

potsticker sauce stuff:

might as well make that now unless you want to do dishes or laundry for about 10 minutes. mix roughly equal portions of soy sauce and rice vinegar in a bowl (small bowl or teacup) and add in some (about a teaspoon, maybe less. you want this for flavor, not to overwhelm) hot chili sauce or hot chili oil or in a pinch even dried chili flakes will do. hot would be the operative word here.

assembly:

clear off the table. wipe it down well. sprinkle flour liberally on said table. take about a fist full of that dough stuff and roll it out until it's somewhat thin. use the 4-5" rimmed glass to cut circles out of the dough, and either remove the circles or remove the dough around them. take a circle in your palm. scoop out about half a tablespoon/teaspoon into the middle, being careful of any juice dribbling out. fold the circle around it and pinch the edges closed around it. voila!! you might want to stir the veggie slaw every little while to make sure all the juice circulates and can come into each individual potsticker... place the beloved potsticker on lightly floured wax paper.

troubleshooting:

cooking:

a wok works best, but i've even used a silverstone frying pan with good results. pour a little bit of vegetable oil in the bottom of the pan. usually i just use whatever's available -- corn or safflower or whatever. olive oil would probably impart too much flavor. peanut oil could be interesting.

get the oil hot.

place potstickers in a small "daisy" circle around the center, so the seams radiate from the approximate middle. heat potstickers until the edges really look dark -- brown to dark brown is very good. now take a coffee mug or so of the veggie broth and pour it in the middle of the circle. it will make much steam and sizzling! swish the liquid around a little so it surrounds all the potstickers but not so that it floods your stove. let it sit there a couple minutes and soak in/evaporate until most of the liquid is gone, now put a lid on and cook for another couple minutes. this should take a total of about 10 minutes after adding the liquid. just keep watching; every pan and wok and stove is different. when all liquid is absorbed, carefully remove potstickers from the pan... sometimes they do stick together, and i'm not sure why. it maybe because of excess flour. it may be because of too much flour. see what changes as you go along.