Cheesesteak Potstickers Food

POTSTICKERS

Steps:

• Make filling: Chop cabbage to small pieces, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and toss well. Let stand 10 minutes, drain, then squeeze firmly to wring out excess moisture. In a large mixing bowl scatter cabbage and add pork. Sprinkle remaining filling ingredients on top. Using chopsticks, stir briskly in one direction until well-blended. Throw mixture against inside of bowl 5 to 6 times to compact it. Press plastic wrap on surface of filling and set aside 30 minutes at room temperature, or refrigerate up to 24 hours for flavor to develop. Bring to room temperature before using.
• Fill one wrapper at a time, keeping remaining covered. Heap 1 level tablespoon filling off-center in wrapper and shape into a half-moon, about 2 inches. Run a moist finger lightly around edge of wrapper. Pleat and press dumpling closed. Transfer dumplings as they are made to a lightly-floured baking sheet and keep them covered with a towel to prevent drying.
• Make sauce: About 20 minutes before serving, mix dipping sauce ingredients and season to taste.
• Heat a heavy 12-inch cast-iron skillet with a tight-fitting cover over high heat. When very hot, add enough oil to coat bottom with a scant 1/4-inch, swirl skillet to coat bottom and sides, and reduce heat to medium. When oil is hot, pick up dumplings by their tops and quickly arrange them, smooth side down, in concentric rings starting from outside of pan and working into center. You will be able to cook about half of dumplings at a time. Dumplings should hug each other tightly in a pretty spiral; they will stick together. Adjust heat so they sizzle mildly. When all dumplings are in place, raise heat to brown bottoms. Check frequently, and when bottoms are browned, add enough stock to come halfway up sides of dumplings. Adjust heat to simmering and cover. After about 7 minutes, check to see if almost all stock has been absorbed. Check bottoms of dumplings -- they should be crisp enough to "clink" against a fingernail. If needed, add a little more oil down side of pan, swirl to distribute under dumplings and continue frying until crisp.
• Loosen dumplings from bottom with a spatula and invert them onto a warmed serving platter, browned bottoms up -- they should cling in a spiral. Spoon dumpling sauce into individual saucers or dipping bowls and serve immediately. Do this in two pans at once, or repeat to cook remaining potstickers.

PERFECT POTSTICKERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
• Combine the first 11 ingredients in a medium-size mixing bowl (pork through cayenne). Set aside.
• To form the dumplings, remove 1 wonton wrapper from the package, covering the others with a damp cloth. Brush 2 of the edges of the wrapper lightly with water. Place 1/2 rounded teaspoon of the pork mixture in the center of the wrapper. Fold over, seal edges, and shape as desired. Set on a sheet pan and cover with a damp cloth. Repeat procedure until all of the filling is gone.
• Heat a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat. Brush with vegetable oil once hot. Add 8 to 10 potstickers at a time to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, without touching. Once the 2 minutes are up, gently add 1/3 cup chicken stock to the pan, turn the heat down to low, cover, and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove wontons to a heatproof platter and place in the warm oven. Clean the pan in between batches by pouring in water and allowing the pan to deglaze. Repeat until all the wontons are cooked. Serve immediately.

PORK AND GINGER POT STICKERS

Steps:

• Sprinkle cabbage with the 1/2 tablespoon of salt and let stand for 30 minutes. Place the cabbage on a clean dishtowel or cheesecloth and squeeze out any water. The dryer the cabbage the better. In a large bowl thoroughly mix the cabbage with all of the other ingredients, except the chicken stock. Cook a tester to check the seasoning.;
• GUEST CHEF: MING'S MOM (IRIS LEE TSAI) .
• In a stainless steel bowl mix flour and salt. Slowly add hot water to flour in 1/4 cup increments. Mix with chopsticks until a ball is formed and the dough is not too hot to handle. On a floured surface, knead dough until it becomes a smooth, elastic ball. Place back in bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rest for at least 1 hour. Working on a floured surface with floured hands, roll out dough to form a long 'noodle', 1-inch in diameter. Cut 1/2-inch pieces and turn them over so the cut sides are facing up. Flatten with your palm and roll out thin using a rolling pin. The dumpling wrapper should end up about 3 inches in diameter.
• MAKING THE DUMPLINGS: Place a small mound of filling in the middle of the wrapper. (Be very careful not to touch the edges with the filling as this will impede proper sealing of the dumplings. Nothing is worse than dumplings breaking during cooking.) Fold the wrapper in half to form a half moon shape. Starting on one end fold/pinch the wrapper tightly together. Proceed with this fold/pinch method until the dumpling is completely sealed. There will be approximately 10 to 14 folds per dumpling. Rest the dumplings with the folded edges straight up.
• COOKING THE DUMPLINGS: In a hot saute pan coated well with oil, place pot stickers flat side down and cook until the bottom is browned. Have pan cover ready and add 1 cup of chicken stock, cover immediately. Be careful, the liquid will splatter! The stock will steam the pot stickers. Check them in 5 minutes as more stock may be needed. The trick here is that once the dumplings are firm and fully cooked the stock will evaporate and the bottoms will crisp-up again.
• Combine all and serve in a small bowl.
• PLATING: Serve pot stickers on a large platter lined with lettuce with a bowl of dipping sauce on the side.