Potstickers with Dipping Sauce

Makes 40
Dipping sauce:
1.5 c tamari or low salt soy
1/2 c rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t fine chopped ginger
1 t dark sesame
1 t honey or sugar
1/8 t red pepper flakes

Dumplings
3/4# ground pork(turkey)
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 c chipped green onions
1 T tamari
1 T seasoned rice vinegar or mirin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 t ground ginger
white pepper pinch
1 pkg won ton wrappers

Whisk sauce ingredients
Mix meat, cilantro, scallions, tamari, rice vengar, garlic, ginger white pepper in med bowl. Brush edges of 1 wrapper with water. Place 1 t meat mixture in center and fold in half ot make a triangle. Place on wax paper lined baking sheet. Repeat.
Bring pot of water to boil. Lower dumplings and simmer 5 mins until float to surface. Remove with slotted spoon and transfer to serving platter. EAT

CHICKEN VERSION
2 t veg oil
2 c finely chopped green cabbage
1/2 c water
1/2# ground chicken or turkey
1/3 c minced green onions
1 T peeled minced gingerroot
1/2 t salt
1/2 t dark sesame oil
1 egg white
1 garlic clove, crushed
30 won ton wrappers
2 t cornstarch
4 t veg oil, divided in half
1 c water, divided in half

Heat 2 t veg oil in large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add cabbage; cook 9 mins or until lightly browned, stirring. While cooking, add 1/2 c water, 1 T at a time, to keep it from sticking ot pan. Spoon cabbage into a med bowl, let cool completely. Add meat and next 6 ingredients (chicken through garlic) and stir well.

SPINACH VERSION
1 c boiling water
7/8 oz pkg dried shiitake mushrooms
1/2 c cooked long grain rice
1/3 c finely chopped channed water chestnuts
1/3 c minced green onions
1 T cornstarch
1 T minced peeled gingerroot
1 t dark sesame oil
10 oz pkg frozen chopped psinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
1 egg white
1 garlic clove
30 won ton wrappers

Mix boiling water and mushrooms in bowl, cover and let stand 30 mins. Drain; remove stems; mince caps. Mix mushrooms, rice and next 8 ingredients. Stir well.

2 for 1 Pork Ginger Potstickers - Ming's Mom

PORK AND GINGER FILLING:
2 cups chopped napa cabbage
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 pound ground pork (Don't get lean pork, the fat is good for juicy and flavorful dumplings)
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons thin soy sauce
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 egg
1 to 2 cups chicken stock or water

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.

HOT WATER DOUGH:
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups boiling water

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.