Asian Chips and Dip.

So it's game day. My boys (aka my mid/late 20 year old guy friends who still act like little babies) were coming over. I served up chips and dip, and of course, my own version of chips and dip.

I mean, the concept is there, except my Chips, I mean potstickers, and by dip, I mean sweet and sour +spicy sauce. It's still very satisfying, I swear.

I tend to improvise as I go, but for the filling, here are the main things I use:

• 2 to 3 cups or 1/4 head of Chinese cabbage (it all depends on how much vegetables you want in your potstickers, so just alter it to your preference)
  
• 1 pound lean ground pork
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions, with tops
• 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp of soy sauce
  
• 1 tbsp canola oil (or whatever you have handy)
• 1 tsp of cornstarch
  
• Dash of white pepper
• Dash of five spice
• Dash of black pepper
• Dash of salt
  

Honestly, any other spices you can think of that would make the filling tasty - it's all up to you! As long as you keep your ingredients Asian...to me, adding fresh rosemary or thyme to the filling is just a little strange. But hey, whatever floats your boat!


The dough:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup boiling water
• Or you can just do what I did the first time round - buy pre made ones from 99 Ranch, or even Ralphs - be careful though, don't get the Won Ton skins, get the potsticker/dumpling skins. Won Ton skins are usually much thinner, and it won't hold the dumpling together when you cook them!

To prepare:

Cut the cabbage into thin strips, make sure they are very finely chopped. Mix with a little salt and set aside for 5 minutes. Then try to pat the cabbage dry with a paper towel, the key thing is to soak up the excess moisture, so be creative, do whatever the hell you need to get the water out!
In a large bowl, mix the cabbage, pork, green onions, garlic, soy sauce, cornstarch, oil, salt, white pepper, five spice, black pepper together. If you added too much salt, just alter your other spices, remember, it's to your desire!

To make the dough...

1. In a bowl, mix the flour and 1 cup boiling water until a soft dough forms. Knead the dough on a lightly flour surface about 5 minutes, or until smooth.
2. Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a roll 12 inches long and cut each roll into 1/2-inch slices.
3. Roll 1 slice of dough into a 3-inch circle and place 1 tablespoon pork mixture in the center of the circle. (These are all approximate measurements, they don't have to be exact!!)
   
4. Lift up the edges of the circle and pinch 5 pleats up to create a pouch to encase the mixture. Pinch the top together. Repeat with the remaining slices of dough and filling.

To cook the actual potstickers:

1. Heat a wok or nonstick skillet until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, tilting the wok to coat the sides. If using a nonstick skillet, add 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil. Place as many dumplings as you can comfortably fit in the work (around 12 I suppose) in a single layer and fry on high heat until the skin is slightly brown.
   
2. Add 1/2 cup of water and lower heat. Cover and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. By then, your dumplings should be slightly crispy and the bottom should be golden brown.
3. Repeat until all your dumplings are cooked!
4. Side note : after they are freshly fried, serve them onto a paper towel lined plate so the oil gets absorbed a little, otherwise it can be a little too greasy.
   

To make the dipping sauce:

• I use sweet and sour sauce, and then just add some Sriracha in it for a kick
• OR, you can use soy sauce and sesame oil, or some vinegar if you want that kick. Red wine vinegar would do. The measurements would be something like 1 tsp of seasme oil with 2 tbsp of soy sauce.

Enjoy!