Crispy Pork and Veggie Potstickers

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups finely chopped napa cabbage
• 1 carrot, minced
• 2 tbsp minced ginger
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• ¼ cup chopped green onions
• 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
• 1 pound Imperfect Foods Ground Pork
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 ½ tsp sesame oil
• 3 tbsp water
• 35-40 pre-made dumpling wrappers

Directions

Make the Filling

1. Heat a little oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add cabbage, carrot, ginger, garlic, and green onions. Saute for 2-3 minutes and stir in ¼ teaspoon of salt. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
2. Place ground pork in a large bowl. Add cornstarch and mix with a wooden spoon for several minutes. The meat will look a little paste-y.
3. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt to the pork. Stir to incorporate. Pour vegetable mixture into the meat and stir together.

Set Up Dumpling Wrapping Area

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Fill a small bowl with water and grab a spoon for scooping the filling.

Folding the Dumplings

1. Dip a finger into the bowl of water and line ¾ of the edge of the wrapper so that the wrapper has a wet border that is about ¼ inch wide. Place a dumpling wrapper in your left hand, wet side up. Place about 1 Tablespoon of filling in the center of the wrapper.
2. Start folding the dumpling like a taco and pinch together the wrapper in the center. Start creating pleats to the left of the center pinch. Use your index finger and thumb to create a pleat and seal it to the right. Continue pleating and sealing to the right until you reach the end. If this makes absolutely no sense, watch this video.
3. Once the left side is finished, start pleating the right side. Gather the wrapper to create a pleat and seal it to the left. Continue pleating and sealing to the left until you reach the end. Again, if this makes no sense, see this video.
4. Place the finished dumpling on the sheet pan and cover with a towel so it won’t dry out. Continue folding dumplings until there’s no more filling.

Cooking the Pork and Veggie Potstickers

1. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Pour enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan, about 1-2 Tablespoons. Place about 10-12 dumplings over the pan and fry for about 2-3 minutes.
2. Pour water into the pan, just enough to cover the bottom, about ¼ cup. There will be a lot of splattering, so be careful. Cover the pan with the lid, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 5-6 minutes.
3. Remove the cover from the pan and cook for another minute.
4. Transfer cooked veggie potstickers to a plate and serve hot.

Recipe Notes and Variations

• Make your potstickers vegan by swapping out the pork for shiitake mushrooms and tofu.
• If you’re new to making dumplings, check out this tutorial with side by side images and videos on how to fold and pinch your dumplings.