I remember being terribly impressed the first time I was served these at a friend’s house in the early ’80s. At that time, it was exotic and ambitious to attempt Chinese food at home. Times have changed, thanks in large part to the late Barbara Tropp, the famed chef of China Moon Café in San Francisco, whose wonderful books, like The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking, have made cooking authentic Asian food at home much less daunting. These crispy, flavorful little dumplings make a great starter or hors d’oeuvre if you’re feeding a crowd. The filling multiplies easily, and once you get the hang of filling the dumplings, you can whip up a lot in a relatively short period of time. If you’re a vegetarian, leave the pork and shrimp out and add some sautéed shiitake mushrooms instead. The tart dipping sauce is the perfect complement to the rich filling.

　　

Ingredients

makes 36 pot stickers

　　1/2 pound medium or small shrimp, peeled and chopped

　　1/2 pound ground pork

　　1 medium onion, grated

　　1 large carrot, peeled and grated

　　1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions (about 1/2 bunch)

　　1 cup thinly sliced green cabbage (1/4 head)

　　2 garlic cloves, minced

　　1 tablespoon grated or minced fresh ginger

　　1/4 cup chopped cilantro (leaves and tender stems)

　　2 tablespoons soy sauce

　　1 egg

　　1 teaspoon red chile paste

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　36 (1 package) round gyoza or wonton wrappers (widely available in the refrigerated produce or freezer section of grocery stores)

　　Cornstarch, for dusting

　　Peanut or canola oil, for frying

　　Water, or chicken or vegetable broth, for steaming

　　

Chile-Soy Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce

　　2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar or balsamic vinegar

　　1 teaspoon sesame oil

　　1/2 teaspoon red chile paste

　　1 tablespoon lime juice

　　2 scallions, thinly sliced

　　

Step 1

Mix all the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Take 1 teaspoon and bake or steam it, to taste for adjusting the seasoning. Set a large pot of lightly salted water over high heat, ready for boiling.

　　

Step 2

To make the pot stickers, lay down about 4 gyoza or wonton wrappers and brush the edge halfway around with cornstarch mixed with a little water. Place about a teaspoon of filling in the center of each wrapper and fold over into a half moon, being careful to keep filling away from the edge. Using your fingers, crimp to seal. As you become more adept, you can pleat one side against the other. Press each pot sticker onto the table to flatten the bottom, and place on a tray lightly dusted with cornstarch. Pot stickers can sit there until ready to cook.

　　

Step 3

When all the pot stickers have been shaped, boil them in batches in the lightly salted water for about 2 minutes, until the dough is cooked through (it will become slightly translucent). Drain and cool until ready to fry.

　　

Step 4

Heat about 1 tablespoon oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Place pot stickers in the skillet in batches, to avoid crowding, and lower the heat. When they’re golden brown and crispy on the bottom, carefully pour in a little hot water or broth to just cover the bottom of the pan. Watch out for steam! Cover the pan tightly and steam 3–4 minutes, until almost all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat, and repeat with the remaining dumplings. Serve with Chile-Soy Dipping Sauce.

　　

Chile-Soy Dipping Sauce

Step 5

Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.

　　Cooks' Note

　　Shao mei is a Chinese dumpling shaped like a little sack gathered at the top. To make them, place 1 teaspoon filling in the center of the wrapper and gather the sides up around the filling, leaving the top open ½ inch to 1 inch and flattening the bottom.

　　From Crescent City Cooking by Susan Spicer Copyright (c) 2007 by Susan Spicer Published by Knopf.Susan Spicer was born in Key West, Florida, and lived in Holland until the age of seven, when her family moved to New Orleans. She has lived there ever since, and is the owner of two restaurants, Bayona and Herbsaint. This is her first cookbook.Paula Disbrowe was the former Cowgirl Chef at Hart & Hind Fitness Ranch in Rio Frio, Texas. Prior to that, she spent ten years working as a food and travel writer. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Food & Wine, and Saveur, among other major publications.