Have I ever told about my love of dumpling/wonton wrappers?
I mean, they are the most awesome thing to keep in your fridge because they can become sooo many things (and they have a pretty long “fridge” life!)….seriously!!
Like, for example, you can actually make ravioli with them – I swear!! Now, don’t get me wrong… making your own fresh pasta is better. However, in a pinch, you can use these. When I was testing this egg yolk ravioli a few years back, I just wanted to test the cooking time to get the yolk perfect – so I didn’t really want to fuss with making fresh pasta. These totally did the job!
And then, can we talk about dessert? Specifically, this Nutella dessert?? I’ll assume you have a jar of Nutella or cookie butter in your cupboard (because if you don’t, what’s wrong with you?). Now, go ahead and fill some of these babies up, fry them up in some veg oil and dust them with some sugar and you will make yourself some very serious friends!
But what about using them for what they are REALLY supposed to be used for?? Let’s make some pot stickers!!
Before we begin, let me tell you that I am all about efficiency in my life. So, if I make a recipe and I can make it do double duty by using it for another recipe, I will absolutely figure out a way to do it!
The traditional way to make pot stickers is by filling the wrappers with a raw filling and allowing it to cook in the pan. You can totally do that with this recipe if you like ’cause who am I to mess with a good thing? Actually. who’s kidding who? I am totally that person who messes with a good thing!
In this case, I make a big batch of this filling and if I don’t feel like making a pile of these dumplings and have leftover filling, I can use it in a few days as the filling for lettuce wraps (you an also freeze leftover filling to make pot stickers or lettuce wraps later). You can also use the same sauce for dipping…although I like to add a tsp of natural peanut butter!
But, let’s get back to the pot stickers (sorry for all my digressing!). The traditional way to make these babies is to fill them and then place the open wrapper with filling in your non-dominant hand. Then, using your dominant hand, close the wrapper at one corner and then continue closing it to the other end by pleating the edge.
But if you don’t feel like making pretty potstickers today (or, are just plain lazy like me), just fold them up, remembering to put some water around the edge to ensure a good seal, and close them like a ravioli.
Make sure that while you are working, you keep a damp paper towel over the un-used wrappers to make sure they don’t dry up.
Cook according to the instructions in the recipe below and, voila, a perfect snack that everyone will enjoy!!
And, if you run out of time and you don’t want to finish filling the rest (which, I would suggest you do because it’s so awesome to have these in the freezer for surprise guests!!), you can save filling for lettuce wraps and use left over wontons for this quick and easy Nutella dessert!
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 454 g ground pork
- 454 g ground beef (you can use chicken if you like)
- 2 chopped green onions
- 5 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tsp cornstach or other thickener (like potato starch or rice flour)
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp freshly ground pepper
- 1 package wonton wrappers
- vegetable oil for frying
- 1/2 c water
- 1/2 c soy sauce
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- chopped green onion
- In a large pan, heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil and add ground meat.
- Cook the meat breaking apart the mixture until it is no longer pink (about 7 minutes)
- Remove meat to a dish and leave oil in pan; add garlic and stir while it softens
- Add green onion to the garlic and stir for about 1 minute; then return meat to pan.
- Add 2 tbsp soy sauce, sesame oil, 1 tbsp hoisin sauce, cornstarch, 2 tbsp water, salt and pepper; stir well.
- On a clean surface, open up wrappers and have a small dish with water ready for assembly.
- Working one wrapper at a time, put a tablespoon of filling in the center of a wrapper.
- Brush water along the edges of the circle, and holding the dumpling between the thumb and forefinger of your left hand (or right hand, if left-handed), seal like a ravioli (the traditional way, if you choose to make them that way, is sealing them by using your dominant hand to pleat and seal the edges of the sealed dumpling….stand sealed dumplings on an even surface, gently pressing to flatten their bottoms).
- As you finish the dumplings, place them on a clean baking sheet and cover gently with a damp cloth or paper towel.
- Continue until you are finished and flash freeze all the dumplings you are not going to cook to use at another time.
- When all the dumplings are filled and sealed, heat the vegetable oil in a flat-bottomed pan until hot but not smoking.
- Arrange half the dumplings flat-side down in the hot oil and cook, uncovered, for 3 minutes. Add the 1/2 cup water, cover tightly with the lid, and reduce heat to medium.
- Cook 8-10 minutes, until all the liquid has evaporated and the dumplings are crisp on the bottom.
- Shake pan to loosen dumplings; turn out onto a plate and cover with foil.
- Repeat with remaining dumplings.
- In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup soy sauce, 2 tbsp hoisin sauce and green onion; serve the dumplings warm with the dipping sauce on the side.
