Year of the Snake Pork Dumplings

Xin Nian Kuai Le ( 新年快乐) it is the year of the snake!  That is kind of a big deal in my house since my boy was born in the year of the snake.  (Yes I can't believe he will be 12?!?)  From looking at my blog, you might suppose I am of Asian decent.  I'm not.  I just happen to be a girl named Kim who likes cooking Asian (along with many other culture's) food. (I am telling you this so you don't get the impression that these are in any way 'authentic'.  I just read a lot of recipes and go from there)  I also love that more and more holidays are creeping in to our national culture.  I remember when the only time we saw anything about the Chinese zodiac was on place mats in Chinese restaurants.  Granted that was a hundred years ago and, get this, before the Internet. Now I do try to keep up, but I think Fat Tuesday is not going to get much culinary representation in the house.  I forgot to figure it in to my weekly menu plan.  Anyways, dumplings are a favorite in the house, and since they are traditional food for Chinese New Year...  any excuse to eat dumplings I say!

I am still trying to perfect those beautiful amazing dumplings you get in great Chinese restaurants, but these are not bad.  They are really good in fact, but I can't promise dumpling perfection... yet!  Oh and I made up a dipping sauce using some of the umeboshi plum paste I still have lurking in the recesses of the fridge;)


Pork Dumplings (potstickers)
1 cup of broth (I  used chicken)
1 package of won ton wrappers
1 pound ground pork
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1/4 cup onion grated & squeezed dry
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons Mirin
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 teaspoon chili sauce



crimped but not cooked

Mix together everything from the ginger through the chili sauce in a large bowl, and then mix the pork in with the seasoning Put the wrapper in front of you like a diamond.  Put level teaspoons of the filling in the center of a won ton wrapper.  Moisten the edges with water, using your fingers.   Fold the bottom corner to the top pinch together and slowly move from the top corner of the triangle down the sides pressing out the air. Then starting on one side,  fold over and little crimps all the way around. Put them on a baking sheet with a damp lightly damp tea towel over the top until they're all done.   Then take a pan (it must not be nonstick) put it over medium heat. Using a pastry brush put the thinnest coating of vegetable oil over the bottom.  Place potstickers in the pan when it's hot.  Do not crowd.  Cook for two minutes on medium heat add 1/3 cup of broth,  cover shake the pan to get them loose, turn down the heat a little, and cook another two minutes.  Remove potstickers to a plate kept warm in the oven at 200° and repeat with remaining potstickers.  Make sure you clean the pan between the batches and make sure you remember to turn the heat back up to medium.



In the pan

Umeboshi Dipping Sauce

1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon of umeboshi plum paste
1/2  tablespoon of sesame oil

Mix well