Pork Potstickers - with a Thai bent

This is such an easy recipe.  Rather than try to mince so much of it by hand...run it all through a meat grinder with the fine grind disk and you are done pronto.  Either the grinder that attaches to your stand mixer or a hand operated works fine.  It yields the perfect texture.

Not quite sure where this Thai bent has come from...but I do like the Thai flavors as they have a pretty awesome blend of sweet-savory-hot-acid going that just dances in your mouth.  A happy dance if you will.

This recipe is also an example of how to repurpose a left over rather than just reheat as is the next day.  For this I used the Thai Pork Roast from the other day, but you can use any other chunk of left over cooked pork roast just as easily.

Of course I cheat...am a better flavor maker than a dough maker.  I pick up a package of potsticker wrappers already made at the local Asian market.  Voila for a buck forty nine I'm in business and no aggravated swearing as I can't get the dough right.

The last tip I offer up is that I use a non-stick skillet.  Makes it easier to release the dumplings when they are seared on one side without tearing them up in the process of flipping to brown the other side.  A good, heavy non-stick skillet with a lid can be had for under $50 and worth the investment.

Pork Potstickers

• 1 lb left over cooked pork roast
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1" finger of ginger
• 1/2 c loose packed cilantro leaves and stems
• 2 green onions thinly sliced
• 1 T lemongrass puree
• 1 T fish sauce
• 2 T soy sauce
• 1 T sesame oil

Assemble meat grinder according to your manufacturers instructions.  Cut pork into chunks that will fit into the feed tube.  Place ginger, garlic and cilantro into feed tube and top with some of the pork.  Grind through fine disc.  Repeat with remainging pork until it is all ground.

Mix together lemongrass puree, fish and soy sauce with the sesame oil.  Pour over the ground meat mixture.  Add thinkly sliced green onions.  Toss with fork until all ingredients well blended.

In palm of hand place 1 potsticker wrapper.  Weet edges with water.  Place scant tablepoon of filling into center of wrapper.  Fold edges over and  press to seal the edges.  Place on tray and cover with plastic wrap so they don't dry out while assembling the rest of them.  (This makes about 4 dozen pot stickers).

In non-stick skillet over medium heat spray with cooking oil.  Arrange potstickers in pan so edges don't touch.  Add 1/3 c water and cover.  Steam 5-7 minutes until water just about evaporated.  Remove cover, drizzle with 1-2 teaspoons sesame oil and turn the potstickers over and brown on other side.  Repeat until all pot stickers are cooked.

Potsticker wrapper with edges wet ready for filling

filling placed in wrapper ready to fold and seal edges

Assembled potstickers waiting cooking

Potstickers steamed and one side seared ready to turn over

Add bonus...pays to scroll to the end.  Half the fun of potstickers is dipping them in a flavorful dipping sauce.  Here's my go to recipe for potstickers...doesn't matter what kind, its still uber delicious.

Dipping Sauce

• 1/2 C orange marmalade
• 1/2 c reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1  clove garlic
• 1/2" finger of ginger
• 1 t red pepper flakes

Place marmalade and soy sauce in small sauce pan over low heat.  Using a microplane grate in the ginger and garlic.  Add pepper flakes.  Stir until marmalade melts and its all combined. Cool to room temp.  Store leftovers in fridge for up to a week.

Thai Pork Roast...take 2 the spicy version

I've done a similar version of this roast, and posted it here.  I amped up the flavor this time by marinading it then roasting with more Thai Red Chili's.  Right tasty stuff that the whole family ate and requested I do again.  Soon.

What makes it Thai? Well inclusion of Thai red chili's for one.  Lemon grass, cilantro and fish sauce also add to the Thai flavor profile.  The clincher however is the can of coconut milk.  All combined its that salty sweet spicy profile that the Thais are known for.

As you are using coconut milk line your baking dish with foil.  It cooks down to a thick paste that is nearly impossible to chip off when done.  Seriously. line it with foil and forget about it.  Easier to dispose of a wad of foil than cleaning off baked on coconut milk.

Thai Pork Roast

• 3 lb pork loin roast
• 1/3 c soy sauce
• 1 T fish Sauce
• 1 T Lemon grass puree
• 2 cloves garlic - minced
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 10 Thai red chili
• 1 can coconut milk

Night before you want to roast off the meat take your pork roast and put it into a ziplock gallon sized food bag. Combine 1/4 c minced cilantro, soy sauce, fish sauce and garlic.  Pour over the pork roast, massage into the meat.  Seal bag and refrigerate, turning occasionally to ensure good even contact of marinade with the meat.

1/2 hour prior to baking preheat oven to 350F and pull meat out of fridge and set on counter to room up to room temp for more even roasting.  Line baking dish with foil.  

Chop 7 Thai red chilies. Mince 1/2 c cilantro.  Sprinkle evenly over the bottom of the foil lined baking dish.  Remove pork roast from ziplock bag and toss out excess marinade.  Place pork on top of the bed of chopped chili and cilantro.  Shake can of coconut milk well.  Pour over the pork roast.

Sprinkle 1/4 c chopped cilantro over the top of the pork roast.  Take remaining 3 chilies and remove stem, slice lengthwise.  Place slice chili half, cut side down on top of pork roast.  Arrange so they are evenly spaced.

Roast until meat thermometer or oven probe reaches 150F (about 1 hour).  Pull from oven and let rest 15 minutes before carving and serving.

Pork Roast all set for the oven

Thai inspired Chicken Potstickers

Some of my Asian friends cringe when I call them potstickers instead of dumplings, but whatever you call it, its some really tasty grub.  What makes these Thai inspired is the inclusion of flavors such as lemongrass, fish sauce and cilantro in the filling, flavors of Phuket and Bangcock.

This is one of those recipes where having a kitchenaid with a meat grinder attachment is really handy.  Makes it possible to get a fine grind on the chicken without turning it to paste like you would get with a food processor.  Different tools for different results.

I even run the ginger and chinese garlic through the through the grinder to clean it out and give them the fine mince as well.  It works wonders especially with the ginger as that stuff is so tough and fibrous.

All of the ingredients here can be found in an Asian Market or well equipped mainstream groc.  If you can't find Chinese garlic, substitute 4 cloves of regular garlic.

Thai Chicken Potstickers

• 40 round dumpling wrappers
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1" piece ginger
• 2 4 inch pieces of chinese garlic
• 3  spring onions sliced
• 1/2 c fresh cilantro leaves and stems, minced
• 1 T lemon grass
• 1 T Fish Sauce
• 2 T low sodium Soy Sauce
• 1 T Oyster Sauce
• 1/4 t ground pepper
• 1 t corn starch
• 1 egg white

In meat grinder with fine disk grind chicken followed by ginger then chinese garlic.  In small skillet over medium heat cook meat mixture until cooked through, but not browned.  Cool to room temperature.

In bowl add cooled meat mixture, spring onion and cilantro.  Toss lightly.  Add lemon grass, fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, black pepper, corn starch and egg white.  Toss until combined.

Take a dumpling wrapper and wet edges.  Place 2 t filling mixture into center of wrapper.  Take one edge and fold over to the other side, turnover style.  Pinch edges firmly to seal tightly.  Repeat until all the filling is used up.

In a very large non-stick skillet over medium heat spritz it with cooking oil. Arrange potstickers in pan in one layer. (You may need to cook in batches if your skillet can't hold them all). Cook 5 minutes then add 1/2 water to pan. Cover and steam 5 minutes longer. Remove lid, turn potstickers over and cook another minute or two until browned and all water has evaporated. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.

Herbage and onions at the ready for mixing with cooked cooled meat mixture

Potsickers formed and ready for cooking

Lobster Potstickers and Hong Kong Supermarket lovin'

I love the Hong Kong Supermarket that opened in my 'hood about a year ago.  Tons of impossible to find Asian ingredients.  And stuff that isn't so hard to find, but priced so good you can't walk away.  That's exactly how these lobster potstickers came about.  Cooked lobsters at $8/lb easily a quarter the price of what the local mainstream groc down the street from me charges.

When I spotted these beauties a few things crossed my mind, but since I've been in an Asian cookery state of mind the last few months lobster potstickers or dumplings came to mind.  I grabbed two and headed over to produce and picked up the fresh dumpling skins...dough already made, rolled thin and cut uniform size, 150 pieces for only $1/49, again something way cheaper than you'll ever find at the groc.

I scoured the web for recipes and eventually settled on a couple that sounded somewhat Thai in flavor profiel and went for it.  One called for ginger, a vague amount "thumbsized" so I went with my thumb which was way too effing big....my recipe here is a realistic amount, enough to flavor but not overpower the sweet of the lobster.

This is a recipe where having a food processor will come in handy.  A quick whizzaroo and you are done and avoided all the hassle of having to mince all those ingredients.

This recipe like all other potsticker recipes is excuted easiest with a nonstick pan.  The easy release ensures no broken potstickers in your skillet.  It also enables you to reduce the amount of oil used which helps you keep in a heart healty balance.

Lobster Potstickers

• 1 lb cooked lobster meat
• 1/4 c water chestnuts
• 2 4" pieces chinese garlic
• 2 T ginger
• 1 T  minced basil
• 1 T lemon grass
• 1 egg white
• 1 T corn starch
• 1 T Rice wine or cooking sherry
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t ground pepper
• 30-40 Dumpling skins (about 3 inches in diameter)
• water

In food processor add chinese garlic ( or 2 whole garlic cloves) and ginger to bowl of food processor.  Pulse until finely minced.  Add basil, lemon grass, egg white, wine, corn starch salt and pepper.  Pulse until combined.  Add lobster and water chestnut, then pulse a few times until coarsely chopped.

Take a dumpling skin in the palm of your hand.  Take a finger and dip it in water and wet the outside edges of the dumpling skin.  Place two teaspoons lobster filling into center of skin, fold edges over until they meet folding the dough skin in half.  Pinch edges firmly and place on baking sheet.  Repeat until all the filling has been used.

In a very large non-stick skillet over medium heat spritz it with cooking oil.  Arrange potstickers in pan in one layer.  (You may need to cook in batches if your skillet can't hold them all).  Cook 5 minutes then add 1/2 water to pan.  Cover and steam 5 minutes longer.  Remove lid, turn potstickers over and cook another minute or two until browned and all water has evaporated.  Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.

Prepared dumplings waiting to be cooked

Potsticker dumplings after they are cooked

Thai Corn Chowder

This recipe is a great one for something fast with minimal steps. Not quite stupid easy and does make a bit of a mess as you need the blender and its just one more thing that needs to be washed. Not a pain in the backside kind of mess, just extra clean up but well worth it.

I use the already minced lemon grass, but the dried stuff can be used just as well. I think the minced in the tube just has a bit more of a lemon back note that is easier to detect and adds a fresher grassiness to the dish that is absent in the dried. Not everyone can easily find the already minced, including me, so the dried is a good enough substitute.

Thai Corn Chowder

• 2 16 oz bags frozen corn - thawed
• 2 cans chicken broth
• 1 onion diced
• 1 red jalapeno pepper thinly sliced
• 1 T minced garlic
• 2 T lemon grass puree (or equal dried)
• 2 T cilantro finely chopped
• 1/8 t cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste

Lightly coat bottom of pan with olive oil and sweat the onions until translucent. Add onion to blender with 1 can broth, 1 bag of corn and cilantro. Process until nearly smooth.

Add a little more oil to the bottom of the pan, add lemon grass, jalapeno slices and garlic. Cook over low heat 30 seconds until the garlic is just starting to turn clear. Stir constantly so as to not burn the garlic. Add the corn puree, cayenne and remaining bag of corn to the pan. Increase heat and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Add remaining broth to thin to consistency you like in a chowder. (Starch content of the corn varies so you may need the entire can to get it to the right consistency). Test for salt and pepper. Simmer 5-10 minutes until heated through.