Chinese Take-Out Party: Kimchee Potstickers!

Mochachocolata Rita is hosting a Chinese take-out party event. I love Chinese food and although we cook Japanese style Chinese food, we tend to have some sort of Chinese dish appear for lunch or dinner at least a few times a week. Fumipuriri was raving about a great Kimchee Potsticker recipe she made a few days ago and my mom & I got all excited about it... so I decided to make just that for this Chinese take-out party!

Most Chinese take-out places offer potstickers (or gyoza in Japanese) on their menus in some way, shape, or form. Whether they be fried, boiled, or steamed, I love em'. The Chinese have been enjoying potstickers since the Song dynasty (960 – 1280 A.D.). According to a charming legend a chef in China's Imperial Court accidentally burnt a batch of dumplings after leaving them on the stove for too long. The overcooked dumplings were burnt on the bottom only, and not on top. With no time to prepare a new batch, the chef served the dumplings with the burnt side on top, announcing that they were his own special creation. Fortunately, court members loved them! And you will love this recipe for Kimchee Potstickers (Gyozas) too! It's a Korean/Japanese twist on a Chinese dish. The kimchee adds great flavor and heat to these tasty morsels.

KIMCHEE GYOZA RECIPE

Ingredients:
Ground Pork (as much or as little as you want)
1 Cup Kimchee
1 bushel of Nira (or Chinese Chives)
salt and pepper to taste
Round Gyoza Skins (found at most Asian markets)

Ingredients for dipping sauce:
Rice vinegar
Soy sauce
Hot Chili oil

Directions:
1. Chop the Nira in to tiny pieces.
2. Drain the kimchee of most of its liquid juices and chop into small pieces.
3. Mix the nira, kimchee, and ground pork in a large bowl and add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Put a teaspoon full of the mixture into one gyoza skin and lift up the edges of the circle and pinch pleats to create a pouch to encase the mixture and pinch the top together.
5. Heat a wok or nonstick skillet until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon Sesame oil, tilting the wok to coat the sides.
6. Place dumplings in a circular formation in the wok and fry 2 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown.
7. Add 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook 6 to 7 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Repeat with the remaining dumplings.
8. To make a dipping sauce, in a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, hot chili oil, and vinegar. Serve with the dumplings while hot!
"Akiyama Nappa Kimchee" is one of our favorite brands of kimchee. I used a whole jar of this in our potstickers.I love wrapping up the meat in the gyoza skin. I've gotten pretty fast and good at it over the years. :) The trick...it all comes down to how they are cooked. The best potstickers are crisp and browned on the bottom, sticking lightly to the pan, but easy to remove with a spatula. The trick to making potstickers is not to overcook them, and to line them up in a circular formation. You fry them first with oil until the bottom browns, then you add 1/2 cup of water and place the lid on top of the pan so that they are fried and steamed!This was my first time trying kimchee potstickers and I loved them! These will be reappearing on my dinner table for years to come, I'm sure.