turkey potstickers

while i don't claim that these are overly authentic in recipe or design, they certainly taste good. i'm always looking for fun ways to try out asian flavors in my cooking, since hubby and i both adore them. this combines all our favorites; ginger, sesame, garlic, and the spice from red pepper flakes.

the most arduous part of this process is putting together the potstickers themselves, but even that took less time than i'd expected. everything else is just mixing ingredients together in a bowl!

ingredients:

for the potstickers:
1# ground turkey*
1 small onion (or 1/2 of a large) grated
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 scallion (white and light green parts only) chopped fine
4 small cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 package prepared wonton wrappers
an egg wash made of 1 egg and a little water

for the sauce:
1 cup water
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1.5 teaspoons of corn starch

directions: in a bowl combine the turkey, onion, ginger, scallion, garlic, sesame oil, and soy sauce lightly with your fingers. be careful not to overwork.

in a separate bowl combine the water, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, and cornstarch. whisk together to make sure there aren't any lumps from the corn starch. set aside.

to assemble the potstickers dip your finger into the egg wash and draw a line of the egg wash around all four sides of one side of the first wonton wrapper. then, place a heaped teaspoon into the center. fold upwards, and pinch the top, then pinch and pleat each side. you can really make these in whatever shape you'd like (like i said, they aren't particularly authentic.) however, remember these two things: make sure all sides are sealed, and make sure you have a flat bottom for the potsticker to "sit on".

halfway through forming the potstickers, set a steamer over a pot of water and bring to a boil. once they are all formed, heat a large pan over high heat with 1 tablespoon of oil. brown the flat side of the potstickers, being careful not to let them touch, in the pan for about 1 minute. then, transfer them to the steamer and steam for about 5 minutes. remove and move on to the next batch.

when the last batch is in the steamer, turn down the heat on your pan (but don't let the pan cool) and whisk together the sauce (the corn starch will have settled) and then pour this into the pan, whisking to remove any bits that thicken faster than others. add water if it gets too thick...it should be pourable and dippable. once finished, serve with the potstickers and enjoy!

notes:
these came out really well the first time i made them, which is why i'm sharing them with you. if you prefer a runnier sauce, simply leave out the cornstarch.
*you can use pork for a more authentic flavor

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

behind the apron

28 cooks is hosting another year of behind the apron, so this year i decided to play along.

here are some things about me:
- i live in charm city with my husband
- i'm an animal lover and have three cats and a dog
- my earliest memory of cooking is making sausage and peppers with my grandfather when i was about five or six.
- my culinary hero is julia child
- i'm also an avid knitter, and have a knitting blog (of course!)
- i work in the interactive department of an advertising agency
- my favorite sound is the skin of garlic peeling off of the clove
- my favorite smell is fresh cut grass
- my favorite color is pink
i think that's enough for now...