Pan-Fried Dumplings

Ever since I can remember, I've loved dumplings. I'm pretty sure they were they first real food (not baby food) that I've ever tasted. I don't know why I've never made my own. Since I have the next month off, seriously doing nothing, now is the perfect time to make dumplings. I found four recipes that I liked and combined all the best parts. I came up with really delicious and flavourful pot-sticker goodness. I'll tell you now, they were really easy to make but pretty time consuming. They are definitely a SunDAY activity. The great thing is, it makes 75-100 dumplings so you can freeze them and take out a few at a time as needed.

Recipe
Pan-Fried Dumplings

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 5 medium size raw shrimp, shelled/deveined/chopped
• 1/2 head napa cabbage (finely cut)
• 1/2 box (150g) extra soft tofu (you can put a little more)
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• fresh cilantro, handful chopped (if you don't like cilantro, parsley could also work)
• salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 inches ginger (grated)
• 1 pack wonton wrappers
• Oil for pan-frying
• 1/4 cup water
• Chinese black vinegar (for dipping)

Directions 
- If your wonton wrappers are frozen, let them thaw under a damp cloth for about an hour before you start.
- Cut up the napa cabbage. Wash and drain it in a strainer. Use paper towel to remove the moisture.
- Chop up the shrimp, green onions, garlic and cilantro.
- In a large bowl, mix the cabbage, tofu, shrimp, green onion, garlic, cilantro, grated ginger, raw pork, salt&pepper, sesame oil, and rice wine vinegar until incorporated.

- Prepare a little bowl of water (for sealing the wonton wrappers) and a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Spray a little PAM so nothing sticks.
- To make the dumplings, place a small spoonful of the filling in the center of the skin. Dab a little water with your finger and circle around the edge of the skin, and then fold and firmly press the edges to seal. Repeat the same for the rest.

Cooking Directions
- For freshly made dumplings, heat a pan on medium and put enough canola oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Once it is heated, cook your dumplings for 10-15 minutes until each side is nice and golden brown.
- For frozen dumplings, you have two options 1) Boil a pot of water, drop your dumplings in and cook for 8-10 minutes. 2) If you want them crispy, fill a pan with 2 tablespoons of canola oil and 2/3 cup of water, put your dumpling in the boiling water and cook them on medium/high heat. Once the water has evaporated, fry them until they are golden brown.