One of the best things about Chinese takeout is the appetizers! My all time favorite takeout appetizer is hands down: POTSTICKERS. Every time I eat something delicious I always ask myself the same questions… Can I recreate this at home? And can I make it even more delicious? After a couple tries, I have done it with this one! I love remaking classic takeout dishes at home with my own twist. These potstickers are crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. They’re packed with flavor from the freshness of the green onion, cilantro and freshly grated ginger and garlic. And the sauce definitely takes these potstickers to the next level! The sweet and spicy combo completes this dish and gives it the perfect balance. I know I always say this, but this is one of the best things I’ve ever made. You can even store them in the freezer for up to a month – even out of the freezer, they come out perfect every time.

Sweet & Spicy Sauce
So let’s get started on the recipe!

First things first, you want to get your sweet and spicy sauce ready so all the flavors can marinate together. Start by combining low sodium soy sauce, white sugar, green onions, cilantro, sesame oil, white vinegar, sambal chili paste, white pepper, freshly grated ginger and garlic in a bowl. (If you can’t find chili paste, red pepper flakes are a great substitute). Give it a good stir and set to the side. The longer it rests, the deeper the flavors. So the longer it sits, the better!

Pork & Shrimp Filling
Now lets make the filling! I decided to go with ground pork and shrimp. The fat content in the pork helps keep the filling nice and juicy after cooking. Remember it’s all about balance! (If you can’t find ground shrimp, don’t stress.. Just add peeled and deveined shrimp to a food processor and pulse until mixed). In a small bowl, mix together the ground pork and shrimp with low sodium soy sauce, green onions, cilantro, rice vinegar, sesame oil and white pepper. Once you’ve got all the ingredients well mixed, you’re ready to start building the potstickers!

 Potsticker Assembly Line
Set up an assembly line with a stack of potsticker or wonton wrapper, a small amount of water in a bowl, and your filling. First you want to lay out a wrapper and dab water around the outline of half of the wrapper. Then, you will take about a teaspoon of the filling and place it in the middle of the wrapper. Fold over the dry side of your wrapper and seal it tight with your finger tips. You want to squeeze out as much air as possible to help everything bind inside of the wrapper. (You can stop at this step and your dumplings will be just as delicious or you can continue and make them a bit tighter and create a pocket to hold your sauce – See picture below). Dab a little water on one of the corners you created from the fold. Then take the two ends created from the fold and bring them together. Ta-da! You just made your first potsticker! Now, repeat these steps (This is when you put your loved ones and family to good use, lol) until you run out of wrappers and/or filling.

 Time to Cook
After you’ve got all your potstickers assembled, heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a medium to large skillet. Once the oil is heated, put down a layer of potsticker. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan, you want them to get a nice, crispy and golden brown bottom. After about 1-2 mins of cooking, add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan and cook for 6-8 minutes. Once all the water is evaporated, uncover and check the bottoms to make sure they are golden and crispy. Remove the potstickers from heat and set them on a plate.
Repeat until you have cooked as many as you’d like. You can freeze any uncooked potstickers for up to a month.

When you’re ready to serve, you may serve it with your sweet and spicy sauce on the side… or you can take it up a notch, and pour it over the potstickers and top it off with some sesame seeds. Serve immediately!

Ready, Set. Eat!

Now, go! Make some potstickers for you to enjoy… and maybe if you’re feeling nice you can share them, lol. Don’t forget to drop a comment if you try out this recipe, I’d love to hear from you all!

Until the next recipe, eat like a king!

Print Recipe

Sweet & Spicy Potstickers

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Author: Kingcooks

Ingredients

Sauce

• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 1/4 cup green onion chopped
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 tbsp freshly grated garlic
• 1 tbsp sambal chili paste
• 1/2 tbsp white pepper

Filling

• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1/2 lb ground shrimp
• 1/4 cup green onion
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tbsp white pepper
• 30-40 potsticker or wonton wrappers

Instructions

Sweet & Spicy Dipping Sauce

• Combine low sodium soy sauce, white sugar, green onions, cilantro, sesame oil, white vinegar, sambal chili paste, white pepper, freshly grated ginger, and garlic in a bowl. Give it a good stir and set to the side.
• Tip: If you can't find ground shrimp, just add peeled and deveined shrimp to a food processor and pulse until mixed.

Shrimp & Pork Filling

• In a large bowl, mix together the ground pork and shrimp with low sodium soy sauce, green onions, cilantro, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and white pepper.
• Next, set up an assembly line with a stack of potsticker or wonton wrappers, a small amount of water in a bowl, and your filling.

Assemble

• Lay out a wrapper and dab a small amount of water around the outline of half of the wrapper. Take a teaspoon of the filling and place it in the middle of the wrapper. Fold over the dry side of your wrapper and seal it with your finger tips. Be sure to squeeze out as much of the air out to help everything bind inside.
• Tip: You can stop at this step and your dumplings will be just as delicious or you can continue and make them a bit tighter and create a pocket to hold your sauce. Dab a small amount of water on one of the corners you created from the fold. Take the two ends created from the fold and bring them together to form a little area to hold even more sauce.
• After you've got all your potstickers assembled, heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil in a medium to large skillet. Once the oil is heated, put down a layer of potsticker. Be careful to not overcrowd the pan. Cook for approximately 1-2 minutes and add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan and cook for an additional 6-8 minutes.
• Once all the water is evaporated, uncover the pan and check the bottom of the potstickers to make sure they are golden and crispy. Remove them from heat and set on a plate.
• Serve with the sweet and spicy sauce on the side or pour it over the potstickers and top it off with some sesame seeds.
• If you have any uncooked potstickers left, place them in an airtight container/ziplock bag and store them in the freezer. These are freezer-friendly for up to a month!

*On Pinterest? Click the pic below to pin!*