pork & shrimp potstickers (gyoza)

Hello again! It's been two years since I last published a post. (what!!!) Happy Lunar New Year to everyone! Tomorrow I have the opportunity to share my love of cooking with some friends from church. It's been awhile since I last cooked in front of the crowd, so I'm pretty nervous & excited!
There are many ways to make potstickers, so feel free to use your creativity to make one of a kind potstickers.  It's fun to make with your family & friends, too! This is the basic recipe I usually make. Happy cooking!

Ingredients: 

Napa Cabbage - 5 cups chopped finely 
Ground pork - 3 cup **see TIPs
Green onion - 1/4 cup (chopped) 
Garlic - 3 cloves (minced)
Ginger - 1 inch block (minced)
Shrimp - 1 cup (chop - chunks or paste type) **see Prep 

Soy sauce - 2 TBS
Sesame oil - few drops
salt & pepper - 1/2 tsp each 
sugar - 1 tsp

Potsticker/Gyoza wrappers (circular shape)** see TIPS

Water - 1/4 cup
Flour - 1 TBS 

[Sauce]

Soy sauce - 1/4 cup
Vinegar or Rice vinegar - 3 TBS
Sugar - 1-2 tsp
Chili flake (optional) - 1 tsp 

Prep:

1. Wash napa cabbage leafs & chop finely. 
2. Mince garlic and ginger. 
3. Take shells off shrimp, then chop it until it become pasty. I use two knives and chop really fast or you can put in a blender.

How to Cook?

1. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients (except the wrappers, water & flour). Mix using wooden spoon or I like to use my hands. 
2. Prepare a bowl of water. 
3. On a wrapper, put about 1/2 inch ball in the middle. With your finger, trace the edge of the wrapper with water. Fold in half and pinch at the middle. Starting at the top, make pleats (will take pictures soon). Repeat until you finish all the filling.
4. [Cooking method 1 - Frying] On a frying pan, evenly coat 2 TBS of oil. When it's hot, put the flat side down on the pan, line them up so it makes a nice circular shape. Fry for 3-4 minutes, until the bottom turns brown (you can check by lifting one). Meanwhile, mix 1/4 cup water with 1 TBS of flour. **see TIPS. When it's brown, pour in the water mix and cover to let it steam cook for another 3-4 minutes. When it's done, flip on the plate. 
5. [Cooking method 2 - Soup dumpling] In a pot, boil chicken broth. Add in vegetables like carrots.  When the carrots are soft, add in potstickers and bak choy. Cook for 10-12 minutes. 
6. [Cooking method 3 - Deep fried] In a stainless steel pot, add in 1/2 inch oil. When it's hot, add in postickers **see TIPs. It won't cover the whole posticker, so you need to flip it when one side is golden brown. Serve with Thai chili sauce. 

TIPS

• You can substitute ground pork with ground turkey, chicken or soft tofu. 
• If you can only find square shape wrapper, you can use circular cutter or make into wanton shape 
• By mixing flour and water, it creates a crispy layer at the bottom of the pan
• When deep frying, the best result is using freshly made ones. Watch out when you deep fry thawed ones or frozen potstickers. 
• Asian Marketplace: 
• Pacific Ocean Market (6600 W 120th Ave, Broomfield, CO 80020) 
• H Mart (5036 W 92nd Ave, Westminster, CO 80031)