Shrimp Potstickers
Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival and the Lunar New Year, is the most important holiday in Chinese culture. Like Christmas, it’s a time for family to get together and spend time with each other. Children who have moved to other cities return to their parents’ home for the holiday. The celebration begins on New Year’s Eve and continues through the 15th of January, the Lantern Festival, on the lunar calendar.
Every family, depending on the region they live in, has its own set of traditions for New Years. Mine always has hot pot on New Years Eve. We cook seafood, vegetables and thin-sliced meats in a pot of broth kept simmering by a hot plate set in the center of the dining table. The cooked food is dipped in a variety of sauces and eaten right way. The meal would last for hours, giving us time to reflect on the year that has passed and plan for the upcoming year.
Families like to set out a few foods on the dinner table that are traditionally believed to bring auspices. For example, fish has the same pronunciation as the word for surplus; noodle symbolizes longevity; orange has the same pronunciation as the word for fortune; and potstickers, because of their shape and color, symbolize ingots, which are gold nuggets used as a form of currency in ancient times.
Potstickers are usually filled with ground meat. Ground beef with leeks and ground pork with chives are some typical recipes. But because Nick and I don’t eat much meat, I used shrimp and some vegetables here. You can experiment with whatever you like once you have the basics down.
When done right, potstickers are juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside. I like to dip them in vinegar and some julienned ginger. My father likes them with some soy sauce and chili paste. They are great eaten as a meal, but are also conveniently packaged as hors d’euorvers for a party.
If you’ve never celebrated Chinese New Year before, make this Sunday your first. Invite people over and make these potstickers. It can’t hurt to designate another day on your calendar to spend with the ones you love.
Shrimp Potstickers
- Shrimp, 1 pound, peeled, deveined and finely chopped until reduced to a paste but still has some chunks
- Celery, 1 stalk, finely chopped
- Carrot, 1 small, grated
- Ginger, grated into a paste, 1/2 teaspoon
- Dry sherry, 2 tablespoons
- Toasted sesame oil, 2 tablespoons
- Soy sauce, 1 tablespoon
- Salt, 1/4 teaspoon
- Dumpling wrappers, 1 package
- Canola oil
Place the shrimp in a large bowl. Add dry sherry, sesame oil, soy sauce and salt. Mix vigorously until everything is well combined. Mix in celery, carrot and ginger. This can be made a day ahead, covered and refrigerated.
Hold a wrapper in a slightly cupped hand. Place a heaping teaspoon of the shrimp filling in the center of the wrapper. Wet the edge of the wrapper with some water. Fold the wrapper in half to form a semicircle. Pinch the center of the semicircle to seal, leaving the sides open. Then pleat the sides to close the potsticker completely. (See photo above) Repeat with the remaining wrappers until the filling runs out. You can make this ahead of time. Cover with a wet towel and refrigerate if you are going to cook them the day of. Otherwise freeze them in Zip-lock bags.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Coat the pan with canola oil. Place the potstickers in the pan. It’s okay if they touch each other. Fry the potstickers until they are golden on the bottom, about one minute. Add a cup of water and close the lid (preferably a glass lid) immediately. Cook the potstickers over high heat until the amount of steam coming from the pot has decreased to almost none, or if you can see through a glass lid, when the water in the pan has boiled off, about seven minutes. Remove the lid, reduce the heat to medium and cook for another two minutes, so the bottom of the potstickers can crisp up. Switch off the stove and scoop out the potstickers with a spatula. You may need to work in batches if your pan isn’t big enough.
Makes about 50 potstickers. Serve with balsamic vinegar, soy sauce or hot sauce.