Pork Pot Stickers with Chinese Kale

The last time we went to the Downtown Farmers Market two weeks ago, Tankinz Noodles had a new booth down the middle with the Food Vendors. They were serving Pork Pot Stickers with Chinese Kale that were delicious. My stepmother, Vivian, is chinese and I have helped her make Pot Stickers so I decided to post this recipe. They are really easy to make and it is fun to set up your own production line with someone you enjoy cooking with. My stepmother makes a big patch of them and then freezes them so that is exactly what I did. I even took some to lunch the next day in my Thermos! Now, I have almost 3/4 of a batch of pot stickers in the freezer, ready to be cooked and eaten. They are really delicious and you can get every ingredient you need at the Downtown Farmers Market except for the gyoza wrappers and sesame oil.  Try out the other sauces at Tankinz (on the East side of the market). They have this OMG sauce that is really OMG good! We didn't use any on these pot stickers but I am sure you could.

Ingredients:

1 bunch Chinese Kale
4 cups Napa cabbage, finely chopped
2/3 pound ground pork
2 small carrots, shredded
4 green onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoonful ground ginger (or 1 tablespoonful minced fresh ginger)
2 tablespoonfuls Tankinz Ferry sauce (or soy sauce)
1 tablespoonful toasted sesame oil
1 egg, beaten
60 gyoza wrappers
1/2 cup canola oil
Dried garlic.

1. In medium bowl, toss cabbage with 1 and 1/2 teaspoonfuls salt. Let rest for 30 minutes. Place cabbage in cheesecloth or clean dishcloth and squeeze out as much water as possible.
2. Return cabbage to bowl and add pork, carrots, scallions, ginger, and garlic. Stir to combine.
3. Whisk together Ferry sauce, sesame oil, and egg then stir into cabbage-pork mixture. Stir in pepper and additional salt if desired.
4. On dry surface, lay one gyoza wrapper while keeping the remaining wrappers covered with a damp cloth or towel. Spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoonful filling into center of the wrapper. Moisten halfway around the edge of the wrapper with water, then fold over into a half moon shape and seal. Using thumb and forefinger of one hand, make 6 tiny pleats along unmoistened edge of wrapper, pressing pleats against moistened border to enclose filling. Place dumpling, seam-side up, on baking sheet and gently press to flatten bottom. Cover loosely with dampened cloth and form remaining dumplings.
5. In a non-stick skillet, heat oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Remove from heat and arrange pot stickers, standing up, in tight circle. Cook, uncovered, until bottoms are pale golden or about 2-3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water, cover tightly with lid and cook until liquid has evaporated and bottom of dumplings are a deep, golden brown, about 7-10 minutes. Add more water if liquid has evaporated before the bottoms are browned. Remove lid and cook and until steam dissipates, about 1-2 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, heat a large pot of water to boiling. Add the cleaned and trimmed chinese kale and blanch for about 2 minutes. Drain.
7. Serve pot stickers over a bed of cooked chinese kale. Sprinkle with dried garlic and additional soy sauce or Tankinz Ferry Sauce.