Prawn and Cilantro Potstickers

Fresh herbs lend flavor to this recipe for pan-fried pork dumplings also known as potstickers. The recipe takes a short cut by using wonton or gyoza wrappers, but you can also make your own dumpling dough.

Ingredients:
1 package gyoza or wonton wrappers

Filling:
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup ground pork (not lean)
4 ounces shrimp meat, finely chopped
6 shelled and deveined prawns, finely chopped
5 water chestnuts, fresh or canned, finely chopped
4 tablespoons shredded carrot
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons minced green/spring onion
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Freshly ground black or white pepper, to taste

Preparation:
Lightly beat the egg with the salt. Place the pork in a bowl, add the shrimp, prawns, water chestnuts, carrot, cilantro, green onion, ginger, egg, soy sauce, sesame oil and pepper.
Place a small bowl of water on the work area. Lay out one of the gyoza wrappers in front of you.  Dip your finger in the water and moisten the edges of the wrapper.
Place a heaping teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper.
Fold the gyoza wrapper over the filling and pinch the edges to seal it shut. (You may want to use a cornstarch/water mixture to make this easier).
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet or wok.When oil is ready, carefully add the dumplings and cook on high heat until golden brown (about 1 minute).
Without turning the dumplings over, add 1/2 cup of water and cover.  Cook for about 1 minute to cook the raw filling and then uncover and continue cooking until most of the liquid is absobred.
Serve the potstickers with the burnt side on top, with potsticker dipping sauce or soy sauce mixed with minced ginger for dipping.