culinary quest: pan fried mango and pork pot-stickers

Having grown up in a Jewish home, bacon was somewhat of a mystery. And ham? I didn't even know ham existed.

When assigned the 'Pan Fried Mango and Pork Pot-stickers' in the "Starters" portion of our culinary program I sort of gagged. I had never cooked pork, but figured that if food is the key to a man’s heart I'll need to get comfortable with the idea. Besides, I wasn't there to learn how to make Bruschetta.



I was about five when I first discovered pork and it wasn't pretty. I went to a birthday party at Balboa Park in hopes of leaving dirty from all the fun with a good cupcake in my tummy. Instead, I got my first glimpse of pork.

On top of a table rested pretty presents glistening in the sun and a FULL pig - 2 ears, 4 little legs, belly, snout, gah! There it was, roasting over a fire with a stick up it's rear and an apple in it's mouth.

My initial reaction was to scream and round up help. I ran over to the birthday girl's mom and alerted her and everyone else that we MUST help Wilbur, IMMEDIATELY. The birthday girl’s aunt started laughing at me (I thought she was a witch) and said that Wilbur was lunch (confirmed, she is a witch!). I paused. Processed. Screamed. And then ran as fast as I could all the way out of the park and onto Sepulveda Blvd.

Eventually, the park ranger rounded me up and as a wiped tears from my eyes he let me call my mom to come save me. I did not return to the party; good thing I gifted the hot pink Barbie Jeep.

I've had pork since: there was the Pancetta in a pasta dish I couldn't pronounce. Then, Prosciutto in a silly $17 Campanile sandwich and, on a drunken 3 am trip to IHOP, I had a bite of bacon.

Regardless of a few tastes, I was not mentally prepared to dig my hands in ground pork. "You can do this," I repeated to myself four times before I gathered the ingredients.

How to: Pan Fried Mango & Pork Potstickers

You will need:
1 lb. ground pork (or ground turkey)
3 tbl soy sauce
1 tbl sesame oil
1 tbl cooking sherry or rice wine
1 tbl rice vinegar
2 tbl cornstarch
4 stalks scallions
1/3 cup of Mangoes, chopped 1/4" dice
1/2 head of medium sized cabbage (either Napa or regular) + 2 tablepoons salt
1 package of dumpling wrappers, defrosted and covered with dam towel
Cornstarch paste: 2 tbl cornstarch + 1/2 cup water

1. Prep your veggies (good prepping in general will change your life, trust - always be sure to read the entire recipe and plan accordingly).

a. Salt your cabbage in order to remove the water. First chop the cabbage then place in a bowl along with 2 tablespoons of salt. Mix and let sit for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, squeeze out the water from the cabbage (you can just use your hands - take a fistful of cabbage and squeeze over sink).




b. Shred scallions (start on white side).


c. Dice your mango. The mango has a flat-ish long pit in the center so beware. Your objective is to cut along the sides.



2. Combine your mixture in a big bowl. Add ground pork, cabbage and scallions.



3. Add soy sauce, salt, pepper, wine, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and mangoes to the mixture. Stir in cornstarch to make your mixture stick together.


4. Make your cornstarch paste (2 tbl cornstarch + 1/2 cup water) in a small bowl. This will help to seal your dumplings.


5. Wrap your dumplings by placing wrappers on a flat surface and add one heaping teaspoon of filling mixture to each. I found it easiest to do a bunch at once.





6. Dip your finger in the cornstarch paste and smooth it across the edges of your dumpling wrapper.


7. Fold bottom part of wrapper up to meet the top. Crimp edge and pinch to seal.




8. Cook: Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. When hot but not smoking, carefully place a few dumplings in the skillet, flat side down, don't let them touch. It's best to cook in small batches to avoid crowding. Fry dumplings for 2-3 minutes, until the bottoms are nicely browned.



9. Now you are going to steam them by adding 1/4 cup of water, immediately close lid to let the steaming process begin. Steam for 3-4 minutes. Open lid and and let the rest of the water boil off and recrisp the bottoms, about 1 minute.


10. While those are steaming make your dipping sauces.

Garlic-Soy:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspon finely chopped fresh garlic

Spicy Dim Sun Dipper:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sambal (chili paste)

Cut open one of the dumplings and make sure the inside meat is cooked and enjoy!


p.s. if you don't have any interest in ever making these, Trader Joe's frozen pot-stickers are great, quick and cheap. Before I started this class, my roomie and I feasted on them regularly. Secrets.