Spinach, carrots and yellow peppers make these vegetable potstickers a tasty appetizer or side dish for any meal or party.
There's no need to order carry out when you're in the mood for Chinese pot stickers. You can whip up these delicious appetizers in a jiffy. Look for pre-made wonton wrappers or gyoza wrappers in the refrigerated area of the produce section in your local supermarket or an Asian market.
Even better: You can make these pot stickers in advance and freeze them to use whenever you like. Just put them right from the freezer into the pan -- there's no need to defrost.
This pot stickers recipe calls for spinach, yellow pepper and carrots, mainly because the combination of colors makes an attractive filling. But feel free to use whatever vegetables you have on hand. Just make sure to dice them very finely and wring out as much water as possible from the spinach before cooking. Otherwise, the filling will be too watery and will make the wonton wrappers turn mushy.
Vegetarian Pot Stickers
- 2 Tbsp. canola oil, divided
- 1/2 cup carrots, diced very finely
- 1/2 cup yellow pepper, diced very finely
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced finely
- 1 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1 tsp. Chinese five spice powder (optional)
- 24 wonton wrappers or gyoza wrappers
- 1/4 cup water
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a small (8-inch) saute pan over medium heat. Add the carrots and yellow pepper. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until vegetables soften. Add the ginger, pepper, garlic, spinach and Chinese five spice powder, if using. Cook another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
Place a small dish of water and a pastry brush next to a cutting board. Place a wonton wrapper on the cutting board. Dip the pastry brush in the water, and wet half of the edges of the wrapper -- if you're using a rectangular wrapper, wet one short side and half of each of the long sides. If you're using a round wrapper, wet the edges of the bottom half of the wrapper. Place a teaspoon of the filling in the center of the wrapper. Fold over and seal, pressing edges firmly to keep air out. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high in a 12-inch skillet that has a cover. Place pot stickers in the skillet and cook 1 minute, uncovered. Do not stir or move pot stickers. Add 1/4 cup of water to the skillet, turn heat down to medium low and cover immediately. Steam, covered, six minutes. Remove cover and serve immediately with soy sauce.
Makes 24 pot stickers.
Per pot sticker: 36 calories, 1 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 0 mg cholesterol, 1 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber, 2 g protein, 37% vitamin A, 19% vitamin C, 2% calcium, 3% iron
