Cowboy Pot Stickers
Now, before you start in on me and say, “Kent, pot stickers ain’t cowboy food,” let me tell you that before I met Shannon, I had never seen these things. She is always telling me that I need to expand my pallet. Well, I went down to the feed store and picked up five or six pallets, but that was NOT what she meant, apparently.
Going on Chopped taught me that there was a whole other world of food out there besides meat and taters and beans. I really like having a challenge and trying something new. I am so glad I did because not only do I get to eat these whenever I want, but I can show you how to make them so simple and easy.
Today, I am going to make some East meets West pot stickers. That’s right. The cowboy is making the pot stickers – cowboy style.
Now, this dish takes a little time, but it tastes so great that it is worth it. Make sure you stick with us until the end because I have some real exciting news that I am going to tell you and you do not want to miss.
Pork Sausage Filling
You want to take the chopped vegetables and mix them in with the ground pork sausage. The diced jalapeno and the crushed, dried cascabel chile is how we are going to give these a little heat and a little more flavor. I like to use the mortar and pestle to crush the chiles up.
TIP: If you cannot find the cascabel chiles, you can use Ancho chile powder.
Mash this up with your hands like a meatloaf. Mix in the remaining ingredients – you won’t need salt because the soy sauce packs a punch, but you’ll want to add ginger.
TIP: Use fresh grated ginger if you can – it will kick up the flavor.
We want the vegetables and the meat to marinate so set this aside in the ice box for about 30 minutes while we work the dough.
It’s Simple, Dough
This dough is just flour, salt, and some warm water. Find that point where lukewarm and hot meet in the middle and that is about your best bet. I like to add some black pepper to the dough to just add a little extra flavor to the bite you are going to take when all of this goodness is done.
Mix the ingredients with a spoon until the dough starts to look a little ragged. Then toss the spoon and keep turning and mashing the dough with your hands until it has formed into a ball. Throw a dish towel on top and let it take a nap for 30 minutes while we go back to the meat.
Filling Time
Traditionally, the meat inside a pot sticker is steamed inside the dumpling. Give it a try my way and go ahead and brown the meat first. When the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are translucent, set aside to cool.
TIP: Browning the meat before filling the pot sticker kicks up the flavor.
Finish the Dough
When the meat is done and is cooling off, go back to the dough that was resting and knead it for about five minutes. Set yourself a timer.
TIP: Flour your hands before you work the dough to prevent sticking.
When the five minutes is up, cut the dough into four equal pieces. Roll them into logs and keep stretching and rolling until they are long enough to cut into about 5 pieces.
If you have ever used wonton wrappers, then you know that they are super thin. I like to make mine a little thicker, and I want them to hold a little more meat. I try to get it about four inches in diameter in a circle-like shape. Put a spoonful of meat inside right in the center. Get yourself a little finger dipper with water in it and wet the inside of the edges. Close the dough around the meat.
Now, keep pinching the edges, gentle but firm so you don’t split the dough. Keep going until the dumpling is sealed up and let it rest for a minute.
TEFLON?
I am not going to boil or steam water in cast iron so to cook these pot stickers we’ve got to use a Teflon skillet. Don’t worry, now, I haven’t lost my touch. We are going to be steaming and using a lid with a good tight fit for this.
Lay the pot sticker on an oiled skillet heated pretty high until the bottom of the pot sticker is golden brown. Don’t scoot them around or anything, just leave them be for a couple of minutes. Once the underside is nice and crispy golden, turn the heat down, add a little water and put that lid on tight. The steam will cook the top of the dumpling and warm the meat inside and will create so much good texture and flavor.
After a few minutes of steaming you’ll notice the water will evaporate and the dough will get a tougher texture. Take the lid off and continue cooking 2-3 more minutes or until the moisture escapes from the dough of the potstickers
I use a sauce of horseradish, soy sauce and brown sugar. This is so good to dip these pot stickers in. You can make this ahead of time or mix it together right when you’re ready to eat.
We Interrupt This Scheduled Recipe
Today’s video has a special treat that Shannon and I are so excited about. Most of you know that we have a cowboy coffee shop in Wellington, Texas. We opened the shop because I love to meet folks and visit, and I especially like to send them off with a good cup of coffee. We’re expanding now and you are going to want to see the beautiful building and courtyard where people will be cooking and eating and visiting with one another.
If you’re already eating the pot stickers, jump to minute 12:00 in the video and I’ll show you around. Sign up for our newsletter so we can let you know when we open up.
Thanks everyone for checking in with us and trying something new. Enjoy the flavor and we will see you all down the pot sticker trail. Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel and be ready for a video every Wednesday at 2:30.
Easy Potstickers – Cowboy Kent Rollins
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground breakfast pork sausage
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 jalapeno diced
- ½ cup chopped green onion
- ½ cup diced mushrooms
- 1 cascavel dried chili ground
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 cups finely chopped cabbage
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup plus two tablespoons warm water
- Oil for frying
- Dipping sauce below
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the sausage, garlic, jalapeno, green onion, mushrooms, dried chili, Worcestershire, soy sauce, ginger and cabbage. Mix well with your hands. Cover and set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, black pepper and salt. Slowly stir in the water until a soft ball forms. Cover with a towel let rest for about 30 minutes.
- Add the meat mixture to a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes or until nearly browned, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and turn out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a log form and cut into 5 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a thin 4-inch circle.
- Take a heaping tablespoon of the meat mixture and place it in the center of the dough circles. Dip your finger tip into water and rub on the edge of the dough, which will help the dough seal. Fold the dough over and crimp the edges.
- Add a very thin layer of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Do not use cast iron for this step as steaming is not good for the seasoning. Place a few potstickers at a time in the skillet, flat side down. Cook for about 3 minutes or until the bottoms are a rich golden brown.
- Pour in about 3 to 4 tablespoons of water to the skillet and cover with a lid. Steam for about 3 minutes or until the water evaporates and the dough feels slightly rubbery.
- Uncover the skillet and reduce the heat to medium. Continue cooking about 1 to 2 minutes or until most of the moisture evaporates from the dough and bottoms are browned and crunchy. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.
Notes
¼ cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons horseradish In a mixing bowl add the soy, red wine vinegar, brown sugar and horseradish and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.