Chinese Chives, Pork, and Shrimp Dumplings and Pot Stickers (韭菜猪肉鲜虾三鲜饺子和锅贴）

Wash the Chinese chives and drain thoroughly. Chop into small pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. Peel and mince the ginger. Cut the green onions into thin slices.

Chop the de-veined shrimp into relatively large pieces (about the size of a finger nail) and put them in a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt or 1/2 of teaspoon table salt and mix well.

Add the ground pork to the large mixing bowl with the Chinese chives. Then add everything else except the shrimp. This includes the minced ginger, green onion pieces, the rest of the 2 teaspoons of kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon table salt), 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of Chinese cooking wine, 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of five spice powder, 1/2 teaspoon of ground white pepper, and 2 large eggs.

Using a pair of chopsticks or a large spoon, start slowly mixing everything in a circular motion either clockwise or counterclockwise. Keep mixing in one direction only. It only takes a few minutes to evenly mix everything by hand. Once everything is evenly mixed, add the shrimp and mix again for a minute or two until thoroughly incorporated. (If using only lean ground pork, add 2 more tablespoons of sesame oil and 2 tablespoons of water.)

Now fold the dumpling (the pleated way) according to the following directions and pictures. Prepare a bowl of tap water. Take 1 wrapper, place 1 spoonful of mix (~1 tablespoon) in the center of a wrapper, wet the wrapper's outer edge with water, then fold the dumpling in half and firmly press the top of the wrapper together. Then use two fingers to create a pleat next to the center, pressing firmly again after making the pleat. Keep making pleats until one side of the dumpling is completely sealed (I usually make 3 pleats on each side). Repeat the same folding technique on the other side to create a mirror image of the pleats. Note: there are several other ways to fold the skin (I will cover more in another dumpling post). No matter the method, it's always most important to make sure all the edges are tightly sealed, otherwise the mix will leak out during the cooking process.

Once you have folded all the dumplings follow step 7 to make pot-stickers and/or step 8 to boil the dumplings.

Pot Sticker method (锅贴): Heat ~3-4 tablespoons of oil in a large well seasoned skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is getting warm but not hot, place dumplings one by one on the skillet, flat side down. Closely arrange the dumplings in a circle without touching. Let the dumplings fry a minute or two until the bottoms are golden (see picture). Then pour about 1 cup of water into the skillet (at least the bottom half of the dumplings should be immersed in water) and immediately cover the skillet with a tight lid. Turn down the heat to medium or medium-low (the water will keep bubbling) and let the steam from the water slowly cook the dumplings. This should take about 10-15 mins (it really depends on the skillet and the lid). Uncover the skillet when almost no water is left, then cook for another minute or two and dumplings should be ready.

>Boiling Method (水饺): Heat a large pot of water over medium-high heat. When water is boiling, put all the dumplings in. Stir immediately to prevent any from sticking to the bottom. Keep the heat at medium-high. When the water boils again, add about 1/2 cup of cold water into the pot and stir gently. Wait a few more minutes until the water boils again. Then add some more cold water to delay the boil. Repeat the same thing one more time (add water a total of 3 times) and the dumplings should be ready to eat. All the dumplings should be floating on top and their skin should be semi-transparent (see pictures).

Dipping sauce: for every 1 table spoon of soy sauce, use 2-3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. If using Chinese black vinegar, add 1 teaspoon of sugar, mixing well. For a spicy kick, add some chili oil or chili sauce. For more flavors, add some chopped cilantro and minced garlic.