Let’s Make The Ultimate ‘Pot’ Stickers

Let’s Make The Ultimate ‘Pot’ Stickers

A classic recipe with a twist is revealed in this excerpt from cannabis chef Vanessa Lavorato’s brilliant book, How To Eat Weed & Have A Good Time.

STICKY ICKY POT-STICKERS

MAKES: 24 pot stickers
TIME: 2 hours
DOSE: 2 mg THC per dumpling

I use store-bought wrappers for ease with these dosed dumplings, because I’d rather roll a joint than dough. The bottoms still brown up beautifully, cradling a juicy pork filling spiced with a pinch of Sichuan peppercorn and fresh ginger. The sweet twist of green apple balances the herbaceousness of the weed carried in the pork fat.

INGREDIENTS

½ pound ground pork
½ cup minced green cabbage (about 1⁄8 head)
¼ cup minced scallion whites (about 4 scallions)
¼ cup peeled green apple, minced (about ½ an apple)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
¼ teaspoon ground fennel seed
¼ teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns
¼ gram ground decarboxylated flower
24 round dumpling or gyoza skins
6 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil, divided
¾ cup water, divided

DIRECTIONS

1. In a food processor, blend the pork, cabbage, scallion whites, apple, soy sauce, ginger, fennel seed, Sichuan peppercorns, and flower until fully combined, 1 to 2 minutes. (You can also do this by hand in a large bowl.)

2. Remove the dumpling skins from the packaging and set out a small bowl of water to act as the glue. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper for the finished pot-stickers. Measure the total weight of the pork filling and divide by 24. Weigh out 24 portions of filling equal to that amount (about 15 grams per dumpling).

3. Scoop the measured filling onto the center of a dumpling skin. Dip your fingers in water, then dampen the rim of the top half of the dumpling skin. Fold into a half-moon shape, pinching only the center together. Pleat the front-facing right edge of the halfmoon from the center toward the outer corner in a small fold and then gently pinch it together with the back edge of the wrapper. Repeat three or four times until the corner seals closed, then continue on the left edge of the dumpling. As you finish each dumpling, place it on the sheet pan. Continue until all the dumplings are filled and wrapped. Freeze the pot-stickers on the sheet pan until firm, 30 minutes. At this point, the finished, uncooked dumplings can be frozen for longer storage in a labeled freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.

4. To cook the pot-stickers, place a medium sauté pan with a lid over medium heat for several minutes, then add 2 tablespoons of oil and heat for 1 to 2 more minutes. Cook 8 pot-stickers at a time, placing in the pan so each bottom sits flat, leaving about an inch of space between each dumpling, and fanning around the center of the pan. Turn the heat down to medium-low and fry until the bottom crisps and browns, 4 to 5 minutes. Add ¼ cup of water to the pan, which will spit. Quickly cover with the lid to steam. When all the water boils off, 5 to 6 minutes, remove the lid and turn the heat up to medium to crisp the bottoms of the pot-stickers, 2 to 3 minutes. Use a metal spatula to transfer the finished dumplings to a serving platter. Repeat the cooking process with each of the 2 remaining batches of the dumplings, using 2 tablespoons of oil and ¼ cup of water for each. Once finished, serve.

SERVING SUGGESTION

I microdose these pot-stickers so everyone can have a few; to please the heavy hitters at the party, you can serve them with Cosmic Chili Crisp.

Excerpted from How To Eat Weed And Have A Good Time. Copyright Vanessa Lavorato. Photography copyright Julia Stotz. Included with permission of Simon Element, an imprint of Simon & Schuster LLC.