National Bacon Lover’s Day is August 20!
This seems like a great time to try out a new recipe featuring the star of the holiday, bacon. And we’re going in what might seem an unusual direction for a recipe featuring bacon.
Well, not such an unusual direction if you consider that China is one of the first known cultures to salt-cure pork belly way back in 1500 BC.
This recipe for bacon pot stickers is delicious and has a limited number of ingredients but the taste of the smoky peppered bacon along with the toasted sesame oil and the green onions is bacon bliss.
The pot sticker filling can be kept refrigerated for a couple of days which allows you to turn out fantastic, fresh hot pot stickers in under 15 minutes.
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup boiling water
Filling:
- 1 TBS canola or vegetable oil
- 1/4 pound green onions, white part sliced fine and greens roughly chopped
- 1 cup roughly chopped napa cabbage
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 2 slices bacon, roughly chopped
- 2 oz. ground pork
- 1/2 tsp chopped fresh ginger
- 1/2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp rice wine or dry sherry
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
Dipping sauce:
- 1 Tbs soy sauce
- 1 Tbs rice vinegar
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
Plus oil for frying
Instructions
- For the dough put flour in the bowl of mixer with a dough hook. Slowly drizzle water into the flour and begin mixing with the dough hook. You may not use all of the water, add just enough so that the dough begins to form then mix for another 30 seconds. With your hands "floured" roll the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover it with a damp towel for at least 30 minutes.
- For the filling heat the vegetable oil in a work over high heat until smoking. Add the green onions and stir about until they are browned and fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer the onions to a bowl, wipe the pan.
- Put cabbage and salt into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a fine meshed strainer set over a bowl and allow to rest and drain for 30 minutes.
- Combine green onions, drained cabbage, bacon, pork, ginger, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and rice wine in a food process and pulse until a past-like mixture forms (about 15 quick pulses). Refrigerate until ready to use.
- To make the dumplings divide the dough into 2 sections then make 10 balls, each about the size of a rounded tablespoon. Next take each ball and flatten into a "round" then use a rolling pin and roll each round into a flatter round, about 4 inches in diameter, stack these and cover with cellophane to avoid drying out as you roll out the rest of the dough.
- To form the dumplings, place 1 Tbs of filling in the center of a wrapper. Moisten the edges of the wrapper with a wet fingertip then fold in half and pinch the bottom right hand corner closed. Pleat the front edge of the wrapper repeatedly, pinching the edge closed after each pleat until the entire dumpling is sealed. Transfer sealed dumplings to a lightly floured wooden board.
- Next bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 6-10 dumplings into the boiling water until they float (about a minute). Continue to boil the dumplings for an additional 2 minutes after they float then remove to a plate using a slotted spoon.
- Finally, to pan-fry the dumplings, heat 3 Tbs oil in a large fry pan, preferably non-stick, and once the oil shimmers add the dumplings one at a time, flat side down, and cook them, moving them around somewhat, until they are golden brown and crisp.
- Serve immediately with dipping sauce.
Bacon is so very versatile, it should be celebrated more often!