Fear of Frying

Fear of Frying Fat Fridays

I have come across many recipes over time that have caught my eye but reluctantly passed them over due to my fear of frying. However I have now come to a crossroads and find myself asking to fry or not to fry? By now my “Fry Wish List” has grown to a point of no return and I am taking the plunge! I have decided to just dip my toe in this week and start off slow and easy before I get into the really greasy stuff.

I started off with these Chicken Potstickers which I am quite a fan of. Most potsticker recipes call for pork but I decided to substitute with chicken instead. These can also be steamed for a healthier option and I’m sure they would be just as tasty!

Ingredients:
1 cup finely shredded bok choy or cabbage (optional)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 lb. chicken breast
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. soy sauce (or to taste)
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

1/2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. bean paste
1 pkg. wonton or gyoza wrappers, thawed if frozen
canola oil
chicken or veggie stock, or water

To Make the Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce

1 Tbsp. green onion
2 tsp. ginger
2 tsp. garlic
1 tsp. bean paste
¼ cup soy sauce
1. Mix all ingredients together and serve.

To Make the Potstickers:

1. If you’re using it, toss the cabbage with salt in a medium bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. Pick it up in your hand and squeeze out the excess liquid, draining it as well as you can.
2. Combine chicken, green onions, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar, bean paste and sesame oil and mix it all up with your hands.

3. To fill wontons, place a small spoonful of filling in the middle of each wrapper; moisten the edges with water (just use your finger) and fold over, pressing the edge tightly to seal. Place seam side up on a cookie sheet, pressing lightly to flatten the bottom. Cover with a tea towel to prevent them from drying out. (Dumplings can be prepared up to this point, covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours or frozen.)

4. When you’re ready to cook the potstickers, heat a drizzle of canola oil in a deep skillet set over medium-high heat. Place half the dumplings at a time in the skillet and cook for a minute or two, until deep golden brown on the bottom, shaking the pan a few times to keep them from sticking. Don’t crowd the pan too much.
5. Pour about 1/4 cup stock or water into the pan. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes – this will allow them to steam, cooking.
6. Place on a paper towel to drain and serve with dipping sauce (recipe follows).

Prepare the wontons



Fry



Drain

Eat!