Chinese Potstickers

Place 200g of ground pork in a large mixing bowl. If preferred, pork may be substituted with ground chicken. Add 1 teaspoon of sea salt, 1 teaspoon of fine sugar, add 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons of light soy sauce, 2 teaspoons of sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of Shaoxing Huatiao wine. Place 100g of canned water chestnuts in a chopper/blender. Chop the water chestnuts to small pieces. Add the chopped water chestnuts to the pork mixture. If preferred, use spinach or cabbage in place of water chestnuts. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of finely chopped scallions or spring onions to the pork mixture. Combine all the filling ingredients well. Thaw the dumpling wrappers if they are frozen. Keep them well covered until they are ready to be used. Dust a dish generously with flour. This will hold the dumplings once they are made. Dust the table generously with flour. Carefully separate the sheets of dumpling wrappers and lay them on the table. Fill each wrapper with about 1.5 teaspoons of the prepared pork filling. Prepare a bowl of water. Dip finger into the water and lightly wet the rim of each dumpling wrapper. Bring the dumpling wrapper together till the opposite ends meet. Gently push the filling into the wrapper and pinch the top tip of the dumpling wrapper to seal it. From the centre of the dumpling, fold a pleat on ONE side and bring it to the other side of the dumpling. Fold towards the centre of the dumpling. Pinch to seal it. Repeat and create a 2nd pleat. Be mindful to pinch tight to seal the dumpling well. Repeat and create a 3rd pleat. Each side should have 3 pleats. Repeat the same pleating on the other end of the dumpling. Always ensure that the pleats face the centre of the dumpling. Place all prepared dumplings in a well floured dish ensuring that they do not touch each other. Set aside till ready to cook. They can also be frozen at this stage. To cook the potstickers, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil to a very hot frying pan. The potstickers should be cooked in at least 2 batches. When the oil is hot, add the dumplings ensuring that the flat surfaces face down. Pan fry till the bottoms of the dumplings are a nice golden brown. Add 1/3 cup of water to the pan. Cover the pan immediately and let the steam cook the dumplings for 4 to 5 minutes. Once the water has evaporated, remove the cover and let the dumplings sit in the hot pan for another minute for its base to crisp up again. These are now Chinese potstickers. Gently transfer the potstickers to a plate. Serve immediately. These Chinese potstickers are best served with a vinegar dip made with balsamic or black chinese vinegar and thinly sliced ginger. Soy sauce, chili oil or sesame oil may also be added to the dipping sauce.