Who says you have to get your potstickers from a restaurant?
When I first came across this recipe in 365 Ways to Cook Chinese by Rosa Lo San Ross, I thought about making them without the dough wrappers as a cool, gluten-free, munchie offering, but…
who knew that soy sauce is not, in fact, gluten-free?
Bummer.
I may have failed on the gluten-free bit, but these little balls o’ spiced pork still make for a tasty little nibble; and eliminating the dough means you can make them ahead and in bulk, with none of that tiresome mucking about with a wok just before serving.
Winning!
MEATBALL INGREDIENTS
•1 lb Napa (about 6 cups) cabbage, chopped
•1 lb ground pork
•2 scallions, minced
•3 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
•1 tsp dry sherry
•1 tbsp soy sauce
•1 tbsp sesame oil
•1/2 tsp salt
Add the cabbage to a large pot of boiling water and cook just until it’s wilted – 1 to 3 minutes.
Drain, rinse under cold water, and squeeze dry.
Add all the ingredients to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse to combine well – I did all the spices and veggies first before adding the pork.
Turn the mixture into a bowl, cover, and stash in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 350º and apply cooking spray to foil-lined baking pans.
Scoop the mixture into tablespoon sized meatballs and arrange on the baking sheets. I will confess that mine had a touch too much moisture in them, so they flattened out into little disks of spiced and chopped pork. Still tasted fine.
Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, flipping after 20 minutes, until the meatballs are done and slightly crispy, and serve with this really nice dipping sauce:
DIPPING SAUCE INGREDIENTS:
•1/2 cup soy sauce
•1 tsp chile oil or hot pepper sauce
•1 tbsp sesame oil
•1 tbsp minced scallion
•1 tsp minced garlic
Whisk all the ingredients together and serve with the meatballs – I was bringing this batch to a party, so poured the sauce over the meatballs in a casserole.
Nice as a munchie – but just think how tasty over noodles or rice?