Shiso Pork Pot Stickers

Name: Shiso Pork Pot Stickers
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 90 min
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 1 pound ground pork; 1 package wonton wrappers; Shiso leaves; 1 green onion; 2 cloves garlic; ginger; salt; pepper; water; 2 teaspoons soy sauce; 2 teaspoons fish sauce (optional); 1 teaspoon sesame oil; olive or canola oil for frying

Delicious Pot Stickers that you can make yourself! Impress your family and friends with just a few special ingredients you can easily find at most grocery stores and a little bit of patience. We love the addition of the Japanese Shiso in this recipe but if you can't source this yummy herb, you can substitute basil, mint or leave it out altogether.

Jump to Recipe

When I was a little girl we had a neighbor that lived across the street who was from Taiwan. She was a close friend and came to teach my mother and I how to make traditional Chinese home cooked egg rolls. They were fabulous and I've been making them ever since.

I learned the basic concept of making dumplings at the very young age of 4 years old. Really, 4. See, you can make this recipe too!

The first lesson for making dumplings at home, use store bought wraps.

Second lesson, do not over fill them. They will pop and you will be disappointed.

Third lesson, know that this is a very simple and repetitive task and it will take a little while to fill all of your wraps if you are making small dumplings like pot stickers.

Shiso is a Japanese herb often used in sushi presentation and garnishing. It has a versatile flavor and is something like a cross between mint and basil. The flavor of the purple variety I'm growing is mild and compliments these wontons so well. The flavor of the shiso doesn't take over the wonton but does really add a special something.

Once before when I made this recipe, I left the shiso out of several dumplings so we could get a side by side taste comparison. The shiso version was the clear winner.

The reward for spending the time to make all of these little dumplings is great! If you can't eat them all the first time around, these chewy nuggets keep very well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Add just a few drops of water and microwave to reheat them.

You can also freeze extras, uncooked, individually on a baking sheet and keep them in bags in the freezer so you can finish them later.

The tops are chewy and just transparent enough the see the scalloped edges of the purple shiso tucked inside.

The bottoms of the dumplings are nicely crisped and brown.

If you love dumplings try making these pot stickers with or without the shiso leaves. So yummy!

Cheers!

~Melisa

If you enjoyed this post you might like these!

Asparagus, Shrimp and Mushroom Skillet

Japanese Cucumber Salad

Restaurant Style Kani Salad

Panang Pumpkin Soup

Yakitori

Shiso Pork Pot Stickers

Ingredients

For Pork Filling Mixture

1 pound ground pork sausage

1 green onion, minced

2 cloves minced garlic

2 teaspoons grated ginger

salt and pepper

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons fish sauce (optional)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

For Pot Stickers

Shiso Leaves

1 package Wonton Wrappers

1 tablespoon water for sealing the pot stickers

1/2 cup water for steaming the pot stickers

olive or canola oil for frying

Quick Dipping Sauce

3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

3 Tablespoons Fish Sauce (optional) sub rice vinegar

2 tablespoons water

1 green onion sliced finely

1 thinly sliced small red chili or pinch red chili flakes (optional)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Method

Mix together the ingredients for the pork filling using lightly wet hands.

As illustrated above. Fill each wonton with one shiso leaf topped with 1 tablespoon pork filling.

Using your middle finger, wet the edges of the wonton, then using your thumb and first fingers, form the dumplings. Pull the opposite corners together and pinch, then bring the other set of opposing corners up to the middle and pinch together the sides and top so that all of the edges are thoroughly sealed.

Place the dumpling on a baking sheet and continue until all wrappers are filled.

When ready to cook, heat a large skillet with a lid to medium.

Add enough oil to cover the bottom of the skillet then, working in batches, drop in the wontons until the skillet is full but not crowded. Fry until the bottoms are crisp and browned. About 6-8 minutes.

Now carefully add 1/2 cup water to the skillet, reduce the heat to low and cover with the lid for 10 minutes to finish cooking the pot stickers.

Meanwhile mix together the ingredients for the quick dipping sauce.

Remove the pot stickers from the skillet to a serving dish and serve with the dipping sauce.