Pan-fried pork and cabbage potstickers
Salted, squeezed cabbage mixed with minced pork, folded into potstickers and pan-fried until crisp and golden underneath, with a little Zhejiang vinegar for dipping.
- 45 min
- Serves 3
- Pan-fry
- Medium
Why it suits you: A balanced constitution has no particular imbalance, but although Liqiu marks the start of autumn, Hong Kong is still sweltering, and this 'autumn tiger' heat dulls the appetite. Cabbage strengthens the spleen and stomach and pork nourishes yin; half-fried, half-steamed potstickers are crisp without much oil. Wrap them the night before and breakfast is ready in ten minutes.
Method
Prep 30 min · Cook 15 min- 1Toss the chopped cabbage with ½ tsp salt, leave for 10 minutes, then squeeze out the water.
- 2Mix the pork with the ginger, soy sauce, remaining salt, pepper and 2 tbsp of the water, stirring in one direction until sticky. Fold in the cabbage, spring onion and sesame oil.
- 3Put a teaspoon of filling on each wrapper, fold in half and pinch the middle shut, leaving the ends open, to make long potstickers.
- 4Heat the oil in a frying pan, arrange the potstickers and fry over a medium heat for 2 minutes until lightly browned underneath. Pour in the remaining water, cover and cook for 6–7 minutes until it has evaporated.
- 5Uncover and fry for 1 more minute until crisp and golden underneath. Serve with the vinegar for dipping.
Cautions
- Potstickers are pan-fried, so eat fewer if you have a sore throat or tend to run hot, and drink plain tea with them.
Chef's tips
- Squeeze the cabbage well so the filling doesn't leak through the wrappers; potstickers freeze well and can be cooked from frozen — just steam them for 2 minutes longer.
The TCM view
Cabbage is sweet and neutral, strengthening the spleen and stomach and benefiting the five organs. Pork is sweet, salty and neutral, nourishing yin, moistening dryness and building blood; ginger is pungent and warm, settling the stomach; Zhejiang vinegar is sour and warm, whetting the appetite and cutting richness. Balanced and cooked with little oil, it gently supports the spleen and stomach at the start of autumn.
