I love to pan-fry potstickers because the thin gyoza wrappers crisp up perfectly in hot oil, creating a wonderfully crunchy meal. The filling is ground chicken sautéed with shallot, onions, garlic, mushrooms, and a mix of savory and sweet sauces. These are very easy to make and assemble, and the best part is that they freeze well, so you can make a large batch and freeze half of them in an airtight container for a rainy day. • makes about 24 potstickers
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, shallot, and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallot softens, about 5 minutes. Add the ground chicken, mushrooms, sesame oil, oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, and dark sweet soy sauce and cook, stirring to break up the chicken, until the chicken is cooked through and most of the liquid in the pan has evaporated. Add the green onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute more. Remove from the heat.
On a clean work surface, place 1 teaspoon of the filling in the center of a gyoza wrapper. Dip your finger in warm water and trace it around the edge of the wrapper. Pleat one side of the circle, pressing it into the unpleated side of the wrapper to create a sealed pot sticker. Repeat until all of the wrappers and filling are used.
Heat ¼ inch of canola oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Flick a drop of water into the oil, if it sizzles it is ready for frying; if not, wait a few minutes and try again. Place the pot stickers in a single layer in the pan and fry until golden, turning to fry all three sides, about 2 minutes per side. Remove with tongs or a slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining potstickers, adding more canola oil to the pan as needed between batches to maintain the ¼ inch depth. Serve immediately.