Recovering from European memories . . .

I've overdone the German cooking since I got home and we are all ready for something different and interesting from another cultural aspect. In going through my files today, I rediscovered a recipe I shared with my daughter and it got me to thinking about making Asian food this weekend. The nice thing about Asian cooking is that you really don't need any odd or unfamiliar ingredients to put a fun meal on the table. This is a family favorite. I like that it doesn't take much in the way of supplies so works great to impress your family between paydays!

Pot Sticker Dough

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup cold water

3/4 cup boiling water

In 2 separate bowls, place 1 1/2 cups flour

Add cold water to one bowl and stir to form a soft dough. Add boiling water to second bowl and stir to form a dough. Combine two doughs and knead until smooth, about

15 minutes. Cover with a damp towel (use paper towel) and let rest 15 minutes.

Pot Sticker Dumplings

1 pound shredded cabbage (I usually look for the bagged cole slaw cabbage for this. It's in the produce section)

1/2 pound ground pork

2 scallions, mined

3 slices of fresh ginger, minced

1 teaspoon dry sherry (optional)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/2 salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Pot Sticker dough

Combine all the ingredients EXCEPT the 1/2 cup oil. You can roughly chop it or process it slightly. Refrigerate 30 minutes to meld the flavors.

Divide the dough into 4 parts. Roll each part into a long thin sausage about 1/2-inch in diameter. Cut  each dough sausage into 12 pieces. Roll each piece

between palms to form a smooth ball. Sprinkle with flour and roll each one into a 3-inch round pancake. Place 1 teaspoon of filling on each pancake.

Dampen the edges slightly and gather towards the top to form a 'bag'.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium high heat. Place the dumplings into the skillet with just barely touching. Cook until bottoms

of dumplings are lightly browned, 1-2 minutes. All at once, add enough cold water to almost cover the dumplings. Cover pan and bring to a boil over high heat. cook until tops of dumplinga are waxy and cooked through,

about 5-8 minutes. Drain off the water, return to heat, and crisp bottoms about two minutes. Repeat if you had more dumpling than room the first time around.