I am such a sucker for pot stickers. Ideally, someone else would make them for me, but my love for those tiny, tasty little morsels can’t be dampened by some finicky finger folding time in the kitchen – say that one three times fast!

I’ve now made this recipe three times and I’ll likely make it a few more in the very near future. I just love them, from the flavour combination of the filling, to the chewy texture of the wrappers that also get crisped on both sides, and then finally the salty dunk each little bundle gets before mixing together in perfect harmony in your mouth. Mmmm. Other dipping sauces worth considering include sour cream and tzatziki.

If you've never made pot stickers from scratch before, don't worry it's not as intimidating as it looks/sounds and the results are totally worth it. However, the folding goes much faster with a second pair of hands, so grab a partner and get in the kitchen! Believe it or not, but I think that making dumplings or pot stickers is a good recipe for an awesome date night. It's getting close in the kitchen, team work, and ends with a delightful reward.

If you want to see some images showing the folding process, jump over to Brooklyn Supper.

Gingered Brussels Sprout and Shiitake Pot Stickers

Dipping Sauce

¼ cup tamari soy sauce

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

½-inch piece of fresh ginger (1 cm), peeled and finely grated with a Microplane grater

1 green onion finely sliced

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Pot Stickers

1 tablespoon virgin olive oil, plus extra for cooking

1 medium shallot (about ¼ cup diced shallot, fine dice)

1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms

2 cups sliced Brussels sprouts, about ½ pound/227 g

1 clove garlic minced

1- inch piece of fresh ginger (2.5 cm), peeled and minced

salt and pepper to taste

25 wonton wrappers

Make the dipping sauce: Whisk the tamari, maple syrup, ginger, green onion, and sesame seeds together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Make the potstickers: Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shallots. Stir and cook until fragrant and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the shiitake mushrooms. Stir and sauté the mushrooms until they start to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts, garlic, and ginger, and stir. Season everything with salt and pepper. Keep stirring the filling until the Brussels sprouts are bright green and slightly wilted, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, and allow the filling to cool slightly.

Set out a small bowl of water. To assemble the pot stickers, divide the vegetable filling among the wonton wrappers, placing about 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of each wonton wrapper. Take one filled wonton wrapper and dip your finger in the bowl of water. Moisten two sides of the wrapper, fold all sides together, and pinch along the edge to form a seal. Repeat with the remaining filled wrappers.

Wipe the sauté pan and heat a thin slick of olive oil over medium heat. Fry the pot stickers in batches until they’re golden brown on all sides, about 1 full minute per side. Add more oil to the pan as needed to finish cooking all the pot stickers.

Serve the pot stickers hot with the dipping sauce on the side.