The tiger lily buds may seem like an unnecessary step, but really makes a difference, it's commonly found in Chinese farmers markets and Chinatowns in the apothecary like shops. They're also called golden needles, and almost always sold dried. Wood ear mushrooms are actually more commonly known as jelly ear fungus, my farmers market has them almost every week of the season. Instead of bamboo shoots, I like baby corn and I added more cornstarch to get a thicker soup base. Instead of red wine vinegar, I use the more traditional Chinese dark vinegar, and if I don't have that, Shanghai Red vinegar. Otherwise, this is a great version and easily changed to suit different people's tastes.

Reviewed On: Oct. 18, 2009

These are not the most traditional pot stickers, in fact they resemble the Japanese version, Gyoza, more. Traditional pot stickers use raw pork mixture, almost like a meatball with hand rolled dough, nonetheless, these made pretty good Gyoza. As for step 4, it really is based on ones taste and equipment, I usually coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of oil(adding too much will make the oil pop out a ton), arrange the pot stickers closely and pan fry the bottom for a couple of minutes, then add water, but only enough to steam (I usually add 1/3 cup for my sized pan). I don't want to make the potstickers to become soggy. Put the lid on to steam cook and wait 3-4 minutes or until water fully evaporated for cooked pork filling. With raw pork, I tend to let it stay on longer with more water. I also added about a half cup of chinese chives and totally cut out the chestnuts because of personally taste.

Reviewed On: Aug. 21, 2009