You say Guotie, I say Pot Stickers.

Almost every single cuisine culture throughout time has had their own take on the dumpling. Italian has tortellini, Latin American has empanadas and Chinese has JIAOZI!

The signature dish of the Chinese New Years, jiaozi comes in three different types:

1. Shuijiao, water (boiled) dumplings

2. Zhengjiao, steamed dumplings

3. Guotie, "pan stick" dumplings... but we know and love them as Pot Stickers!

(There is also an egg dumpling, but it does not fall under jiaozi.)

Originating in Northern China, guotie is said to date back four millennia. However, it is first mentioned in literature during the Sung Dynasty (960-1279 CE) when author said guotie was good for the soul. :)

It is true that rice was the first grain cultivated and was one of the most predominate foods in China, it did not grow everywhere. Due to the low temperatures and dry land in the North, the ancient peoples relied mainly on millet, wheat, and soghum. From wheat we get dough, from dough we get guotie and from guotie we get warm, happy bellies.

Luckily for the Chinese, they were blessed with lots of interesting and full-bodied flavors. They had lemons, oranges, peaches, apricots, ginger and anise to work with. Domesticated animals were around, but because meat was so expensive and Buddhists are vegetarians it didn't start showing up regularly until the Sung Dynasty. Instead they made due with tofu and bead curd.

We were not able to prepare guotie, but we did find a yummy looking recipe...

PORK GUOTIE

-4 1/2 cups flour
-9 oz lean boneless pork, minced
-1 tbsp soy sauce
-5 tsp rice wine
-1 tsp fresh ginger, chopped
-1 tsp salt, or to taste
-3 1/2 oz hotbed leeks
-3 1/2 oz sesame oil
-1 tsp flour mixed with 2 tbsp water

1. Mix the pork with the soy sauce, rice wine, ginger, and salt. Stir in one direction, adding 5 oz (150 ml) of water, a little at a time until the pork becomes sticky. Add the leeks and sesame oil and blend well, and divide into 60 portions. Set aside.

2. Stir 7 oz of water into the flour. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. Let rest for 30 minutes. Roll into a long cylinder and cut into 60 portions. Flatten each piece and roll into a circle about 3 inches (8 cm) in diameter. Place 1 portion of the filling on each circle and fold over. Pinch tightly to seal the edges and form a squat bonnet-shaped pouch. Repeat until all the dough and filling are used.

3. Arrange the pouches in a large pan. Heat to moderately hot, then add water to cover the pouches one-third of the way up. Cover the pan and cook over high heat until the water is almost absorbed. Trickle the flour-water mixture around the pouches. Cover the pan and saute over low heat until the flour forms a crisp film that link the dumplings together. Sprinkle the dumplings with a little sesame oil, cover again, and saute until the pouches are browned on the bottom. Remove with a spatula and serve. Saute and serve the dumplings in batches.

Oh! And don't forget the dipping sauce! Just whisk together some soy sauce, rice vinegar and (if you'd like) chilled oil and some minced ginger.