South of the Border Chorizo Potstickers

On holidays, my family loves to gather in the kitchen sharing a variety of delicious finger foods. Every holiday get-together features old favorites like cream cheese and hot pepper jelly, but I always like to introduce something new. On New Year's Day we serve just appetizers. These South of the Border Chorizo Potstickers will be a part of the next celebration. Because this is an appetizer recipe, it has not been adjusted for two servings. This one is meant to be shared!

Disclaimer: Twin Dragon Wrappers provided their Twin Dragon Asian Egg Roll Wrappers and Won Ton Wrappers. My South of the Border Chorizo Potstickers put a Tex-Mex spin on won ton wrappers! Thank you Twin Dragon.

I knew I wanted to make potstickers with wonton wrappers, but I wanted to go in a Tex-Mex direction. I made a filling of chorizo, jalapeño peppers, Roma tomatoes, white onion, cilantro, black beans and my own creation, Easy Restaurant-Style Mexican rice. You can also use plain cooked white or brown rice. I cooked the filling before assembling the South of the Border Chorizo Potstickers to be sure the chorizo was cooked through and the vegetables softened.

Jump to:

• A little bit about chorizo:
• Ingredients:
• Instructions:
• Video:
• Instructions for crimping technique:
• South of the Border Chorizo Potstickers

A little bit about chorizo:

Use Mexican chorizo for this recipe. I prefer the type that is ground like sausage and packaged like ground beef. My all time favorite is an over-the-counter house-made chorizo from the local Mexican Market. The chorizo that comes in a tubular plastic wrapper is ground a bit finer and has a bit more grease. If you use it, please drain off some of the grease before filling the wonton wrappers. For everything you need to know about Chorizo, visit this helpful article by Epicurious.

Ingredients:

For the potstickers:

• Wonton wrappers
• Mexican chorizo 
• Jalapeño peppers
• Roma tomatoes
• Onion
• Black beans, cooked and well drained I used Centro canned beans
• Mexican rice 
• Cilantro
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Vegetable oil

For the dipping sauce:

• Ponzu sauce 
• Hot chili oil
• Kosher salt

For the full recipe with quantities, see the recipe card at the end of the post.

Instructions:

For the dipping sauce:

• Measure the ponzu sauce into a bowl for dipping. Add salt to taste. You may not need any salt.

• Add drops of hot chili oil to the ponzu mixture. Do not stir. You want the oil to float on top. Set the dipping sauce aside until the potstickers are ready to eat. 

For the potstickers:

• Over medium heat, sauté the chorizo until cooked through.
• Add the chopped jalapeños, chopped Roma tomatoes, chopped white onion and cook until the onions are semi-translucent and the jalapeños softened.
• Add the black beans and rice, stir to incorporate, then add the cilantro, salt, and pepper. Set aside until cooled down.
• Remove 12 wonton wrappers from the package and keep covered with plastic food wrap until needed. Get a small bowl of water ready to moisten your finger to seal the wonton wrapper edges.
• One at a time take a wonton wrapper out of the plastic wrap. Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of the wonton wrapper. Dip a finger into the water and moisten all four edges of the wraper. Pull the edges of the wrapper together, matching up the points. Press the edges together firmly to seal. (If any filling gets into the seal push it back in.) 
• Make 3-4 pleats on each edge, sqeezing tightly to help seal the potsticker. 
• Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. fill a ¼ cup measuring cup with hot water.
• Once the skillet is hot, place the dumplings in on the flat bottoms. Allow the bottoms to brown but not burn. 
• Fill a ¼ cup measuring cup with hot water.
• Once the bottoms are a nice golden dark brown, cover the skillet with a lid. 
• Quickly lift the lid just enough to pour in ¼ cup hot water. Immediately place the lid back on the skillet. Allow the potstickers to steam until the water is absorbed and the wrappers are translucent.
• Remove the potstickers to a serving platter and garnish with cilantro or scallions. Serve hot with dipping sauce.

Video:

Instructions for crimping technique:

• For a short video demonstrating how to crimp and seal potstickers, visit my post, Asian Style Potstickers.
• I used round Twin Drago Gyoza Wrappers for that dish, but the technique is the same. The Gyoza wrappers have a thinner edge, making pleating a bit easier, but for South of the Border Chorizo Potstickers, the wonton wrappers work great. I am just keeping it real when I say, "If the seam opens up a bit, and a little oil gets inside, that's a good thing!"

The Asian Won Ton Wrappers used in this recipe for South of the Border Chorizo Potstickers were provided by JSL Foods. The rest is 100% my own!