Weekly Recipe: Pork Pot Stickers by Yeoh Chee

Discerning foodies in San Francisco come to Monsieur Benjamin for its modern digs and fine French dishes, but who knew there was a taste of traditional Malaysian flavor hidden in its back of house?

Yeoh Chee is one of the talented chefs behind Monsieur Benjamin’s nightly hits, but he’s been stepping into the spotlight recently, running Malaysian-cooking pop-ups at Millay and Casements. One of those recipes for pork pot stickers has become a real fan favorite, and he’s kind enough to share it with us below.

See also: Weekly Recipe: Nubiani Korean BBQ Steak By Chef Ji Hye Kim

“I learned this recipe from my grandma in Malaysia, and it has been a family favorite for many years,” Chee says. “Occasionally, I make it for our family meal at Monsieur Benjamin, and the staff love them as well. When I created a tasting menu of Malaysian food for my pop-up at Millay, I knew I wanted to share this recipe with the guests.”

This recipe makes 20 pot stickers, enough to fill the bellies of all your friends and family—although you may still want more of these bite-sized delights!

Grandma’s Pork Pot Stickers by Yeoh Chee

Chef Yeoh Chee making his grandma's pork pot stickers

Ingredients:

• 20ea pot sticker skin
• 300g pork butt (ideally 30% fat)
• 10g Shaoxing rice wine
• 30g sugar
• 45g soy sauce
• 15g corn syrup
• 50g peeled garlic (crushed)
• 2g star anise
• 20g chopped scallion
• 50g hoisin sauce
• 50g sriracha sauce
• Canola or any neutral cooking oil

Directions:

1. Make the marinade by combining Shaoxing rice wine, sugar, soy sauce, corn syrup, crushed garlic and star anise in a small pot and cook until sugar is dissolved.
2. Chill in an ice bath or refrigerator until cold and remove star anise pods.
3. Cut pork butt into 1-inch strips and mix with cooled marinade. (Note: If you don’t have a meat grinder, you can substitute the pork butt with ground pork.)
4. Cover and place in refrigerator overnight to marinate (minimum 8 hours or maximum 24 hours).
5. Mince pork through a meat grinder (ideally using a ⅛” fine grind disc plate).
6. Add the marinade and chopped scallions to the meat and mix by hand to incorporate everything together.
7. To assemble, place 1 tsp of mix on the center of a single pot sticker skin. Wet the entire rim with water and make five pleats to seal.
8. Cover and store in refrigerator until ready to cook (up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage).
9. When ready to cook, make the dipping sauce by combining the hoisin and sriracha in a small dish. Set aside.
10. In a flat-bottomed pan or skillet with a lid, heat 2 tbsp of cooking oil over medium high.
11. Place pot stickers in the pan. You should hear a sizzle sound when the pot sticker touches the pan. If not, the oil is not hot enough.
12. Cook until the bottom is golden brown (about 3 minutes) and add a splash of water. Cover with lid and cook for 5 min on low heat. The internal temperature should reach 160° F.
13. Remove from the pan, and serve with spicy hoisin sauce.