Siu-May's Wontons

Store-bought wonton wrappers in square or circles (make them at home, but I find the best texture comes from the wrappers at your local Asian supermarket - NOT Kroger or Ralphs) 
1lb raw ground chicken (experiment with the protein - use chicken + shrimp, pork + shrimp, tofu + shiitake, all beef - anything!)  
2 bundles of bok choy (leaves only - this should be about a cup - alternatives include any leafy green like cabbage, kale and/or scallions only) 
1-2 tbsp sesame oil
salt and pepper
1 tbsp rice vinegar 
1-2 tbsp soy sauce (I prefer dark, but dark or light works fine) 
garlic powder
1 egg (for sealing the wrappers, not needed if making wrappers fresh)

SIMPLE OPTIONAL DIPPING SAUCE: 
1 tbsp apple cider or white vinegar
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 heaping scoop of chili sauce (but optional if you don't like heat) 

DIRECTIONS:
Boil vegetables for 3-5 minutes to soften and release their moisture. Rinse with cold water and then drain and use hands to wring the water out (a paper towel or kitchen towel could help too). When fully dried, vegetables will ball up into a size that's smaller than your fist (this is ok). The key to perfect wontons is knowing that moisture is the enemy. Chop up your veg into small, bite size pieces. The smaller the better to create a consistent bite with your dumpling. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, chopped vegetables and seasoning. Using a fork, mix everything together in a circle, going only in one direction. This will take 5-10 mins as you want to ensure it forms a paste like consistency. A good trick is to mix for a few minutes, then flatten with the fork to level it out and then mix it again. Taking the time to create this paste-like mixture is another important key to perfect wonton texture. 

Once you've achieved the right consistency, flatten it out one last time with the fork. Obviously, it's raw, so you can't exactly salt and pepper to taste. You can either trust that it's good or take a little meatball and boil or fry it to make sure the flavor is to your liking. (I don't really ever do this step as the dipping sauce will always make up for any salt I'm missing). 

Finally, sit down with your wrappers and meat mix and scrambled cracked egg in a separate bowl. In one hand, place your wrapper, in the other, grab the fork and fork out some of the mixture and place it in the center of the wrapper. Not too much, usually less than a tbsp. Then, after putting down the fork, use that hand to dip your index and middle finger into the egg mixture and spread onto the top half of the wrapper (for square wrappers, the wrapper should be angled like a diamond and you will paint the top triangle). Then, press together the two sides to seal the dumpling, trying to press all the air out (which may cause the mixture to shift, totally fine). As a final step, hold the dumpling with the seal side at the top and pull the edges toward each other to make a final seal (using more egg if needed). Repeat like 60 times. 

Dumplings can be frozen for a few months or eaten right away. Whenver you're ready to eat, my favorite method is boiling. From fresh, bring the water to boil in a large enough pot where the water does not fill to the top. Throw in the dumplings when the water comes to boil and then place a lid on the pot. Wait for the water to come to boil again and then throw a glass of cold water into the pot to stop the wrapper from cooking but allow the meat to continue to cook. Keep doing this until the dumplings have been cooking for at least 6 mins.  From frozen, do this same method, but make sure the dumplings have at least 10 mins to cook. You may need more or less time for each method depending on your stove/pot/skills, etc - but when in doubt, always pull out a tester dumpling and cut it open and make sure everything is fully cooked.