Recipe by Hetty Lui McKinnon, Adapted by Judi Graber

Peanut Sauce:

• 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter, stirred well (I added 2 tbsp. more peanut butter to get the consistency I wanted)
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup boiling water (more or less as needed)
• 2 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce, shoyu or tamari
• 1 tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tsp. granulated sugar or a sweetner of your choice
• 2 tsp. chile crisp or oil (to taste) – because I added more peanut butter I also added a little more chile crisp

Place the peanut butter, garlic and boiling water in a medium bowl and whisk well to combine. It may curdle and look runny but it will come together when you add the rest of the seasonings. Stir in the tamari sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and chile crisp to taste. I found it was still too runny so I added 2 tbsp. of peanut butter to the sauce.

Salad:

• Persian cucumbers
• canola or vegetable oil
• 1 lb. frozen potsticker dumplings, not thawed – see my Dumplings with Tomatoes and Chile Crisp Vinaigrette for an explanation of types of dumplings
• handful of cilantro (I used scallions, green and white)
• toasted white sesame seeds or chopped roasted peanuts (I did not chop them)
• chile crisp or chile oil, for serving

Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise and then into 1 to 2-inch pieces. Lay them flat side down on a board and smack them with a chef’s knife until they break apart. Cut them smaller if needed.

Place the cukes in a colander and sprinkle with a pinch of salt; stir. Allow to sit for 10 minutes to draw out excess moisture. You could also pat them dry with paper towels.

Heat a large 12-inch skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes, until very hot. Add 1-2 tbsp. oil, then the dumplings, flat-side down and cook, covered, until the bottoms are lightly browned, another minute or two.

Carefully add about 1/4 cup of water to the pan to cover the base of the dumplings. Cover and cook until the water has evaporated 3-4 minutes. If the dumplings have meat, cook a little longer. Remove and continue cooking the rest of the dumplings.

PLEASE NOTE: The above directions came with the recipe. Cook the dumplings according to package directions. I added 2 tbsp. oil to a hot skillet, then the dumplings flat side down, 2/3 cup water to cover the base of the dumplings, cover and cook for 8 minutes. Finally, uncover and cook until all the liquid has evaporated and the bottoms brown lightly.

Serve the dumplings in plates or bowls; top with the cucumbers. Drizzle some peanut sauce over all and top with cilantro (green onions), sesame seeds or peanuts and a drizzle of chile crisp to taste.

Recipe by cookingwithauntjuju.com