Trader Joe's Pot Sticker Review

Things have been so busy here that planning meals has been a bit challenging. So I've had to find a few quick and easy things to throw in a few nights a week.  On Monday I had a chance to drive out to the Trader Joe's that is about an hour away and pick up some things.  One thing I noticed is that they sell pot stickers.  We have had pot stickers before, but usually it is in a pack with a sauce and you heat and unthaw the sauce.

So I decided to give the Trader Joe's pot stickers a try. My husband really likes pot stickers too, so I knew he would want to try them. The one thing that left me scratching my head was that the pot stickers didn't come with any dipping sauce.  So I asked an associate if they sold a bottle of dipping sauce and he directed me to an aisle where they sell a number of different sauces.  He suggested the Gyoza sauce that you'll see pictured below. So I bought that, as well as the Soyaki sauce.  From reading the ingredients on the bottle of Soyaki, I knew it sounded like something my husband would like.  It is reminds me of a sauce they use at a Japanese restaurant nearby where we get take out sometimes. 

If you've never had pot stickers, they are little dumplings that are filled with different ingredients.  They can have chicken, pork, shellfish, etc.  The Trader Joe pot stickers had chicken and vegetables.  My husband has a shellfish allergy, so I can never get the seafood kind.  Such a bummer because he grew up loving shellfish and I love it too. 

To cook the pot stickers you brown them for a minute in a hot pan with oil. Then you add 3 tablespoons of water and cover them and have the stove set on low.  They steam cook.  For whipping something up quickly on a weeknight, they are really easy.  I usually make rice and serve them on top. 

We really enjoyed these pots tickers from Trader Joe's and I'll get them again.  The two sauces were good, but different from the sauces I've had with pot stickers in the past.   These sauces are a garlic, ginger, terriyaki type of base.  The sauces I've usually had with pot stickers have had a sweeter taste.  I think these two sauces could be really great if you wanted to add them to meat and have a very different type of hamburger. You could get that terriyaki burger flavor. 

Hope you are having a great day in your neck of the woods!