Add Asian flair to your next gathering with these Crab Rangoon and Curried Chicken Potstickers.

Add a taste of Asia to your next gathering with these two delicious appetizers, Crab Rangoon and Curried Chicken Potstickers

that you can make using potsticker or wonton wrappers. You can find potsticker and wonton wrappers frozen or refrigerated in Asian markets or in many large supermarkets.

Crab Rangoon

MAKES 12

1 cup fresh or frozen lump crabmeat, thawed and drained (about 6 ounces)

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup finely chopped scallion

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

24 potsticker or wonton wrappers

In a small bowl, stir together the crabmeat, cream cheese, chopped scallion, and Worcestershire sauce.

For each filled wonton, place a rounded tablespoon of crab filling in the center of a potsticker or wonton wrapper. Brush the edges with water and place a second wrapper over the first, pressing the two wrappers together to seal the edges. Trim the edges with a fluted pastry wheel, if desired. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.

In a 4-quart Dutch oven, cook the wontons, 6 at a time, in a large amount of gently boiling, lightly salted water 2 to 2-1/2 minutes or until just tender. (Don't let the water boil vigorously.)

Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked wontons from the water. Drain and place the wontons in a single layer on a lightly baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Cover loosely with foil. You can keep the wontons warm in a 300º oven for up to 20 minutes.

Make-Ahead Tip:If desired, place the uncooked filled wontons on a foil-lined baking sheet. Cover and freeze, then place the wontons in freezer bags. Seal, label, and freeze up to 3 months. Cook the frozen wontons as directed above for 3 minutes or until just tender.

Curried Chicken Potstickers

MAKES 30

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon curry powder

2 teaspoons sugar

1 cup finely chopped broccoli florets

8 ounces ground raw chicken

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

30 potsticker or wonton wrappers

Vegetable oil, for frying

For the filling, in a mixing bowl, combine the soy sauce, cornstarch, curry powder and sugar. Add the broccoli florets, chicken, and onion; mix well to combine. Cover; chill for up to 24 hours.

When ready to prepare, spoon 2 teaspoons of the filling onto each wrapper. Moisten the edges with water. Fold the wrappers in half over the filling. (For the wontons, fold one corner over the filling to the opposite corner.) Fold pleats along edges; press to seal.

Arrange the potstickers, pleated edges up, on a lightly floured baking sheet, pressing gently to flatten the bottoms. Cover until ready to cook. (Or, freeze at this point. Let thaw for 30 minutes before cooking.)

In a 12-inch skillet heat 2 tablespoons oil. Arrange half of the potstickers, pleated edges up, in the skillet. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until the bottoms are light brown. Reduce the heat to low.

Remove the pan from the heat. Carefully add 2/3 cup water all at once near the edge of the pan (be extremely careful as the hot oil may splatter). Return the pan to the heat. Cover; cook 10 minutes more. Increase the heat to medium-high. Uncover; cook 3 to 5 minutes or until the filling is no longer pink and the water is evaporated.

Add 2 teaspoons oil. Lift and tilt the skillet to coat the potsticker bottoms. Cook, uncovered, 1 minute more. Gently remove the potstickers from the skillet. Drain on baking sheets lined with paper towels. Keep the potstickers warm in a 300º oven until ready to serve.