Dumplings, or 水餃 (shuǐ jiǎo) in Mandarin, are meat and vegetables in a noodle wrapper. Potstickers, or 鍋貼 (guō tiē), are pan-fried dumplings. The perfect food! Every family has its own dumpling and potsticker recipe but you’ll find napa cabbage and ground pork in most potstickers. Personalize your dumplings by adding some of the optional ingredients below. I opt for whatever is on-hand so my potstickers turn out a bit different each time. I once had a roommate that added Chinese takeout leftovers into his potsticker filling and the result was delicious. Dumplings are the kitchen sink cookies of Chinese food!

This potsticker recipe will make a big batch to store in the freezer. Frozen potstickers are fast and easy to cook, a last-minute meal the whole family will enjoy.

girl holding Napa cabbage — Napa cabbage

boy holding a tray of uncooked potstickers — Napa cabbage

Dumpling Shapes

Have fun making dumplings and get creative with the wrapping shapes. The most common Chinese dumpling shape is crescent. These dumplings look like ingots and are eaten during Lunar New Year to bring good fortune. My husband likes to show off and make rosebud shaped dumplings. I made some dumplings that I think look like slugs. The kids found this especially amusing. No matter what they look like they will still be delicious.

filling on open dumpling wrapper — Dumpling filling

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Dumplings and Potstickers

Jeanne Chang

Easy and delicious recipe for pork and cabbage dumplings that can be boiled or pan-fried.

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Prep Time 1

Cook Time 15

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 60 dumplings

Ingredients

2 packs dumpling wrappers I prefer thick wrappers for a chewier texture1
1 head napa cabbage
2 tablespoons salt
1 large egg
1 lb ground pork
½ cup green onions thinly slice

Optional Filling Ingredients

¼ teaspoon grated ginger
¼ teaspoon white pepper
¼ lb raw shrimp peel and mince
2 tablespoons dried shrimp soak in water for 15 min
2 heads dried shitake mushrooms soak in water for at least 30 minutes, chop or julienne
½ block silken tofu if adding tofu, reduce the pork by half

Potsticker Sauce Ingredients

1 tablespoon hot water
2 tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon sugar
1 clove garlic crushed
1 dash sesame oil optional
1 sprig green onion sliced, optional

Instructions

Cut off the green parts of the cabbage. Save the greens for another dish or make kimchi. Finely shred the cabbage and put it into a big mixing bowl. Sprinkle with salt and let sit for about half an hour. Drain the liquid.
Add the drained cabbage, egg, pork, green onion, and optional ingredients. Mix together by hand. Do not use a food processor as this will affect the texture.
Fill the wrappers and cook right away or freeze on a floured baking sheet. Once frozen the dumplings can be stored in a bag or container in the freezer.
Before cooking, mix all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.

Dumpling Cooking Instructions – Boiled

Add dumplings to boiling water.
When the water comes to a boil again, add a cup of room temp water.
The dumplings are done when the water comes to a boil again.

Potsticker Cooking Instructions – Pan-fried

Boil a cup of water in a small pot.
In a large pan or wok, heat 2 tablespoons of oil on med-high until the oil is hot but not smoking.
Line the pan with the potstickers and cook for 2 minutes. Add enough boiling water to submerge the potstickers half-way.
Cover and steam. Once the water has evaporated, cook another 2 minutes to get a crispy bottom.

Keyword dumplings, guō tiē, gyoza, potstickers, shuǐ jiǎo, 水餃, 鍋貼

girl holding a plate of potstickers — Cooked potstickers

Enjoy this recipe? Check out what else is cooking in our kitchen 🙂