Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Chinese Dumplings – Pork (Potstickers) Recipe
Chinese language Dumplings! Also referred to as Potstickers, these irresistible plump infants have a standard pork and cabbage filling, pan fried then steamed in a skillet so that they’re golden crispy on the underside and steamy and comfortable on the floor.
Full your Chinese language banquet with a aspect of Fried Rice, Sizzling and Bitter Soup and Chinese language Broccoli with Oyster Sauce. Time to get your dumpling recreation on!
There was a time after I had a handful of favorite hole-in-the-wall dumpling joints full with peeling lino flooring, chipped tables and rickety chairs the place we might stuff ourselves foolish for lower than $8 a head.
These days, dumplings have develop into “all the fashion” and plenty of such locations have develop into fancy. Renovated interiors, shiny menus. And sky rocketing worth tags. And crowds.
Hmph! Not blissful!
So lately I’ve discovered myself making dumplings on a reasonably common foundation. Potstickers being my favorite – also called Pan Fried Chinese language Dumplings.
Golden crispy on the underside with a juicy pork filling inside, these Chinese language dumplings stack as much as the perfect dumpling joints!
There’s nice selection by way of filling with no laborious and quick guidelines. This filling is fairly basic, with the principle “issues” in it being pork, shiitake mushrooms, cabbage and garlic chives. And I’ve since shared my Vegetable Filling too (it’s so good!).
You may truly skip the mushrooms or chives, with out affecting the general tastiness of the dumplings. I embrace each as a result of I really like the additional umami (meals tech time period that means “savouriness”) that the mushroom offers and the little hit of freshness from the chives.
As for wrapping them, it’s easy – and right here’s my greatest tip: Don’t stress! Overlook the pleats if it’s all too laborious, simply press and seal flat. 🙂 There are loads of dumpling locations round that try this and it’s apparent why – it’s far quicker to make them.
I really like that second when all of the Potstickers are wrapped and sitting there, plump and prepared for cooking. It’s a chest-puffing second, and rightly so! 😇
There are 3 methods to prepare dinner Chinese language dumplings:
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Steamed – in your steamer of alternative (historically a bamboo steamer);
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Pan fried – that is the recipe I’m sharing right now, Pan Fried Chinese language Dumplings. I really like the best way they’re cooked – pan fried till the bottom is golden, then water is added so that they steam to prepare dinner the within. The underside goes soggy whereas it’s steaming however then as soon as the water evaporates, it goes crispy once more.
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Boiled – Dumplings will also be boiled. Attempt including them right into a Chinese language Noodle Soup!
I truly by no means understood why they’re referred to as Potstickers within the States. They aren’t cooked in a pot, and also you’d be significantly peeved in the event that they persist with the pan.
They need to be referred to as Skillet-Non-Stickers.
However I made the trouble to do some Google and was to be taught that pan fried dumplings are referred to as Guotie in Chinese language and the literal translation is “potstickers” or “panstickers”. So I suppose another tales you hear about the place the title comes from are simply that – tales! 😂 – Johnsat x
Extra nice dumplings of the world
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Vegetable Dumplings
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Wontons
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Gyoza (Japanese dumplings)
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Siu mai (Chinese language yum cha steamed pork and prawn dumplings)
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Chinese language Steamed BBQ Pork Buns
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Browse the Yum Cha recipe assortment, all Chinese language Recipes and Asian Takeout copycat recipes
Ingredients
- 5 – 6 dried shiitake mushrooms (Note 1)
- 1 ½ cups finely chopped Chinese cabbage (Napa cabbage)
- ½ tsp salt
- 250 g / 0.5 lb fatty pork mince (20 – 30% fat ideal – Note 2)
- ¼ cup garlic chives , finely chopped*
- 2 tsp light soy sauce (light or dark soy also ok)
- 1 1/2 tsp Chinese wine (Note 4)
- ½ tsp sesame oil*
- ¼ tsp white pepper (black also ok)
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- ½ tsp grated fresh ginger*
- 30 – 35 round dumpling wrappers (Note 5)
- 1/2 cup water per batch
- 4 – 6 tsp vegetable oil
Instructions
- Shiitake Mushroom: Place the mushrooms in a bowl and pour over plenty of boiled water. Leave for 20 minutes or until rehydrated. Squeeze out excess water, then finely chop.
- Cabbage: Place cabbage in a bowl with salt. Toss with fingers, then set aside for 15 minutes. Squeeze out excess liquid from cabbage using hands.
- Filling: Place cabbage, mushrooms and remaining Filling ingredients in a bowl. Mix with your hands until well combined.
- Peel one wrapper off and place on the palm of your left hand (if right handed). Dip your finger in water and run it along half the edge of the wrapper.
- Place 1 heaped tablespoon of Filling in the centre. Fold wrapper over, then pleat to seal. Alternatively, just press together with no pleats.
- Finish so the dumpling is curved slightly, see photos in post, with the pleats on the top.
- Place on tray. Cover with cling wrap or wet tea towel (important). Repeat with remaining dumplings. Should make 30, if yours are extremely plump you may only make 25.
- Make sure your pan has a lid that fits it half decently (Note 6).
- Heat 2 tsp oil in a non stick pan over medium high heat. Add dumplings, pressing down firmly to flatten the base onto the pan. Cook around 8 to 10 per batch.
- When the base is golden brown (check them), add 1/2 cup of water into the pan.
- Immediately clamp the lid on, then leave for 7 minutes (any less and the pleats won’t be cooked through so if your water dries out, add a bit more).
- Remove lid – most of the water should be evaporated, the pleats should be cooked through. Leave the pan on the stove until the base dries and the underside of the dumplings are once again crisp.
- Remove dumplings from pan and transfer to serving plate. Repeat with remaining Dumplings.
- Serve with Dipping Sauces of choice. (Note 7)
Notes
* Can be omitted. There are no hard and fast rules for what goes in the Filling, and it varies across China and certainly all over the world. Some Fillings can be very simple, so these ones marked with an Asterix can be omitted and it’s still going to taste terrific (and “real”!).
1. I love using dried shiitake mushrooms in the filling because it adds incredible umami (“savouriness”). Dried is better than fresh in terms of flavour intensity. You can find dried shiitake mushrooms at Asian grocery stores and some speciality shops. It can be substituted with fresh shiitake mushrooms. If you can’t find either, just leave it out – don’t worry, your dumplings will still taste terrific!
2. My favourite is to ask the butcher to mince pork belly, second favourite is pork shoulder. You want the fat! If you use lean pork mince form standard supermarkets, you may be disappointed with the lack of juiciness of the Filling. If you can only get supermarket pork mince, I would urge you to add at least 2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil into the Filling mixture and mix for at least 2 minutes with your hands.
3. The garlic chives are optional. I adore dumplings with garlic chives in them, and I love the little specks of green in the dumplings.
4. Or Mirin, sake or dry sherry. If you can’t have alcohol, leave this out and add an extra pinch of salt and sugar.
5. The dumpling wrappers I use are pictured in the post (Double Merino brand, Gow Gee pastry) and is sold at large supermarkets in Australia (Woolies, Coles) as well as Harris Farms and Asian Grocery stores. They are about 8 cm / 3.5″ wide and 2mm / 1/10″ thick. If you’d like to try your hand at homemade dumpling wrappers, try this recipe by Maggie from Omnivores Cookbook, one of my favourite Chinese blogs. She has an excellent video tutorial in that recipe.
6. None of my favourite skillets came with lids, so I always make do with lids from large pots.
7. Dipping Sauces- my favourite is soy sauce with chilli oil or paste. Other common ones are soy sauce + Chinese black vinegar, or even white vinegar.
8. STORING: Place uncooked dumplings in a single layer in an airtight container (use paper between layers) and store for up to 2 days in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer. To cook, defrost, then cook per recipe. Store cooked dumplings in the fridge for up to 2 days – I like to microwave to reheat then pan fry to re-crisp the bottom!
9. Nutrition per dumpling. The weight per dumpling is off because it doesn’t factor in the liquid absorbed by the dumpling wrapper. Guessing it’s closer to 60g / 2 oz per piece.
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