Chinese Dumplings! Also known as Potstickers, these irresistible plump babies have a traditional pork and cabbage filling, pan fried then steamed in a skillet so they’re golden crispy on the underside and steamy and soft on the surface.
Complete your Chinese banquet with a side of Fried Rice, Hot and Sour Soup and Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce. Time to get your dumpling game on!
Chinese Dumplings aka Potstickers
There was a time when I had a handful of favourite hole-in-the-wall dumpling joints complete with peeling lino floors, chipped tables and rickety chairs where we could stuff ourselves silly for less than $8 a head.
Nowadays, dumplings have become “all the rage” and many such places have become fancy. Renovated interiors, glossy menus. And sky rocketing price tags. And crowds.
Hmph! Not happy!
So in recent years I’ve found myself making dumplings on a fairly regular basis. Potstickers being my favourite – also known as Pan Fried Chinese Dumplings.
Golden crispy on the underside with a juicy pork filling inside, these Chinese dumplings stack up to the very best dumpling joints!
Potsticker Fillings
There’s great variety in terms of filling with no hard and fast rules. This filling is pretty classic, with the main “things” in it being pork, shiitake mushrooms, cabbage and garlic chives. And I’ve since shared my Vegetable Filling too (it’s so good!).
You could actually skip the mushrooms or chives, without affecting the overall tastiness of the dumplings. I include both because I love the extra umami (food tech term meaning “savouriness”) that the mushroom provides and the little hit of freshness from the chives.
How to wrap Chinese Dumplings
As for wrapping them, it’s simple – and here’s my biggest tip: Don’t stress! Forget the pleats if it’s all too hard, just press and seal flat. 🙂 There are plenty of dumpling places around that do that and it’s obvious why – it’s far faster to make them.
But if you’re wanting to replicate the classic Chinese Potstickers, here’s how to wrap them – and the video beneath the recipe is super helpful too.
By the way, the hands in these images and the video are not mine, they belong to Mama RecipeTin. Way too difficult and messy to try to film myself wrapping dumplings!
I love that moment when all the Potstickers are wrapped and sitting there, plump and ready for cooking. It’s a chest-puffing moment, and rightly so! 😇
How to cook Chinese Dumplings
There are 3 ways to cook Chinese dumplings:
Steamed – in your steamer of choice (traditionally a bamboo steamer);
Pan fried – this is the recipe I’m sharing today, Pan Fried Chinese Dumplings. I love the way they are cooked – pan fried until the base is golden, then water is added so they steam to cook the inside. The bottom goes soggy while it’s steaming but then once the water evaporates, it goes crispy again.
Boiled – Dumplings can also be boiled. Try adding them into a Chinese Noodle Soup!
Why are they called Potstickers in the States??
I actually never understood why they’re called Potstickers in the States. They aren’t cooked in a pot, and you’d be seriously peeved if they stick to the pan.
They should be called Skillet-Non-Stickers.
But I made the effort to do a little Google and was interested to learn that pan fried dumplings are called Guotie in Chinese and the literal translation is “potstickers” or “panstickers”. So I guess any other tales you hear about where the name comes from are just that – tales! 😂 – Nagi x
More great dumplings of the world
Gyoza (Japanese dumplings)
Siu mai (Chinese yum cha steamed pork and prawn dumplings)
Browse the Yum Cha recipe collection, all Chinese Recipes and Asian Takeout copycat recipes
Chinese dumplings (potstickers)
Watch how to make it
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Chinese dumplings (Potstickers!)
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*
To cook:
- 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.
Make Dumplings (watch video + see photos in post):
- 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.
Cooking:
- 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)
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
BEST DUMPLINGS IN SYDNEY
Just in case you need a dumpling fix and you want someone else to make them for you, here are my favourite dumpling haunts in Sydney:
Shanghai Night (Ashfield) – This is about as no frills as it gets as far as proper Chinese dumpling dives in Sydney go. You won’t see any tourists here at this Ashfield institution. Service and decor are “minimalist”, it’s all about the pan fried and soup dumplings (xiao long bau ie soup in the dumplings) here.
Din Tai Fung (Sydney CBD and other locations) – Famous for their soup dumplings, they aren’t a worldwide chain for no reason! Their other non-dumpling dishes are also delicious (but avoid the weird things like rainbow dumplings….).
Mr Wong (Sydney CBD) – They ain’t cheap but then these are meticulously made, all about top quality ingredients, and sometimes unusual creations you won’t see anywhere else. As if their dumplings weren’t good enough, the rest of the menu is possibly even more amazing …
Chinese Noodle Restaurant (Haymarket, China Town) – Don’t get it mixed up with Chinese Noodle House, which is confusingly on the other side of the small court. Just remember “the one on the left”. This is place to go in Chinatown for big plates of potstickers at rock bottom prices.
Tim Ho Wan (Chatswood, Sydney CBD) – Originally from Hong Kong, Tim Ho Wan was a hole-in-the-wall that shot to fame some years ago as the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant. Their prawn dumplings and siu mai are awesome, along with their famous baked pork bun.
Taste of Shanghai (Eastwood and other locations) – One of the offenders of going up market and expanding all over Sydney. 😩 But still a perfectly respectable place to get a dumpling fix. Try the dumplings in chilli oil, and the Xiao Long Bau (soup inside dumplings). The Eastwood and Ashfield ones are my favourite locations.
LIFE OF DOZER
Being put to work – random selection of the winner of the Knife Giveaway. Great job Dozer!
Tried to steam first then added oil. Worked out too. yum
Love your site, Nagi. We want to have a Potsticker Party and would like some other options for filling like chicken, shrimp, or vegetable. Could you come up with recipes for this?
Hi Nancy, pop a request on my recipe request page, I have a list I’m working through 🙂 N x
Pot Stickers name is because they boiled then fried and some would stick to the pan and a spatula was used to pry them loose. Kuo The
I made a big batch of potstickers and froze them without cooking. I thought maybe to steam first then fry bottom. What do you think
just ordered a dumpling maker stainless steal. Amazon and one pound dried Shitake shrooms ,but need recipe for the dough to make my own cn you help ????
well , made those Pot Stickers tonight great flavor. However failing the pleating 10 times using up 20 wrappers. the store bought ones ,so thin so hard to separate. I remember Im ITALIAN I have large hands ,so. envelope shape em yahoo then fried both sides just because I wanted to , ate 12 froze 22 yummy da heck yummy even drank the leftover dipping sauce. Good Eating Joseph
filling just put in fridge for tomorrow. I let meld overnight sept for the cabbage will add in morning . a great recipe. also makes a good little meat ball for a soup ..I like to add sesame oil and chopped scallion to dipping sauce. a chardonnay a buttery one not oak goes really well in the old days Wan Foo ,a French wine was available at my favorite Chinese restaurant can’t wait for tomorrow lets see Lunch or Dinner. ?????
I made this for my family and they went nuts over it!!they turned out perfect Excellent recipe!! Thank you so much
Another day, another Recipe Tin recipe win! Although my pot stickers were nowhere near as pretty as yours Nagi, by golly, they were tasty! I couldn’t find any fatty minced pork, so I added 2tbsp of vegetable oil, which seemed to do the trick. Loved by all the family, including Miss Fusspot 8 (bonus points!). Thank you!
I want to try these but was wondering about the dipping sauce….where can I find that recipe?
Hi Dave, what I use is listed in note 7 – its just a mix best done to taste I find! N x
Made these today! Pan fried some and froze a whole bunch. So so delicious!! I make a dipping sauce with Mirin, soy, ginger, rice wine and sesame oil and it went perfectly with the dumplings. Thank you for this amazing recipe and tutorial!
do you cook the pork before adding to other ingredients?
Hi Shirley, no you use it raw – it is cooked when you fry the dumplings. N x
Easy to follow, I chose to steam them and they are a winner. I love following your recipes, the only site I will visit for Asian recipes as they always taste amazing.
Really, really love these. One problem for me is that I can only find packs of frozen wrappers (approx 80-100) which is far too many. The pack says not to refreeze. Is that right do you think?
These were quite literally to die for!! They did take around 90 minutes to make + cook, however so worth it! I used 500g of mince because I couldn’t get 250g, but I just increased all the ingredients a little and I was able to make so many! Love the recipe.
HI Lauren, they can be a labour of love – I tend to make a big batch and freeze 🙂 N x
I am not able to find the potsticker wraps here locally. Can I substitute eggroll wraps? If so, how will this change the cooking directions?
Hi Deborah, egg roll was are slightly different, can you locate wonton wrappers at all? N x
Hi Nagi!
I decided to go with my gut, and I pan fried my pseudo dumplings (pseudo, as they are made with eggroll wraps and because they look more like stuffed wontons). I wanted to let you know they came out BEAUTIFULLY! Golden brown, crispy and my b/f said it was one of the best things I’ve made in a while (he does like my cooking 99% of the time).
The filling was your recipe (minus the shitake mushrooms) and I made my own dipping sauce.
I can send you pics if you would like – just let me know. Keep in mind, I am not a professional photographer!
Hi Nagi,
I normally would be able to locate the appropriate dumpling wrapper, but due to shipping and supply issues (COVID) finding some specialty items is a bit more difficult right now. So I had to purchase eggroll wrappers.
I’ve cut them into fourths (triangles) and they look more like stuffed wonton’s than dumplings.
As these wrappers seem to be a bit gummy when moist, I’m assuming that steaming, then pan frying them would not be a good method to cook them. I would think that either deep frying them or pan frying would be better options? Any guidance you can provide would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Love the filling but ended up buying a different version of the wrappers (Double Merino Pastry Wonton Skin Shanghai – the blue packaging). By the time I ended up folding all the dumplings the first ones were already soggy, so I guess the wrappers I bought are not the ideal for this recipe. Will definitely try this recipe again but with the same wrappers you suggested. But any idea why this happened? Are they too thin?
Love your recipes and Dozer is the cutest! 🙂
Hi Talita, was your mixture very wet – I’ve never had this happen (the wonton wrappers should have been fine to use) N x
I made these for dinner tonight and they were absolutely delicious!
Any chance you could post a recipe for vegetarian dumplings too? 🙂
Yes – one to add to the list Sam! N x
These turned out amazing! And the instructions and cooking time were bang on. Another great recipe Nagi!
Do exactly and it will be an awesome dumpling! Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
You’re so welcome, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! N x