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!
It is 8:00am and I am reading this recipe and craving some pot stickers! These sound amazing, they will be on my table tonight. Thanks again Nagi.
I hear you, I was writing this up over breakfast and it was KILLING ME!
I have never made pot stickers but this would be a real challenge!! They look like an Asian ravioli ❤️ I’ll have to give this a go and I’ll let you know how they turn out. Dozer is a great picker and pretty cheap too. Have a great weekend.
Asian Ravioli! I LOVE IT!!! 😂
In Italian we just call them “ravioli cinesi”, Chinese ravioli
So glad you have posted this recipe-I love potstickers, and have never attempted to make them myself, but now I have confidence with your recipe to give it a go!
Did you know that an old cowboy term for a dog is a ‘Pot Licker’? LOL I live in the American West, and it is used for both good dogs (‘ahh,my good little ‘ol pot licker’) or dogs that are less than good-like chasing livestock or getting after the chickens and such (‘you *&%*!# ‘ol pot licker!’) I have used both terms many times! LOL-Life with dogs is great and never boring. Glad to see Dozer is hard at work on the computer…now if he had thumbs, you would never keep him out of the cabinets or refrigerator! He’d be a pot licker eating all your potstickers! :)~
POT LICKER! OMG that would totally be Dozer’s name if I let him…… N xx
Love the Fish Pie. Love receiving recipes daily. Absolutely love Dozer.
Welcome to the Dozer fan club! His head is growing bigger by the day….
I have printed one of the photo’s of Dozer and have it on my notice board at work LOL.
I’ve been making wontons for ages, but have never taken a stab at dumplings and have been meaning to do so. Now I will! I really like your cooking method, especially–it’s like having the best of both worlds with them being pan-fried and steamed, and that’s greatly appealing.
Dozer must be pleased he hadn’t needed to don formal attire to select a knife winner! 🙂 Congratulations to Monica!
It’s one of the things I love so much about Potstickers – crispy base PLUS steamed goodness! N xx
Looks great! How do you make that dipping sauce?
Thanks.
Hi Fred! I use soy sauce + chilli oil or chilli paste, it is in the notes to the recipe! N xx
So I’m recovering from bronchitis, and I’m reading your post and get to the part about the independent random number generator whom you hired, assuming you brought in your mother or a friend for that job. Then I see the pictures of Dozer at the keyboard, looking so serious about his task. Oh my gosh, I wasn’t ready for that! Hilarious! So five minutes of coughing later…
This post, especially the video, are very persuasive for trying to make these on my own. I love potstickers but never even considered making them myself till now. Thanks for the inspiration as well as breaking it down into doable parts, Nagi! This will be fun to try.
OMG Marcia, we are linked in spirit. I had an awful cough for WEEKS and laughing was torture! I HEAR YOU!! N xx
Hi Nagi! Do you have a recipe for that luscious looking dipping sauce?
Thank you
Darlene
Hi Darlene! It’s in the notes – I use soy sauce + chilli oil OR paste. SO GOOD! N xx
I dontbeat poor but would still like to use a meat. Do you have any suggestions on what would work best?
Hi Cela! Chicken or turkey will work great! If you can, ask your butcher to ground it up with the skin on, so you get nice juicy dumplings like you get from dumpling shops! N xx
These look perfect, Nagi
Thank you Sabrina! one of my more painful posts…. you get it… 😜
Hi, Nagi and all y’all fans of Nagi! A question: could these be made with ground chicken or turkey for those folks that can’t/won’t eat red meat? And what sort of fat could be added to the lean ground poultry? I’’ve made potstickers in the past….time to make them again! Thanks for all the great recipes, Nagi!
Hi Teresa! Absolutely – white meat is fine too! If you can, go to the butcher and ask them to ground up chicken with skin on for you, it will be nice and fatty so the dumplings will come out juicy just like from the dumpling shops! N xx
We love dumplings. Sometimes I mix shrimp and pork together. When I retired I took a course on making them. Make my own skins as well. Having more time to play in the kitchen makes my life so much more fun. Monica, you will love the knife. We have 3.
You are so much more expert than me, wish you were around here then I could have used YOU in this post! 😂 N xx
Congratulations Monica, what a wonderful gift! These Pot-stickers look wonderful I am looking forward to trying them!! Thanks for sharing your recipes Nagi!!
You’re so welcome Valerie! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes! N xx
One of your best post, in my humble opinion. We love making dumplings, but after a few years of making, mine never look as good and consistent as yours. Great recipe as well. I see a dumpling making session coming up in our kitchen.
Now, I believe it customary for the independent keyboard striker such as Dozer to get 15% of the value of the giveaway. Should you not be in compliance, I fear Dozer might seek restitution…
That is a high praise Ron! Thank you! Hope you had a great weekend! N xx
I just recently found your site. I am a new fan of Potstickers and now will attempt to make them at home. I did not enter your giveaway, but I love your dog!!!! I’m sure he is a wonderful friend and companion.
He is a cheeky devil and all I can say is that it’s lucky he is so cute! 😂
Do you have a vegetarian option/filling?
Thanks!
Try this – replace the pork with 3/4 cup of spinach pan fried and wilted, squeezed of excess liquid and 1/2 cup of grated carrot 🙂 YUM N x
Hi Mark and Nagi,
I was going to ask if you thought tofu would work in place of the pork. If yes, is there something else you would add to enhance the richness/flavour? Also, silken? Or would a firmer tofu be better?
(Sorry, that’s a lot of questions all at once!)
Cheers,
Becca
Hi Becca! I’d worry about the liquid in tofu, even firm tofu 🙂 I wrote my suggestion Mark below – it’s one of my favourite vegetarian dumpling fillings! N xx
Dozer is such a handsome dog!
He thinks so too… 😂 N x
Hi Nagi. It says the serving size is 30 pieces. That can’t be correct – can it?
Hi Lisa! Yep – it is 🙂 30 dumplings! N x
Nagi – your potstickers are so beautiful! I’m afraid when I make them they will not be quite so beautiful, but practice makes perfect (or maybe just presentable). I also realized my nice new nonstick pan does not have a lid….I think I’m going to have to do something about that so I can make these.
My non stick pan doesn’t have a lid either, it’s fine! Just use the life of a pot! N x
Thanks for sharing your recipe to make my guests happy
I hope you and your friends enjoy this James! N x
Yes