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Home Collections Asian Takeout

Chinese Dumplings – Pork (Potstickers)

By:Nagi
Published:23 Mar '18Updated:22 Aug '23
207 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

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!

Potstickers / Pan Fried Chinese Dumplings on a dark brown plate shot from overhead
Potsticker being dipped in a small bowl with soy sauce and chilli oil

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.

Rehydrating shiitake mushrooms and finely chopping them
Glass bowl with Potsticker Filling made with pork, cabbage, shiitake mushrooms and chives.
Glass bowl with Potsticker Filling made with pork, cabbage, shiitake mushrooms and 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!

Dumpling wrapper for Potstickers (Chinese Pan Fried Dumplings)
How to wrap Potstickers (Pan Fried Chinese 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! 😇

A tray filled with Potstickers ready to be cooked
Close up of uncooked wrapped potstickers on a tray

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!

Potstickers cooking in a black skillet

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

  • Vegetable Dumplings

  • Wontons

  • Gyoza (Japanese dumplings)

  • Siu mai (Chinese yum cha steamed pork and prawn dumplings)

  • Chinese Steamed BBQ Pork Buns

  • Browse the Yum Cha recipe collection, all Chinese Recipes and Asian Takeout copycat recipes

Potsticker being dipped in a small bowl with soy sauce and chilli oil
Overheat photo of Potstickers, also known as Pan Fried Chinese Dumplings, on a dark brown plate with dipping sauce.

Chinese dumplings (potstickers)
Watch how to make it

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Potsticker being dipped in a small bowl with soy sauce and chilli oil

Chinese dumplings (Potstickers!)

Author: Nagi
Prep: 30 minutes mins
Cook: 25 minutes mins
Total: 55 minutes mins
Mains
Chinese
5 from 76 votes
Servings30 pieces
Tap or hover to scale
Print
  • 131
Recipe video above. Time to get your dumpling game on! Don't fret about perfect pleats – if it's all too hard, just press the seams together without pleating, plenty of Chinese restaurants do this. 
This recipe has a pork and cabbage filling, which is traditional and common. After a Vegetable filling? Here it is!

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:

* 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.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 27gCalories: 78cal (4%)
Keywords: Chinese dumplings, Chinese Pan Fried Dumplings, Potstickers
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

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.


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Hi, I'm Nagi!

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207 Comments

  1. S says

    October 12, 2023 at 11:40 am

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi, just made these, they’re not cooked yet but I know they’ll taste great as I fried up the tiny left over filling and ate it. Lovely. Just thought I’d let you know too that the pleating was dead easy. First couple were a bit wonky but no problem after I’d got the hang of it. 30 filled and pleated in under 15 minutes. Thanks again. Siu Mai and wontons tomorrow all ready for Sunday yum cha. Can’t wait!
    Cheers S

    Reply
  2. Linda knight says

    October 10, 2023 at 12:18 pm

    Taste lovely but the mushrooms a bit rubbery didn’t chop fine enough perhaps, next time I will.so satisfying to make thank you again xx

    Reply
    • S says

      October 12, 2023 at 11:46 am

      5 stars
      Hi Linda, yesterday I made Nagi’s spring rolls and thought the same. I gave up trying to chop them finely and ran them through the meat grinder on my Kitchen Aid before I ground the pork. Did the same today with these babies. Worked a treat. Hopefully you have a grinder. Best of luck.
      S x

      Reply
  3. Ash says

    September 8, 2023 at 2:25 pm

    5 stars
    My first time ever as an adult of Chinese background ever attempting dumplings (we’ve only ever bought store bought ones before) and even my parents approve! I walked into an Asian butcher and asked them to mince the pork belly for me and the dumplings sure are juicy. I used them as wontons for our noodle soup and they are sooooo delicious!

    Reply
  4. Sharon says

    June 17, 2023 at 2:22 pm

    5 stars
    These were amazing, made exactly as directed.
    Honestly I will never buy premade dumplings again.

    Reply
  5. Kath R says

    June 10, 2023 at 8:32 pm

    5 stars
    Made these for dinner tonight for my husband and myself and they were amazing! Instead of hand chopping the ingredients I pulsed them all separately in a small chopper. We both dislike mushrooms but I kept them in and we were both in love with these! Thank you Nagi for another perfect recipe!

    Reply
  6. Barbara Ann Pan says

    March 27, 2023 at 4:46 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe is great! I’ve made dumplings with purchased wrappers before and was disappointed. Your detailed and foolproof cooking technique made all the difference.
    After enjoying them I must agree with your assertion that fat is critical. I could have added more to the lean-ish ground pork I used, and will use at least the recommended added oil or fat.
    I look forward to the next delicious dumpling festival starring your great recipe!

    Reply
  7. Angela Ponder says

    March 9, 2023 at 3:10 am

    5 stars
    I bought the wrong wrappers so I had to do a noodle skillet dish instead.

    Added Chicken broth, oil for wok, green onions, sesame seed oil. I think that is about it.

    Love your recipes!! Just a few additions to make a sauce and there you have it.

    Reply
  8. Jo says

    March 6, 2023 at 7:24 am

    I have just started making pork wontons and also use the recipe/wrappers for mini spring rolls but use chicken mince for spring rolls. I put mince and ingredients in the food processor first as I found it needed to be more mushy, definitely better texture

    Reply
  9. Julie says

    January 14, 2023 at 10:05 am

    Hi Nagi, I want to try these but I’m having trouble finding out what Napa cabbage is? I’ve never heard of it or seen it. Was wondering if I can substitute wombok or something else please?

    Reply
    • Sue H says

      April 11, 2023 at 4:22 am

      Hi Julie. Napa cabbage is also known as Chinese Cabbage, Wong Bok or Wonga Bok in Australia. It’s a tall, slim and more tender cabbage than the normal European variety. Hope this helps! PS It’s delicious!

      Reply
  10. Isabella says

    January 1, 2023 at 6:47 pm

    5 stars
    These are by far the best dumplings I have made.
    I cooked them as a starter for our New Year’s eve dinner and they were a massive success. People could not get enough of them.

    Thank you SO MUCH for sharing the recipe and for making it easy to follow.

    With love and gratitude.

    Happy 2023!

    Isabella

    Reply
  11. Chels says

    August 31, 2022 at 8:44 am

    5 stars
    Cant get enough of these dumplings! Served with a veg lo mein (your recipe, of course). Incredible!

    Reply
  12. Kellie says

    November 11, 2021 at 7:35 pm

    5 stars
    Nagi,

    My family think I’m MasterChef thanks to you. They rate my potstickers higher than our previous favourite and I have to make a double batch whenever I make them to share with family and friends.

    I love all your recipes I have been super devoted to Donna Hay since I first started cooking and honestly check your website first to see if you have a better version.

    I also love your dozer updates and everything you do for the homeless.

    You
    Are
    Amazing!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 12, 2021 at 9:41 am

      Thank you Kellie! That made my day! What a nice comment! N x

      Reply
  13. Beth Bilous says

    October 22, 2021 at 10:29 pm

    5 stars
    I will give yours a go. I have used Ming Tsai’s for years. Its his moms. Perfect she adds an egg. Your thoughts on the egg adition. Pot stickers are heaven sent IMHO

    Reply
  14. Lord says

    October 16, 2021 at 9:12 pm

    5 stars
    I made these as boiled wontons in broth tonight. They came out perfect and was soooo delicious. Will definitely make them as potstickers next time. thank you for your recipe 🙂

    Reply
  15. Frances V says

    September 29, 2021 at 6:23 pm

    5 stars
    Nagi, thank you! These delicious potstickers are so easy to make and my Asian friends were most impressed with the flavour and my (first-time) assembly of these bite-sized parcels of goodness! Love your site!

    Reply
  16. Elizabeth Gordon-Douglas says

    September 12, 2021 at 6:44 pm

    I made these potstickers tonight! So easy and absolutely Devine!

    Reply
  17. Sally says

    September 8, 2021 at 10:37 pm

    Not to be a Chris but can I sub the pork with beef mince?

    Reply
  18. Joseph Greeley says

    September 7, 2021 at 6:34 am

    Can’t wait to try these! The story i heard about the name ‘potsticker’ was that a chef was boiling dumplings for the Emperor (or some other high-faluting individual) and accidentally let the pot boil dry so that the dumplings got crispy on the side against the pot. No idea if it has ANY truth to it. but it sounds good and explains the name!

    Reply
  19. Ren says

    September 6, 2021 at 5:48 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi,

    I made 64 of these little suckers on Saturday…. It was a labour of love as I am not experienced in wrapping dumplings. I started out (trying to) create the pleats. After dumpling No. 15 i just started squashing the pastry edges together, because I also had your lasgana recipe to cook, for my Dad for Father’s Day!!
    Hubby and I had Potstickers with your Charlies, Chargrill Asian salad for lunch today. OMGoodness! Soooo good!!! I added ginger, coriander and some Cayenne chilli to the salad also. Very yummy!!
    Thanks Nagi,
    R x

    Reply
  20. Anne K says

    August 28, 2021 at 1:10 pm

    Hi Nagi
    Love your recipes
    Is it ok to substitute regular cabbage for Chinese cabbage? Thank you

    Reply
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