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!
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time25 minutesmins
Total Time55 minutesmins
Course: Mains
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: Chinese dumplings, Chinese Pan Fried Dumplings, Potstickers
Servings: 30pieces
Calories: 78cal
Author: Nagi
Ingredients
5 - 6dried shiitake mushrooms(Note 1)
1 ½cupsfinely chopped Chinese cabbage(Napa cabbage)
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)
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.