These Chinese Potsticker Dumplings are the ultimate comfort food! They are easy and fun to make, quick to cook and delicious as the main or side snack.
Peel and mince 2 cloves of garlic.Peel and grate 1 knob of ginger to yield 1 tbsp.
1 knob ginger, 2 cloves garlic
Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage. Cut the cabbage into half. Use a vegetable peeler to shred out 100g of cabbage.
100 g cabbage
Combine 600g minced pork, 100g shredded cabbage, minced garlic, 1 tbsp grated ginger, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp sesame oil, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp Chinese wine, 2 tsp white pepper powder. Mix well by hand or using a spoon. Use immediately or cover and chill in fridge until ready to use.
600 g minced pork shoulder 五花肉, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp Chinese Shao Xing Wine, 2 tbsp sesame oil, 2 tsp white pepper powder
Get ready a small bowl of water, dumping wrappers and the pork cabbage filling to start wrapping the dumplings.Note: keep the dumpling wrappers covered to prevent it from drying out.
50-60 pcs dumpling or gyoza wrappers
In this recipe, I used the store bought dumpling wrappers. Scoop 1-2 tsp heapful of filling onto the less floured side of the wrapper.
Dab some water around the edge of the wrapper to make it stick easier.
Fold the wrapper into half, pinch in the middle of the wrapper.Using the thumb and index finger on one hand to hold the middle of the wrapper, make 2-3 inward folds with the other hand on the right and left side of the wrapper. Press firmly to seal the wrapper well.Dab some water (if required) to seal the wrapper if it's not sticky enough.
Warm 1 tbsp cooking oil in a non-stick pan over medium high heat.
1 tbsp cooking oil
Place the dumplings into the pan, at least 1 cm apart, fold side up.
Pan fry for about 2 minutes until the bottom crisps up.
Add 1/4 cup water, enough to cover 1/4 of the dumpling height. Cover with a lid and let it steam for about 7 minutes, until most of the water evaporated or the wrapper turns translucent.
1/4 cup water
Drizzle 1/2 tbsp sesame oil over the dumplings and let it cook for another 30 seconds.
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
The bottom of the dumplings will have crisped and browned nicely.Turn off heat and transfer the dumplings onto a serving plate.
Make the dipping sauce by combining soy sauce, rice vinegar and julienned ginger strips.
Place dumplings onto a steamer and steam over medium high heat for about 8-10 minutes until the skin turns translucent. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.
Alternative cooking method by boiling
Boil water in a pot over high heat. Add the dumpling into the boiling water and boil over medium high heat till the dumplings float to the top. Stir regularly to avoid the dumplings sticking to the pot. Once the dumplings float, boil for another 2 minutes. Note: total time taken is about 4-5 minutes.
Remove the dumplings from the water and transfer onto a serving plate. Drizzle the dumplings with some soy sauce, sesame oil and chilli oil. Serve it immediately.
Once wrapped, store uncooked dumplings in airtight containers, placed separately from each piece, in the freezer up to 3 months. You do not have to thaw it before you cook it, whether it's steamed, boiled or pan-fried. Just take note that the cooking time will be longer if the dumplings are frozen.
In this recipe, I'm using store bought gyoza wrappers. These wrappers are more rigid, thicker and dusted with more flour to prevent them from sticking to each other. Choose the side with lesser flour to add the filling and dab some water to seal the dumpling.
The pork shoulder meat is minced once for this recipe, you can let the butcher know if you want it minced once or twice. Mincing it more than once will have a slightly pastier texture. If you can't find pork shoulder meat, you can also use lean pork meat mixed with pork belly, the fats from the pork belly will add a nice grease and taste to the filling.
I added shredded cabbage to the meat filling as I love the texture and taste of cabbage. I didn't wash the cabbage as I tore off the outer layer leaves and use the inside leaves for shredding. You can also use garlic chives, spring onion, mushrooms to replace the cabbage.
To test if the dumplings are cooked, insert a toothpick or satay stick or thin chopstick into the middle of the dumpling, and pull it out, if it comes out clean, the dumplings are cooked and ready to eat.