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Here’s my recipe for making both Chinese steamed dumplings and Chinese pan-fried dumplings (the latter are known as ‘potstickers’ in America). There are also boiled dumplings which I’ve had often in Beijing, but I don’t like these quite as much.
I really enjoyed reading your post on dumplings. One of my favourite dishes is Pan Fried Dumplings from one of our local restaurants in China Town. (Don’t tell anyone, but i have been known to eat a plate of them by myself when I have been feeling a little down and in need of comfort.) I don’t think I would make them at home, but loved reading your comments.
Hi there! Just to say, pan fried dumplings are really easy to make at home, but with the help of a friend. Also, you can make as many as you like and pig out in the comfort of your own home! Will check out your blog properly soon, it looks very interesting from what I saw…
Helen Yuet Ling
Hi Helen, thanks for the encouragement – maybe I will try them one day. It might be a nice way to spend an afternoon with a friend, and ending with a wonderful feast of dumplings.
My favourite dumplings from China Town, are served “stuck” together in a glorious circle of dumplings. They are held together with a thin web of what looks like a thin layer of beaten egg that crisps nicely as the dumplings are cooked. Are you familiar with this?
Thank you very much for visiting my site – I am so pleased that liked it. Feel free to explore at your leisure.
BTW I also appreciated your post on Chinese Etiquette. Really good, and I appreciated understanding more. Luckily, I found that I was not too bad (phew!) but can modify a little. Thanks.
VegeYum
Hi VegeYum,
I’ve not had the dumplings before that you describe! Sounds absolutely amazing. Must do some research on that…
Glad to hear you like the tips and etiquette. They’re things that people aren’t going to tell you at the dinner table, because that would be even more rude!
Let me know if you ever try making the dumplings yourself…
Helen Yuet Ling
This looks like a great recipe, but I am making these for someone who can’t eat wheat products. Do you have a recipe for a rice flour wrapper? Will rice paper wrappers even work?
Hi Rebecca
Have a look at Lina’s suggestions to Sue in the comments under the About Me page. I haven’t made anything wheat-free yet, but as I get asked about it quite regularly, I’m going to investigate a bit more. My mum’s recipe for jiaozi is not wheat-free either, but have a look at it, then try Lina’s idea. It’s at http://worldfoodieguide.wordpress.com/2007/11/18/how-to-make-chinese-boiled-dumplings-shuijiao-by-pang-wu-yui-yi/
Thanks, Helen. I actually found that page after I posted my question. I’m going to try Lina’s suggestion and also check the stores for something pre-made. I like your mum’s recipe, too.
I am having a chinese new year party next weekend and also plan to try to make baked nian gao. Any other party foods you recommend?
Hi Rebecca
Good luck and let me know how it turns out, as I’d be really interested. If my husband discovers a good wheat-free substitute in his experiments, I’ll let you know. He’s making noodles with his pasta machine and will also be making dumpling wrappers!
Here’s an interesting article which refers to Chinese New Year food that my friend Susan wrote the other day. She also links back to another article of hers, about Chinese New Year food. It might be useful.
http://www.dimsum.co.uk/food/a-british-born-chinese-guide-to-the-essential-chinese-kitchen.html
As for me, I’m off to my aunt’s for Chinese New Year dinner, as preparing New Year food is beyond my capabilities! One of the dishes will be her traditional lucky dish made with delicious ingredients like whole dried scallops, fat choi (black moss seaweed) and dried oysters. I’ll write about the meal!
Happy Chinese New Year!
Hi Helen,
Well, I didn’t end up having to make the wheat-free dumpling wrappers. But I must say that the mushroom filling was a hit, although I used shitake instead of brown beech (which I couldn’t find).
I still have tons of fillings left over so I might still try the wheat-free wrappers. I’ll let you know what happens after I do.
Hi Rebecca
Did you have a good Chinese New Year party? We had nian gao too, plus lots of other goodies (I took some photos and wrote about it, naturally!). Glad to hear you liked the mushroom filling. Any mushroom would work, as long as it can be chopped up finely.
Enjoy!
Thank you for the great and detailed recipe and especially instructions.
I have just returned from China for the first time in my life, and remember excellent dunplings cooked on a hot palte by our chef in LiJiang.
I have tried to reproduce them since coming home; got the filling alsmost exactly right, but his wrappers were feather-light and soft, Even thoug hthey were as I said, cooked on hotplate in front of me.
I want to get the wrappers right. I will try your suggestions.
Regards,
Leo
Hi Leo
I hope you read this before you get started on the dumplings! To make that super soft wrapper, you’re going to have to go hand-made (in this recipe I used shop-bought wrappers). So check out my mum’s recipe (linked in the first paragraph) for some tips. I’ve yet to go down that route myself, although I have wrapped dumplings in China with friends who made the wrappers themselves.
Good luck and tell me all about it! I’m off to China and HK in October, so if I pick up any tips, I’ll let you know…
Helen Yuet Ling
I am looking for you dumpling recipe. I would really like to try and make them for my husband.
Hi! I came to your old site on a google search, hoping to find a recipe for Chinese pan-fried dumplings. I was guided to your new site, but became hopeless lost and found no recipe.
Am reluctantly going to have to go back to google and find another site, alas.
It’s my loss, I’m sure, because your site looks very nice!
Sincerely,
Harmony
Nice post! As a matter of fact, my housekeeper is making potstickers for me right now!
My girlfriends mum made me a freezer full of these when she came from Beijing recently. The dough is simply chinese plain flour and water (although noraml plain flour will be ok). We stuffed them with minced pork (hand minced from lean pork), prawn and celery.
The secret to pan frying them, is to fill a frying pan with them, 1 layer thick only, and not much spcae between each one. Use small amount of oil to fry for 2 minutes – then pour over abour 200 to 300mls of water (with a tablespoon of cornflour mixed in it). Cover the pan on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes. This will effectively boil & steam them so they’re cooked through. Then for the last 5 minutes, remove the lid and let the liquid cook off on higher heat – as it evapourates, the flour liquid creates a crispy web connecting all the dumplings together.
I usually finish with very high heat for 60 seconds, just to maximise my crispy bottom
Finally, remove from heat, and place a plate over the frying pan/wok. Quickly invert the pan 180 degrees and you’ll end up with a plate for of dumplings, with crispy side on top.
p.s. careful not to burn yourself – cover your arm with teatowel when inverting pan.
Usually eat mine with simple mixture of soy sauce, chinese vinegar & fresh sesame oil (only ever found this in China Im afraid)