Chinese Pork Dumplings (餃子)

This recipe for classic Chinese Pork Dumplings features seasoned plump morsels of tender pork and cabbage enveloped in a smooth, silky, chewy round wheat wrapper.

What are Chinese dumplings?

Chinese dumplings 餃子 (jiao zi in Mandarin, or gow ji in Cantonese) traditionally consist of a filling of ground meat and/or vegetables encased in a thin rolled out dough, which is sealed in a half-moon shape.

Dumplings are an important Chinese New Year dish with historical significance and symbolism.

There are many different types of Chinese dumplings.

Types of Chinese dumplings

Chinese dumplings come in many variations, ranging from boiled, steamed, or pan-fried potstickers to deep-fried wontons and soup dumplings (xiu long bao).

Many of these dumplings have different names by way of how they are cooked.

Boiled:

Jiao zi is also known as shui jiao, when boiled in water or stock.

Steamed:

Chinese dumplings are known as zheng jiao if steamed.

Pan-fried:

Guo tie, also widely known as potstickers.

What are potstickers?

Potstickers (guo tie) are Chinese dumplings, but are more so defined by the cooking method, which is generally pan-fried and steamed, to get a golden brown crispy bottom.

Not all dumplings are pot stickers, as they can be cooked using various methods.

What's the difference between Chinese dumplings and Japanese gyoza?

Japanese-style gyoza has a thinner dumpling skin, and originated from Chinese jiaozi.

Typically gyoza are smaller in size, pan-fried and not boiled.

Homemade Chinese potsticker dumplings tend to have a thicker, chewier skin.

What's the difference between Chinese wontons and dumplings?

Chinese wontons consist of pork and shrimp filling, which is wrapped with square wheat wrappers.

The main differences are that wontons use square wheat wrappers, and that the wrappers have alkaline water added to it (just like egg noodles), to give it its delicate, silky texture.

Wontons are typically boiled or deep-fried, and not steamed or pan-fried as the skin is too fragile. 

What is Korean mandu?

Mandu refers to Korean dumplings, which can contain different fillings including tofu, bulgogi beef, and kimchi.

Other types of Chinese dumplings

Apart from jiao zi, there are even more Chinese dumplings which include pan-fried pork buns (sheng jian bao), well-known dim sum favorites such as siu mai, har gao, taro puff dumplings (wu gok), fried glutinous rice dumplings (ham sui gok), crystal dumplings, larger steamed buns (bao zi) and smaller glutinous rice balls (tang yuan). 

Why you'll love this recipe

This recipe for Chinese pork dumplings is:

Easy to make: using store-bought wrappers keeps this recipe simple; the only thing you need to do is mix the pork filling ingredients together!

Tender and juicy: the methodology of mixing the pork in one direction and adding in cabbage keeps the meat filling tender and moist.

Freezer-friendly: make a larger batch and keep them in the freezer. They store well and are great to have on hand to pair with egg noodles, or other dumplings such as xiu long bao or wontons.

Ingredients you'll need

• Napa cabbage (紹菜): shredded; you can also use savoy cabbage 
• coarse sea salt (課程鹽): for pulling out excess moisture in the cabbage
• ground pork (豬肉末): I like using lean ground pork, but you can use regular ground pork, which will give it added richness
• aromatics: garlic (蒜), green onions (蔥)
• seasonings: soy sauce (醬油), granulated sugar (砂糖), sea salt (鹽), sesame oil (麻油), Chinese 5-spice powder (五香粉)
• chicken bouillon powder (雞粉): adds additional savory flavor, optional
• cornstarch (玉米澱粉): keeps the pork tender; you can sub with tapioca starch
• round dumpling wrappers (餃子皮): store-bought or homemade

You can find these ingredients at your local Asian grocery store or large supermarkets.

How to make dumplings

Make the filling:

Place shredded Napa cabbage into a colander.

Sprinkle coarse sea salt over the cabbage and gently massage. Let it sit for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, squeeze the cabbage tightly and drain excess moisture.

Add the cabbage to a stand mixer bowl fitted with paddle attachment.

Next, add in the ground pork, garlic, green onions, soy sauce, sugar, salt, sesame oil and chicken bouillon powder (if using), and cornstarch.

Mix on low speed until the ground pork mixture is homogenous and small strands begin to appear, about 5-7 minutes.

Tip: if you don't have a mixer, you can use stir the mixture by hand in one direction using a pair of chopsticks.

Assemble:

Take one dumpling wrapper and place it onto a plate or work surface.

Add about 1 tablespoon of filling to the center of the wrapper, dab one half of the wrapper with water and fold the dumpling to seal.

This is the easiest way to seal the dumpling. You can seal the dumpling using different pleating techniques.

Place the completed dumpling onto a large baking tray lined with parchment paper, or a plate lightly greased with sesame oil.

Repeat with the remaining dumpling wrappers and filling.

2 ways to cook Chinese dumplings

There are many ways to cook dumplings. For these shui jiao dumplings, you can either boil or steam them.

Boil:

Bring a pot of water up to a boil.

Add in the dumplings, stir gently and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the dumplings float.

Remove with a slotted spoon and serve with your choice of soy sauce, black vinegar, or chili oil.

Steam:

Add the dumplings to a steaming rack (allow space in between the dumplings so they don't stick). 

Tip: lightly oil the steaming rack with sesame oil, use parchment paper with a few holes cut out, or a wet calico cloth on top of the steaming rack to prevent the dumplings from sticking.

Bring a pot of water up to a boil. 

Carefully place the steaming rack over pot of boiling water and cover with a lid.

Steam dumplings for 6-8 minutes, until cooked through. Add a few extra minutes if cooking from frozen.

How to serve

Serve the dumplings with soy sauce, sesame oil and black vinegar or chili sauce.

You can also serve the dumplings in a light broth, such as chicken stock.

Pair the dumplings with your choice of wheat noodles -- you can do a dry-style noodle like dan dan noodles, kolo mee, or a soupy-style wonton noodles or Taiwanese beef noodles.

Or enjoy the dumplings on their own with chili oil as an appetizer or snack.

How to store & reheat

Freezer:

You can store uncooked dumplings in a single layer on a large baking tray lined with parchment paper and freeze for 1-2 hours, until partially frozen.

Transfer the partially frozen dumplings into an airtight freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Cook the dumplings from frozen -- no need to defrost.

Fridge:

Store cooked dumplings in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

If serving with a broth, store the dumplings separate from the broth.

Expert tips & substitutions

You can change up the filling and add in chives, shrimp, mushrooms, or cilantro.

There are many ways to fold the dumplings, ranging from folding it over into a crescent moon shape, or pleating -- choose whatever way you like!

Whichever method you choose, pinch firmly to seal the dumpling -- that way the dumpling will not leak.

When boiling the dumplings, give it a stir once you place them into the water to avoid them sticking to the bottom of the pot.

When cooked through, the dumplings will float to the top, and their skin will turn slightly translucent and silky smooth.

What to do with excess wrappers & filling

If you have extra dumpling wrappers, you can place them in the freezer (in an freezer-safe bag) and store for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight before using. 

If you have additional meat filling, you can make them into small meatballs and pan-fry in a hot skillet, or boil in water.

Other dumpling recipes you may like

Be sure to check out these recipes:

Vegetable and Turkey Dumplings with Black Vinegar Dipping Sauce

Ham Sui Gok 咸水角 (Fried Glutinous Rice Dumplings)

Rose Siu Mai 燒賣 (Steamed Pork and Shrimp Dumplings)

Cantonese-Style Siu Mai 烧卖

Let me know if you try out this recipe -- tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below!