Chinese pot sticker recipe – dumplings “jiaozi”

I got this Chinese pot sticker recipe from my Chinese mother in law. I learned that pot stickers are a traditional Northern Chinese holiday meal, usually made by the whole family on the Eve of Chinese New Year. Both my in-laws made them from scratch several times and let me help, but I confess I used to find the recipe too mind-boggling. That is, until this week. After noticing how much my two-year-old loves the chicken pot stickers we get from Costco, I decided to make my own. For this Chinese pot sticker recipe, I am using store-bought wrappers, but they can be made from scratch if you are feeling ambitious.

FILLING:

All needed ingredients can be found at an Asian market and some at your regular supermarket.

Get creative: this pot sticker filling recipe is traditional and very basic, but you can add/substitute ingredients to suit your taste. Try: water chestnuts, tofu, green onions, mushrooms or bean sprouts. Remember to slice everything thinly, including vegetables and spices (like ginger and garlic). You can also substitute pork for your favorite ground meat.

Set aside 1 package of round pot sticker wrappers, thawed or see my other post on how to make pot stickers wrappers from scratch.

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Chinese pot sticker recipe - dumplings "jiaozi"

Course apetizer, Main

Cuisine Chinese

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Author biteslife.com

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. of ground pork
• 5 jumbo prawns shelled, cleaned and thinly sliced
• 1/3 of a Napa cabbage sliced cabbage or 1/3 of a Napa cabbage tip side, boiled
• 4 chives thinly sliced
• 1 tea-spoon of salt
• 1 table-spoon of soy sauce
• 1 tea-spoon of sesame oil
• 1 tea-spoon of black rice vinegar
• 1 tea-spoon of brown sugar
• 1 table-spoon of thinly sliced fresh ginger root (about 2 slices)
• 1 tea-spoon of mashed garlic
• 1 egg

Instructions

1. In a big bowl, mix all the ingredients except the egg, sprinkling the salt and liquid ingredients so that all of the meat and vegetables are equally covered.
2. Mix for 3 to 5 minutes with a fork or chop sticks until they form a paste. You are now ready to fill the wrappers.
3. With the egg, make an egg wash and place in a small cup. You will use it to seal the pot stickers.
4. Put approximately 1 1/2 tea-spoon of mixture in the middle of the wrapper. Then, wet the edges of the top half of the wrapper with the egg wash or cold water.

Fold:

I found this helpful online video of how to fold the pot stickers, which is the most challenging part of making them. Overtime, you may find your own way of folding and sealing that accomplishes the same look.

Place the pot stickers on a baking sheet/chopping board thinly covered with flower, or laid on parchment paper to avoid sticking. Align at 1/2 inch distance so that they do not touch. They are now ready to cook or freeze for future use.

If freezing, place pot stickers in the freezer for an hour or two on the sheet they were aligned. This will ensure they do not stick together. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag and re-freeze until ready to cook. Frozen pot stickers keep up to three months.

COOK:

Fill a stock pot halfway with water, cover and allow to boil on high. Quickly add the pot stickers one by one stirring carefully so they do not stick to each other. Cover and allow to boil until pot stickers rise. Add two cups of cold water and  boil for 3 more minutes. Then scoop out carefully with strainer spatula and serve.

Other cooking methods are the pan-fried and steamed. This site has helpful videos that will show you additional cooking methods and preparation tips.

POT STICKER DIPPING SAUCE:

Click here for the pot sticker dipping sauce recipe.

Tip: MAKE IT SOCIAL! Invite friends over for a pot-sticker making party. Mix and match ingredients and have fun while you’re at it.