What you’ll learn:
- How to properly pleat potsticker dumplings
- How to fry potstickers in batches
- How to squeeze out water from cabbage (if you’d like to include them in your recipe) so you wouldn’t have soggy dumplings
In college, my friends and I used to get together once a month and have “Chinese Potsticker” parties. The kitchen would be prepped to create 3 big batches of Chinese potsticker filling and the dining table would be converted to our potsticker wrapping session.
We’d make hundreds of Chinese Potstickers. A small batch to enjoy that evening and the rest of the potstickers go straight to the freezer for my friends to take home. They were soooo fabulous and it was our girly-bonding time.
These days, it’s not my girlfriends who come over to pleat dumplings, but my little kids sit at the table wrapping the potstickers with Mommy. Love it!
Chinese Potstickers are really simple to make, and there are a few secrets that I’ll share with you.
How to pleat potsticker dumplings
I’m piecing together several photos of dumpling making from different cooking sessions, so you’ll have to excuse the inconsistent photo quality. Not to mention, these photos were from last year, before I learned how to use my camera’s basic function, like FOCUS. 😉
These photos were taken when I handmade the dumpling wrapper – a feat that while delicious – to me is not worth the trouble, which is why I’ve not posted this before! The handmade wrappers are thicker than what you’d buy at the store.
Spoon about 1 teaspsoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper. Use your finger to brush the cornstarch slurry all around the outer edge of the dumpling to act as your “glue” to hold the potsticker together.
Bring up opposite sides and pinch the dumpling wrapper in the middle.
You’ll only be pleating the upper half of the potsticker. In this photo, all my pleats will be made on the upper half of the potsticker.
Start with your right side. Hold the potsticker in your hand. Fold and pleat as shown above. Pinch tight. You’ll do 3 pleats just like this on the right side. Then repeat on the other side, but in the opposite direction, so that all your pleats are pointing towards the center. See how my pleat points towards the center? This creates a crescent effect. The next time I make potstickers, I’ll have to take a few more photos, because it’s easier to learn by photos than in words.
Pinch all pleats tight – there should be no open spaces, otherwise your filling will fall out.
Now fry the potstickers in batches (read my instructions below in the recipe)
Sidenote:
While my Pan Fried Pork and Shrimp Potstickers Recipe below does not call for cabbage, if you do want to include cabbage in your dumpling, make sure you salt the cabbage, let it sit for 15 minutes and squeeze all the water out of the cabbage. Watery cabbage = soggy dumplings. Look how much water comes out after 15 minutes of salting:
The salt draws out the water. For every handful of shredded cabbage, use about 1 teaspoon of kosher salt (1/2 tsp table salt), mix well, let sit for 15 minutes at room temp. Place salted cabbage in cheesecloth and squeeze water out. You could also just do this in your hands too, if you don’t have cheesecloth.
Pan Fried Pork and Shrimp Potstickers Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE POTSTICKERS:
- 1 package of frozen dumpling skins, defrosted overnight in refrigerator or 40 minutes room temp (do not microwave or set in water)
- 3/4 pound raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 3 stalks green onions, cut into 2 inch sections
- 1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon rice wine (or dry sherry)
FOR THE SLURRY:
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water in a small bowl
- water
- cooking oil
FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE:
- 1 teaspoon Asian chili sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
Instructions
- Wash the shrimp and pat very dry. In a food processor, add the shrimp, green onions, bamboo shoots and pulse several times until the shrimp is chopped to about 1/4 inch. In a large bowl, combine the shrimp mixture with ground pork, soy sauce, salt, cornstarch, ginger, rice wine. Mix well.
- Spoon 1 teaspoon of the filling onto dumpling skin. Brush a bit of the cornstarch slurry all around the edge of the dumpling skin. Fold over and press to secure edges. Make sure edges are sealed tightly. Shape the dumpling so that it has a flat bottom. Cover loosely with plastic wrap so that it doesn't dry out.
- When you are ready to cook, heat a large nonstick pan with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the dumplings, flat side down, not touching, to the pan. Let fry for 1 minute until the bottoms are light golden brown. Pour 1/4 cup of water into the pan and immediately cover with a tight fitting lid. Turn heat to medium and let the dumplings steam for 3minutes. Open lid and let the remaining liquid cook off about 1 minute. Cut into a dumpling to make sure that the filling is cooked through. Remove to plate, wipe the pan clean with paper towels (or wash) and repeat with remaining dumplings. Serve with dipping sauce.
More Chinese Recipes to Explore:
Best Chinese Potsticker Wrappers from Scratch
Mushroom Tofu Potsticker Recipe
Ground Beef with Beijing Sauce Over Noodles
Stir Fried Shrimp, Eggs and Peas + Stir Fry Secrets
Xiao Long Bao – Steamed Shanghai Soup Dumplings
Wonton Noodle Soup
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comment section! I always appreciate your feedback and I know other readers do, too!
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A great and awesome write up. An all time relevant article.
Thanks for sharing with us on how to pleat potstickers
Much obliged for offering to us, That is a particularly superb story!
I enjoyed your story about pot sticker parties. What fun! Yours are so pretty I don’t think I can make mine as dainty as yours. But since I have all these ingredients in my pantry and ref right now I must try this recipe. I have an electric skillet, too and this might be a doable recipe in this heatwave we’re having. Thanks for sharing, Jaden!
Hello jaden, this is a really good recipe and you have perfectly wrapped the potstickers too. Anyway, wont boiling it first better then fry ? Because I think If u fry then boil it, the texture will before saggy..
Can you assemble the potstickers hours ahead of cooking time and chill them, then fry them when you’re ready to eat? I’m making these tomorrow for a Chinese-take out inspired feast. Thanks.
yes you can!
It’s ok for the kids to have rice wine, or dry sherry?? I’m sort of iffy whenever I read a recipe calling for any sort of alcohol but I’m not a drinker at all (never had a drop in my life) and I never know if I can subsitute it with a broth or something
Hope to hear from you about this issue with me! 🙂
Just omit the wine altogether. Normally the alcohol burns off, leaving just its flavor but it’s totally ok to omit in this recipe.
I swear if I ever get through the glut of produce in my kitchen waiting to be canned (who knew I’d get cheap good tomatoes in January????) I’m making a batch of these! I too used to participate in potsticker parties in college with my group of friends from the International Student Association, and loved having a batch of them tucked in my freezer ready to go. What a great way that used to be to spend a day!
What is the difference between potstickers and gyoza? I live in the Netherlands and I’ve never heard of potstickers.
I’ve been looking for Potstickers for a while now. I actually found you last night. I love all your tips on how to make them. When I went the frig to start, I found my cabbage was bad. I didn’t think you could make them without cabbage? So I Googled, Potstickers without cabbage and it brought me here again! 🙂 Well, I didn’t have any of the ingre. you have for this post! lol All I had was chicken. So I put it in the Cuisinart and chopped it all up. Added about a bunch of green onions. I put in some garlic, ginger, hot chili pepper, soy sauce, sesame oil, I think that was about it? One tip I love that you gave was to cook up a little “test” filler bite. What a great idea!! Why didn’t I ever think to do that? Then you can change it. I did my test, it was awesome! Really I wanted to try and make my own wrappers too cause I live out in the “sticks” and Wal-Mart is the closest thing. Their wrappers are too “wantony”. So I found a rec. for 2 C. AP flour. 1 C. Boiling water 1/4 t. salt. Mixed it up, let it rest an hour. Made the snake, cut little pieces, rolled them really thin (youtubed that 😉 ). Turned out AWESOME!!!! TRIPLE AWESOME!! Love, love, loved it! Man, with just simple ingre. these can be made! My first attempt the wrappers were bready. Wasn’t getting them rolled out enough! Thanks for all the info. and help in making these! I learned a lot from reading the comments too. That’s why I had to come back and leave one also!
Appreciate all the pictures! That was a BIG help with the pleating! 🙂 Ah…success!!! It was a beautiful thing!! 🙂
I made these tonight and they were absolutely perfect! The only thing I did different was adding cabbage since I had it in the fridge. The flavor was awesome and pleating the dumplings wasn’t nearly as tough as I thought it would be. Can’t wait to defrost the extras and have them as apps at a dinner party. Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks Emily!
Hi Jaden,
I love your blog! I’m excited to try these potstickers for a dinner party. But I have some vegetarians coming. Can you suggest proportions for a delicious veg filling? Thanks!
Hi Jaden!
Those dumplings look just DELICIOUS! And I may have the dumbest question of all time, but there is no step to include cooking the pork….? Does it go in raw and cook while the dumplings are being pan-fried??
Is that a dumb qustion? I might be a total idiot! lol!!!
Yes, the pork is cooked inside the dumpling!
I am amazed to notice how deep can “food” help weaving relations and get to know each other. In our blog about culture – where food plays a pivotal role – we have spoken about an Italian expatriate in Shanghai. She got to know Chinese culture through her Ayi (“Aunty” – something like a maid, which means “life saver” in China) by preparing together dumplings and pasta bolognese.
This is the link: http://www.illywords.com/2011/05/east-meets-west-in-the-kitchen-between-juicy-chinese-dumplings-and-pasta-bolognese/
Enjoy the text, photos and video!
Manuela
Hi Jaden! Okay, I need this answered. Is there a difference between “Won Ton Wrappers” and “Dumpling/Gyoza Wrappers”? When I go to the store do they say Dumpling/Gyoza Wrappers? I just think your recipe is probably the equivelant of the ones I order at this Chinese restaurant that has amazing food. I’m addicted and I swear I can order from them everyday! One of my favorite foods is Potstickers. If I can make a bunch and freeze them, I’d be ordering Chinese take out a lot less and probably save tons of money! I have ordered so much that now the owners know us so well that they know who’s name to take when we make an order. I think I need a break…ha ha ha! So please help me with the wrapper info. Also would you say there is a different quality from making your own wrapper dough than buying them? Can’t wait to hear from you!
They are different – wonton wrappers are square and generally a little thinner than the dumpling/gyoza wrappers which are round.
Get the dumpling/gyoza wrappers! And don’t bother making them from scratch (pain in the butt!!) 🙂
Perfect Potsticker Dough Recipe!!
I have used the recipe for dough (never used the filling recipe – I have a better one) from this website:
http://chinesefood.about.com/od/potstickers/r/potstickers.htm
The recipe instructs you to divide the dough evenly into balls and then roll out each wrapper separately. I did that the first time, but it took so long it was ridiculous. My 2nd time making this dough I just rolled it out thin and cut out circles with a drinking glass. The 2nd time I made the dough I also used my stand mixer (with dough hook) – it was a double batch.
I find these dough wrappers to be so much yummier than storebought – and it’s really not a lot of work.
Thanks Steph!
I’ve been eyeing this recipe for months. I am so excited to try them. Looks outstanding!
I made these for a New Years Eve party and they were a huge hit. I doubled the recipe and shared them with family and friends everyone loved them and I was even told they were “restaurant quality”!
Jaden,
I love your blog, but this recipe has pushed my respect for you as a cook into the stratosphere. They were so delicious! I will be making these every month, at least. Thank you!
J
HI. I FOUND A RECEIPE FOR CHINESE DUMPLINGS. IT IS AT THE WEBSITE IN THIS EMAIL. I AM GOING TO TRY TO MAKE THEM THIS WEEK. I’LL LET YOU KNOW HOW THEY COME OUT
JOE
Thanks for the great tutorial – I found your instructions a couple of months ago and my youngest and I had a great time making them (even better… he is 17, 6’4″ and a big guy… fun time in the kitchen). I didn’t bookmark your blog at the time – so I was so glad I could find it again. I also want to add a thanks about the salt and cabbage – amazing!
I just wanted to say thank you for posting this recipe. 6 months ago I decided that I could make my own dumplings after spending ridiculous amounts of money to eat them at restaurants, but I wasn’t really sure how easy it would be. Before my decision to make my own, I did not know what a food blog was (I don’t IM, I don’t blog, I don’t chat on line). I googled dumplings and after searching a while, found yours. I decided to go with it. Especially since you were willing to show what happens if you add cabbage and you had great directions. After seeing all that water, I decided to try it without cabbage or lettuce. I made them exactly as you wrote.
I bought wrappers from our Asia Mart. I had never been in an Asia Mart before so that was a new, weird experience in and of it self. BUT, I made them and my husband and children gobbled them down. We did purchase the dipping sauce from the mart also, because I didn’t know that that was also so easy to make at the time. WOW. (I must also say that the clerks at Asia Mart were VERY helpful in helping me choose the right ingredients, and I ask their advice all of the time now).
You and your blog have launched me into a whole new world. I now go to the Asia Mart once a week AND I follow at least 20 cooking blogs. Because of your recipe and pictures (yes, mine even look professional because the pleating is SO EASY). I have even branched out a little and now make sushi and other dishes I thought would be impossible to make. I also own a steamer just for your dumplings! (I steam instead of fry now). I make these dumplings almost once a week.
I have started try to be creative with the filling, but I can’t seem to find a better one yet. My little one has decided he does not like them anymore (only because the older one LOVES them) LOL. But I can’t find anything more American to put in them yet that he likes. He does still eat them!
Anway, thanks so much for taking the time to write in an easy, free manner and take pictures of your work in progress to help those like me who need the visual aids!
Patricia – you are too sweet! Can’t wait to see what you make! ~jaden
I made these today and they came out really well! Just wanted to reiterate how much I love your website. I rarely ever make recipes that come out perfectly. 🙂
I went to the market to buy the Chinese Shaoxing cooking wine today. Once you open it, how are you supposed to store it? In the fridge, on a shelf, etc?
Thanks!
Hey Jeanie-
Thanks for writing! I’m glad you loved the potstickers. Store the wine in the refrigerator or in your pantry that’s dark, cool.
You can throw a few slices or slivers of fresh ginger in the wine to make it even better. Anytime I have a little nub of fresh, raw ginger, I just slice thinly and stick it in the bottle. This wine will last for quite a while in refrig. I usually keep my wine for about 4 months.
Jaden
Hey Jaden, as much as I love shrimp and pork, others in my house don’t. It’s difficult to have a love-hate relationship with seafood, especially when everyone else in your house hates it.
I happen to like this recipe a lot, especially because of the combo of the shrimp, but could I leave the shrimp out and just use pork without really compromising the great flavors that this recipe has? Because if it really does compromise it, I won’t mind sneaking the shrimp in (It’ll be a secret between you and I. Just don’t tell my mom. LOL).
Also, must I use canned bamboo shoots? Could I use the fresh kind?
use whatever you want! beauty of potstickers and dumplings is that it’s to your taste. secret it to cook a tablespoon of the filling in a frying pan, taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. ~jaden
Thank YOU, Jaden. You da best!
Hi SteamyKitchen! Your blog was an excellent guide when I made pot stickers yesterday. They tasted really good, but I didn’t manage to get the lovely crescent shape as shown in your photos 🙠Next time, I suppose ;P
http://thelittleteochew.blogspot.com/2009/06/guo-tie-gyoza-pot-stickers.html
hey you did a great job on those potstickers! Jaden
My family and I LOVE potstickers. I usually buy the frozen potstickers available at the chinese grocery.
When I came into your posting for potstickers and all the detailed instructions, it just encouraged me to try to make it.I FINALLY make it, and it came out so PERFECT!!!…I follow all the instructions, and my potstickers came out nice, golden, crispy on the bottom and chewy on the skin.
Thanks so much, Jaden for this great recipe and step-by-step instructions. LOVE your website..:)
I FINALLY learned how to pleat potstickers! I found that if you follow your directions BUT keep the potsticker on the table (surface) instead of in your hand, it’s easier to pleat. Just my personal experience. Also, again having had to learn by trial and error, salt and squeeze out the cabbage. I wish your instructions were around about 20 years ago!!! I love your recipes! Thanks!
Hi Jaden,
Do you have the recipe for the potsticker dough? Since I live in a small town in TN, there isn’t any dumpling wrapper available at all. Would be really appreciate if you could email me the dough recipe. thank you.
MayLing
Hey there! I don’t have one posted on the site….I’ve made them once by hand but didn’t really record a recipe! 🙠I will next time, k?
~jaden
I love potstickers and I want to try your recipe. My pleating was okay but with your instructions and photos they’ll be a lot better. Thanks for sharing. I did have to laugh at the directions when told to use a nonstick pan. lol
Gah! I’ve been experimenting with dumplings for a few weeks now and while they come out good, I knew there were some things I was missing…like the folding technique and the slurry. Don’t ask how many of those things came apart on me during frying. Anyways, thanks for the pics and advice. I will try your sagely methods very soon and let you know how it came out. Happy cooking!
I made dumplings today using these tips and they were great. However the fried part of the dumpling became soggy after cooking it with water. The ones I get at my favorite chinese place are nice and crispy. Anyone know what the secret is to crispy bottoms? thanks!
I was searching the recipe for the potstickers via google and I found your blog. Thanks for your step-by-step of pleating the dumplings, now I can do it perfect and it looks like handmade by a restaurant or something. I made some today and it was such a crowd pleaser!
Thank you for describing how to pleat the potsticker dumplings. I felt hesistated to try. I like you photos as well.
Hi would you be able to contact me when you get a chance..I Live in London U.K and am thinking of opening a nice Chinese restaurant could you help me finding the right staff?looking forward to hearing from you soon THANK YOU V Much
Michael Gold
I know! I’ve been trying to get this stupid #*(&!@%$ print plug in to work. No luck.
How can I print the recpie without all the other stuff?
In reply to jules, I have an allergy to wheat so I know how hard it is. I’ve never known which yum cha are gluten free either, but I can help you with wrappers. Buy vietnamese rice papers (they’re round) from your asian grocer – you can normally get small or large ones. If you’re making rice paper rolls (bit different to dumplings, but can use these wrappers too) you dip the rice paper in a bowl or slightly less hot than boiling, then you put your filling in and fold up the bottom, then the left and right sides of the wrapper, then roll away from you. According to a vietnamese cookbook I just borrowed from the library, you can also make a crepe using a flour which is rice flour to tapioca of 6 to 1, with normal crepe ingredients like eggs, etc. I recommend investing in vietnamese cookbooks as they normally show you how to make rice paper rolls or fried spring rolls, but I believe that rice papers work really well as a dumpling skin if you steam the dumplings. Not sure if you can fold them prettily like this though.
I love making potstickers with my girls. They are Chinese born, with American parents. We all love these and I really don’t mind the “work”. We have made them at dinners that we have had as thank yous for supporting us in a mission trip last summer with the girls. I have never learned how to make the pleats like the Chinese grandmothers. Now I know and with the filling that I have in the freezer, we will be making some this weekend.
I really like your post here about potstickers. I just recently landed a sous-chef position at a hotel where we produce out a ton of those things, (with the pre-made wrappers of course 😉 ) The photo where you show about how to pleat is top-notch.
Thanks for that.
Dear Tony,
I too have been in search for the perfect potsticker dough. I believe in the order and technique of food science. While I have not tried Jaden’s Potsticker Dough recipe yet, it appears that her recipe may be “the one”. Trust me when I say I’ve have searched for “the one”. Key tips, her notes on Hot Water Dough and Kneading. All-Purpose flour (protein content 10-12%) is typically used, as Bread flour is higher is protein (12-14%), thus having higher glutens,thus typically resulting in a more chewy/dense product. Keep in mind that All-Purpose flour can vary slightly depending on brand and region. Make sure the dough rests as this helps the glutens relax. Too much flour can make a product tough. Hope this helps.
Jaden or anyone,
Do you have a recipe for the potsticker dough?
They have become expensive here in California, and I really don’t like them all that much…to thin.
I use a recipe similar to yours, based on a recipe from on of my favorite cookbooks by Rhoda Yee…”Szechwan & Northern Cooking”. I used her dough recipe (2 cups flour + ½ water) and used my pasta maker to roll out the dough…but the dough was tuff and chewy.
Hi Jaden
We love your blog.
just letting you know your potsticker pleating photos have dropped off the net, and no longer come up when the page is viewed. We hope they reappear soon so we can make some
thanks
Hi Jaden — potstickers are one of my favorite appetizers (I’m getting a craving for them as we speak) and this was perfectly timed! A friend of mine and I had planned a weekend potstickers marathon on Saturday, and I printed this out to use as our recipe.
We ground turkey, chicken, bok choy (treated like cabbage), green onions, ginger and low-sodium soy. If I’d remembered sprouts they would have been in the mix, too — next time!
We made a *massive* batch, cooked 12 on the spot (just to test, of course) and froze the rest in 10-dumpling packages. The total? 114 delicious potstickers. Hooray!
hi jaden i am see your pot sticker and i love food i am making new dishes and learning more recipe so my mail forward thanku
Hey Jaden,
That’s true pleating-talent! My potstickers and har-gow always turn out kind of lop-sided. I know the theory, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired! That, and my dumplings are always different sizes. I’m wrapping-challenged. One day, I hope you post a step-by-step guide on how to wrap “dzung”–you know–those sticky rice dumplings Chinese people chuck in the river? But I like mine stuffed with tons of things: green mung beans, huge chunks of chinese sausage, pork…maybe a duck egg yolk (not much room for sticky rice!) Those banana leaves are a pain in the neck to wrap.
delicious princess . . . awesome recipes . . . . great transformation from nothing to jewel . . . . you are a diamond!
you’ve always been funny and wacky in your posts, but i felt your tender side in this blog. that must have been a touching moment, i would have probably shed a tear myself if i were there.. anyways, your potstickers looks so perfect. very pretty. i’ll have to practice those.
It never fails to give me a tear when I see a member of the military surprise his/her loved ones.
Thank you for the story!
You have such a talent for this. I love your ideas and am so impressed with how good these look.
Thanks for all the nice comments! So I think tomorrow night we will see how much Kevin learned in class that night – we’re trying the dumplings ourselves! I can honestly tell you I have no idea what happend past the moment I saw him – it’s all a blur from then on. So hopefully he was paying attention to Jaden at least a little! If not, we’ll have the instructions here to help us! 🙂
Yummy Yummy, this looks so good. I wish I ordered Chinese for lunch.
Thanks for the tuto on pleating Jaden! Oh, and what a nice surprise, Lynne is one lucky girl 🙂 (trying not to get too emotional now … status: not working)
They look terribly yummy. Thanks for the step by step. I’ve made dumplings many times before and haven’t bothered with pleating. Next time…
Jaden,
Your photos are fabulous. I thank you for this really well done series on making dumplings.
We use premade sui gow wrappers for our own jiaozi / gyoza but we’ve always wanted to try making the skins ourselves. Could you please post a tutorial on that, especially the rolling out of the skin?
Hi there! You had dropped a Q on my blog for the Mango pickle recipe, asking for a substitute for gingelly oil….sorry for the delayed reply …..Well, Gingelly oil is also known as Sesame oil or til oil…..sesame oil is something u can find in american markets and asian stores…go for the lighter one.This pickle taste great and stays for a longer time if cooked in this oil…else you can use vegetable oil too but taste will be slightly different…..let me know if you liked the pickle…..change the spice level according to your tolerance level.All the best 🙂
I forgot to thank you for the pleating lessons!! I took another class from my friend’s mom…I was the ROCKSTAR because of my bad@$$ pleats!! I rocked it!!
Oh, YUM. Dammit, why do I read this stuff first thing in the morning? LOL Great step by steps, Jaden. 😀
i still hv this terrible nightmare of young me trying to pleat dumplings under close supervision of my then bf’s mum. i failed miserably, was convinced that i was & would always be hopeless in the kitchen, and almost swore never to attempt to cook anything anymore in my life!
silly me. lucky i grew out of that
yay to lynne and kevin! 🙂
Thank you for those instructions! My fist attempt at dumplings were horrible! I need to try them again.
I have fond memories of making dumplings with my mom when I was growing up. Thanks for the recipe. Maybe I’ll try to do it with my kids someday.
When I get my ass in gear and start learning how to cook, this might be one of the first things on the list! Dumpling pleating that is. Looks like a sure-fire way to declare when I’ve actually made something myself!
I love that story about Kevin showing up as “just one more student”. What a touching surprise. 🙂
I love your pleating photos too. Mine were never all that pretty, but you’ve inspired me to try again. 🙂
Jaden, I can even begin to praise you for making Chinese cooking so elegant, yet doable for all America. I can’t wait to buy your cookbook and encourage my entire workplace and all my friends to do it as well. I’ve missed reading your blog, and am going to spent countless hours catching up.
Thanks for correcting my pleating! That is the most perfectly, pleated, potsticker (try saying that 5 times fast) I’ve ever seen!!
Awesome stuff – a great photo and great little tutorial!
That homemade dumpling skin might have been time consuming, but the shots of it are just beautiful! I love the skins homemade. They have that toothy, rough resiliency that I miss when I make dumplings with the frozen stack stuff. But to have them with homemade skins means I’d have to go back to living with the Moms…yikes.
What a sweet story! It’s a good thing you gave such a happy & accommodating response. Can you imagine if you had said, “no!” haha.
The pot stickers look amazing and you know, I’ve always pleated both sides but now I see that pleating one looks much better!
Looks great. And good tips on how to form the dumplings, thanks. I made some pot stickers recently too. And the story of the veteran returning home was quite touching!
Pretty dumplings, Jaden! They look great!
Yeh, what a good cabbage tip 😀
great timing! i just made this 2 days in a row- my kids loved the recipe i used, but i will definitely try this with the pleating and all. i made it the easy way…folded in half-moon shape. thanks steamy!
I too am GF and would love the recipe for homemade dumpling wrappers…just returned from Asia myself and had to pass up on such treats.
these dumplings are beautiful … I almost want to reach into my monitor and grab a piece 😀
Oh my goodness, you totally have me all teared up over here! It’s far too late at night (i mean early in the morning) for this! I remember Lynne from your photo food class. We chatted about her husband and man, I am so happy for her, for them! 11 months is a LOOONG time…what a fantastic awesome surprise. The best part is someone capturing that special moment on film.
Ok, these dumplings look delicious! Love the new series, I think my kiddos are way overdue for a homecooked meal and one of these new recipes is calling my name!
Oh my lord! Those photos bring back so many memories for me. My parents spent hours making the wrapper dough, then filling them. I still can’t make the pleats as nice as my mom. My brother had the easy job of flattening the dough balls, then my dad would roll them out, as my mom and I filled. Thank goodness for premade wrappers now. We usually have two or three bags of homemade postickers in the freezer at any given time. Since I have a side by side refrigerator, I always made an effort to clear out the top shelf and used small cookie sheets covered with parchment or wax paper and dusted with cornstarch to freeze single layers of potstickers, then transferring them after frozen into freezer bags. I taught a friend how to make them too, and she has a very large deep freezer, which made it easier to lay full jelly roll pans in to freeze. We use Napa cabbage, and cut the leaves into ribbons then salt. I don’t remember this, but once my dad went to Pier 39 and caught fresh crab. My mom used them to make potstickers. I made them myself a few years ago. Oh so yummy!
Oh, Potstickers…. My favorite! I can’t wait to try these, I am trying these soon for sure!
The more I read your blog, the more jealous I am of your life! I wish I had time to pleat dumplings. I’m glad that you said homemade wrappers aren’t worth the effort. Pleating store-bought wrappers are more do-able for me 😀
hmmmn… now you have me craving dumplings!!
Potstickers are my favorite, thanks for the recipe and photos to show how to pleat them. A lady gave me some Chinese Chives plants, now I can make some potstickers. Thanks again for a great web site, can’t wait to get your cookbook!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Bebett – more work?! 😉
Ahh, didn’t know about salting cabbage either. Thanks for the tip. Went to a dumpling making and folding session with a friend and had so much fun. They, however, steamed the dumplings separately before pan-frying/steaming them. What’s the difference?
That is such a wonderful story! What a great surprise for Lynne … the best kind of surprise! Every time I eat a potsticker, I’ll think of this. Great post.
Hi. Just wanted to let yuo know that I love your “column.” (emails)
Love your sense of humor. You are very funny! *s*
Cathy Pozdol
Miami, Florida
Jaden, how did u know i looooove dumplings. usually i use a perogi mold to dimple my dumplings closed but i will try this because i have been dying to learn how to pleat….i also got goosebumps when i read about the surprise visit…how does she let him go again?
Thanks for the pleating tips! I always need extra help when it comes to the food “beautification” process.
I agree that the step by step instructions are really helpful. Great 1st photo btw.
awww, that was a sweet story about the returning soldier. i know that feeling…i’m a Marine mom.
I didn’t know that about salting the cabbage, either (also?…whatever). I’ve wound up with some pretty juicy won tons and such, guess I know why now. Thanks for the tip! My wife and I will have to give these a whirl. We’ve always loved the frozen-out-of-a-bag sort.
Never knew that about salting the cabbage. Great tip.I went crazy in Chinatown yesterday. I need to see what I can cook up fronm the recipe tasting now.
Kiki, I don’t know — if I did it, anyone can. Practice makes perfect, too, but even the ugly ones still tasted good!
Jaden, yes, more pictures please. Your photography is good, and instructive on top of that? Yes, more is mo’ bettah.
Thanks for sharing with us on how to pleat potstickers 😀 I’m always fumbling with my gaozis and more often than not, they taste better than they look! LOL. But yours, they make me crave dimsum *drools*
Love love love potstickers/jiaozi. They’re always best as a group endeavor, being so labor-intensive, so I think of them as party food. I wish I had learned the technique of pleating them so the seam looks like a wheat stalk. It was always the grannies who knew how to do that.
Also: In “my camera’s basic fuction” you forgot the “k.”
Gorgeous! It almost makes me believe I could do this.
Alas I don’t quite have the confidence.
I’ll keep drooling though.
Hey Jaden, we share a birthday! 08-08-08, how about that; we are so lucky!
Dumpling-pleating lesson most comprehensive, thank you! I love how the pleating from opposite ends to the centre creates that curve, so pretty. I think even my fumble-fingers could handle that. Now, see, I adore anythng dumpling & yum cha-ish, but since I’m G-Free most of it’s out [cue tears & wails]. Any ideas what yum cha items are non-wheat-flour based [I bet har gau aren’t amongst them & oh I love them so … ]; also any chance of a recipe for homemade dumpling wrappers involving rice flour/tapioca flour? Should be possible … I know a lot of the Thai dumplings are made with gluten free flours to get the transparency effect.
Many thanks!