Chinese
Pan-Fried Pork Potstickers
Juicy pork and napa cabbage dumplings with crispy golden bottoms and tender steamed tops, served with soy-vinegar dipping sauce.
- Crispy bottoms, juicy filling
- Freeze extras for later
- Takeout favorite made fresh
Potstickers get their name and their charm from the fry-steam-fry method that makes the bottoms shatteringly crisp while the tops stay tender. Salting and squeezing the cabbage keeps the filling juicy but not watery, and stirring the pork in one direction gives it a springy, cohesive texture. Folding takes a little practice, but even imperfect dumplings taste fantastic. Make a big batch and freeze extras for fast snacks.
Instructions
Toss the cabbage with the salt in a bowl and let it sit for 15 minutes. Gather it in a clean towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
In a large bowl, combine the pork, scallions, ginger, garlic, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil and white pepper. Stir vigorously in one direction for about 2 minutes, until the mixture looks sticky and paste-like.
Fold in the squeezed cabbage until evenly distributed.
Set up a folding station with the wrappers, a small bowl of water and a sheet pan lightly dusted with flour.
Place 1 level tablespoon of filling in the center of a wrapper, moisten the edge with water, fold it into a half-moon and pinch the center closed. Make 5 or 6 pleats along one side, pressing each against the flat side to seal. Set the dumpling on the pan flat side down and cover finished dumplings with a towel.
Stir together the remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce, the rice vinegar and the chili oil for the dipping sauce.
Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a large nonstick skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Arrange 12 to 14 dumplings flat side down in a single layer and fry for about 2 minutes, until the bottoms are golden.
Carefully pour in 1/3 cup water, immediately cover and reduce the heat to medium. Steam for 6 to 7 minutes, until the water has evaporated and the filling is firm and cooked through to 160 degrees F.
Uncover and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, until the bottoms re-crisp.
Slide the potstickers onto a plate crispy side up and repeat with the remaining oil and dumplings. Serve hot with the dipping sauce.
Test kitchen tips
- Freeze uncooked dumplings on the floured sheet pan until solid, then bag them for up to 3 months; cook from frozen, steaming for 9 to 10 minutes.
- Cook one test dumpling first and taste the filling for seasoning before folding the whole batch.
- Substitute ground chicken thigh or finely chopped shrimp for the pork, cooking chicken until it reaches 165 degrees F.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 220
- Protein
- 9g
- Carbs
- 22g
- Fat
- 11g
- Fiber
- 1g
- Sugar
- 1g
- Sodium
- 690mg
Nutrition values are estimates calculated per serving. See our disclaimer.
