how to make potstickers - from scratch!

There's nothing like homemade dumplings. Here I'll show you how to make Chinese dumplings with the classic filling of ground pork and Chinese chives, and how to make the accompanying sauce. This dumpling can be boiled or fried. And I'll also provide some tips on how to make substitutions to the filling if pork and chives are not to your taste.

Making dumplings from scratch can seem intimidatingly labor-intensive and difficult, but homemade dumplings taste so much better than frozen storebought ones that it's totally worth the effort. I recommend making dumplings in large batches and freezing them for later use. Depending on how quickly one works, it typically takes a few hours to make a large batch of dumplings - a perfect activity for a quiet Sunday afternoon.

Step 1 Ingredients

2 lbs of ground pork*
1 bunch of Chinese chives**
1 bunch of green onions
1 pieces of ginger
1 egg (optional)
some uncooked shrimp (optional)
3 packs of dumpling wrappers***
some all-purpose flour
soy sauce
sesame oil
rice vinegar
garlic (optional)
chili paste (optional)

*The preferred of pork for this recipe is pork butt, which has a higher fat content than most other cuts of pork. Leaner cuts can be substituted, but the filling will taste more dry.

**Also known as garlic chives or Chinese leeks. Chinese chives are in season during the summer. The Chinese chives can be substituted with an equivalent amount of cabbage. Jicamas can also be added to the filling for more crunch.

***Dumpling wrappers should be relatively easy to find in most Asian supermarkets. Make sure to buy the ROUND dumpling wrappers, not the SQAURE won ton wrappers.

Comments

[FriedRiceFreak]

I tried some cooked in the pan, steamed in my rice-cooker and deep-fried
OUT OF THIS WORLD!

[yamchild]

pretty interesting sounding variations!

[2498timmy]

thnx so much it rox 4ever













5*

[MechEngSk]

Japanese dish not Chinese.

[causeeffect]

Actually it is a Chinese dish that the Japanese later copied.

[yamchild]

Actually the Japanese derived gyozas from Chinese potstickers. That's why in Japan gyozas tend to be associated with ramen restaurants, which are frequently labeled as "Chinese" restaurants. That's why you see gyozas served with ramen, but generally not with more traditionally Japanese noodle dishes like udon or soba.

[Lokisgodhi]

They have the fried version at one of my local buffets. It not really a buffet for me because I just have these. Basically, I take all of them, wait for them to put more out and then take them all. Repeat until full.

They have some sort of sweet soy sauce with scallions and sesame seeds with them. Very good.

[gnomedriver]

I lived in Japan and they were called ‘gyoza’. It is interesting how things are named around the world. I use to have gyoza for lunch with green tea. Sure beats a sandwich. The dipping sauce sounds tasty - a little grated ginger add a zing for those who like it.

[stochasticjack]

I lived in Kyoto; my favorite gyoza came from Ohsho... NOM NOM NOM

[gnomedriver]

I was up in Yokohama. Great town. Sadly, never made it down to Kyoto. What about dinner and having a rice bowl at Yoshinoya with an Asahi or Kirin beer. Oishii What were those little balls with octopus in them called? Really tasty.

[stochasticjack]

Takoyaki. I don't really care for octopus that much, but I had a takoyaki maker, and I would fill them with tuna, cheese or corn instead. Just as delicious. Yokohama has an AWESOME Chinatown, though.

[aadball504]

Yummy!! Thanks it takes the sting out of lack of Japanese food in my town!

[stochasticjack]

When I lived in Japan, my girlfriend used to make these; she used ground chicken, garlic, green onion, and regular cabbage, all minced very fine. We also used age (fried tofu), and some other stuff, to try and make a low-fat or veggie option.

[a grain of alt.]

YES! I was eating frozen potstickers just yesterday and wishing I knew how to make them (I'm going to go the lazy route and use some creative folding with wonton wrappers- they're easier to find)

[yamchild]

Okay, for won tons, you'll want to use about 1/3 to 1/2 the amout of filling. Won ton wrappers are more fragile than dumpling wrappers. To fold won tons, put a small amount of filing in the center of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half so that it forms a triangle. Bring the two bottom points of the triangle together so that a crown shape is formed. They'll be nice in a soup, cooked in some broth. If you really want to make potstickers with won ton wrappers, make sure that when you wrap them that they have a broad surface on the bottom to stick to the pan.

[a grain of alt.]

Wow, thanks for the advice! Sounds like I might be better off scouring rural PA for some dumpling wrappers (maybe Wegmans has them). I can't wait to make them!

[spark master]

just use a pasta dough with no egg using pasta machine do not make the dough thin maybe half scale, do run it through several times thoughbe fore that and letting it sit cold for a few hours is another good thing to do.


This is a keeper fil great instructable.

[S.Steenberger]

I made these yesterday and they turned out fab!
I used the Won ton wrappers cuz the thai shop on the corner ony have that kind. But it worked out fine. Just shaped them as best as i could.
I also made som test-dumplings to try out the flavour of the filling before making the whole batch and i added a lot more chive, ginger and garlic. And some chilli as well.  Never thought it was so easy! Tanks!

[yamchild]

Wow that's great!  Now that you know how to make them you can tinker with the fillings a lot. Fish also makes for great dumpling fillings.

[austinburke.]

Man, these look goood! How many pot stickers does each batch yield?

[yamchild]

I never count, but I'm guessing a couple dozen? I usually only eat a fraction of each batch and freeze the rest.

[Tonamel]

Looks delicious! I'm going to have to try this some day. (And to satisfy the language stickler in me, "from scratch" means no prepared ingredients, so you'd be making the dumpling wrappers yourself, too. But that's just me being picky.)

[voide]

Well technically, from scratch would have to go even further. I personally am irritated when people say "from scratch" when they bought the flour in a store. To be really from scratch, you would need to harvest and prepare the wheat yourself! not to mention grow and process the veggies, and butcher the hog. I know thats way too much for most people - but thats how I plan to live the rest of my life! Ill always know whats in my food and where it came from.

[yamchild]

Hehehe you're right. I was thinking about that whilst writing the titles. "From scratch" just sounded catchier. I'm gonna edit this instructable to explain how to make wrappers from scratch.

[nrlucre]

Great! I look forward to reading that one. I actually opened this 'ible for instructions on "from scratch" wrappers. I'll just have to wait.

[joejoerowley]

Wow great instructable! Looks tasty! Thanks Joe

[Patrik]

Hmm... these look great! Nice first instructable, yamchild! Any chance of adding a video of the wrapping technique itself? Also, I know this is probably heretical, but... any suggestions for vegetarians?

[yamchild]

That's a good idea, adding an video. Unfortunately that won't happen until I make the next big batch of dumplings... I've never made vegetarian dumplings, but a filling that might work is chopped "pressed tofu" mixed with Chinese chives and chopped cellophane noodles. The filling won't cohere and will probably be harder to wrap, though, so you won't be able to get so much filling in each dumpling. Pressed tofu are flat squares that are brown on the outside. They are seasoned with soy sauce and have a firm, meat-like texture. You can find them in most Chinese supermarkets.

[mrthumbtack]

You can actually press your own tofu, if you want. The kind you're talking about usually have some sort of flavoring already added to them. Just buy extra firm tofu, drain the water, and cut into roughly quarter inch slices. Place the slices flat on a folded dish towel (one without much lint) and put another one on top. Then put a cutting board or something flat on top of that, and then put something heavy on that. I like to use the Compact Oxford English dictionary for the pressing. Leave for about a half hour. Great Instructable, now I'm hungry.

[yamchild]

Didn't know it was so easy to press tofu at home. Learn something new every day! I like how you used the compact OED as a point of reference for amount of weight to put on the tofu.

[Patrik]

Another trick I've heard (but not yet tried) is to put firm tofu in the freezer. After thawing it'll have a more spongy texture, allowing you to squeeze out a lot more water (and soak up more sauce...)

[mrthumbtack]

Yeah, it really is easy. A lot of people don't know how to cook and prepare tofu properly, or say they don't like it because they've had it prepared badly. You've inspired me, I think I'm going to make a Tofu Instructable, today.

[westfw]

Do chinese chives really taste enough like cabbage that cabbage is the appropriate substitute? I would have thought they'd be closer to the green onions... Looks yummy, though, even though you didn't make your own wrappers.

[yamchild]

Chinese chives and cabbage do taste fairly different. When you're making dumplings with cabbage, it's essentially a different flavor. Cabbage ones will have a milder, sweeter taste. I've made dumplings with both types of vegetables, and they all turned out fine. It's a matter of both taste and availability of vegetables. If you're feeling spendy you can even substitute regular Chinese chives with yellow Chinese chives.