The Lunar New Year, or Chinese New Year, is only a week away. It’s a wonderful time of year for family and friends to get together and celebrate. So for this post I wanted to showcase pan-fried Chinese dumplings. The best part (besides eating of course) is assembling them around the table with a good group of friends!
This dumpling recipe is adapted from my friend and popular food blogger Diana Kuan. I love dumplings of ALL types and this particular recipe is simple yet flavorful. A delicious mix of ground pork, finely diced mushrooms, sesame oil, ginger and soy sauce will make these little bundles into the star of your next gathering.
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Pan-Fried Pork Dumplings
- 1 package dumpling wrappers (about 50)
- peanut or vegetable oil for frying
- 6-8 mushroom caps, finely diced (crimini or shiitake)
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 scallions, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
For the filling:
Prepare the filling by mixing all the filling ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside a small bowl of water for wrapping.
To assemble the dumplings, spoon a heaping teaspoon of the pork and mushroom filling onto the center of the wrapper, making sure to not overfill. Dip your finger into the bowl of water and moisten the outer edges of the wrapper. In your hand, fold the dumpling in half and pinch and pleat the edges (see Diana’s helpful guide to folding dumplings); seal tightly. Arrange the wrapped dumplings on a plate. Repeat steps until the filling and wrappers are used up.
In a large flat skillet or wok with a lid, heat about a tablespoon of peanut or vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Place 6-8 dumplings in the pan and fry the dumplings for 1-2 minutes, until the bottom turns light brown. Pour in a 1/2 cup of water to the pan and cover with a lid and allow to steam for 4-5 minutes, until the water has completely evaporated. Remove lid and loosen the dumplings with a spatula. The bottoms will be golden brown and crisp.
Cleaning the pan in between batches, continue to pan-fry all of the dumplings and place on a serving platter. Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce.
*Note – I like to double the recipe and freeze the dumplings to use for later. To freeze, simply place the wrapped dumplings on a plate sprinkled with flour. Then pop into your freezer and freeze for about 30 minutes, or until frozen. Remove dumplings, place in a freezer bag and store the dumplings. Follow pan frying steps when ready to eat!
Total Time: 60 minutes
Yield: makes about 50 dumplings, 8-10 appetizer servings
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I’m always on the lookout for a great pot sticker recipe. I absolutely love them but have had a hard time finding one that’s just right. I saw yours on foodgawker today, and these look so simple but perfect…mushrooms are a great filler idea. What kind of dipping sauce do you usually use? I’m definitely going to give these a try, thanks!
Hi Christy – Thanks so much for your nice comment! I like dipping the dumplings in a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil and Chinese black vinegar. If you don’t have the black vinegar then try using a little regular vinegar and a dash of sugar. Enjoy!
Thanks for the dipping sauce tip! Enjoy your weekend.
No problem, you too!!
Oh yum….. oh my god. These look so good. I have wonton wrappers on hand. Do you think I could use those instead of dumpling wrappers?
Thanks so much Jess 🙂 Yes you can! I actually had that problem last week and ran out of the round Jiaozi wrappers but had square wonton wrappers. They worked just fine, but you’ll have to wrap them differently, so the bottoms brown nicely. Let me know how they turn out!
These look great! Can you provide steaming/boiling instructions as an alternative to frying? Would the dumplings hold up to other cooking methods?
Thanks!
Hi Irina – Thank you! Sure, you could cook the dumplings by boiling them. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then add in dumplings and simmer for 2-3 minutes and drain.
Do you cook the meat before you fry them or does the meat cook while you fry and steam the dumplings?
Hi Jessie – The meat cooks while frying or steaming so no need to cook the meat beforehand.
Hi Can you use minced ground beef? TY
Hi Rocky – Yes, I’ve tried this recipe with ground turkey and ground beef before and they both tasted just as great…so go for it!
Hi!
Thank you for this awesome recipe! I have two questions:
1. If I freeze them individually and then go to make them a few days later, do I let them thaw first and then follow the cooking directions, or do I cook them the same way, but for a little bit longer because they start frozen?
2. Can I make these three hours ahead and put them in the fridge, or will they get soggy?
Thank you!
Hi Ricki – Thanks so much for your comment!
1. You don’t have to thaw the dumplings when you make them a few days after freezing. The dumplings are small enough so they will thaw and cook when you close the lid to pan fry. So cook them the same way!
2. I think the bottoms of the dumplings won’t be crisp if you put them in the fridge… So if you do it this way, I would heat them up in the pan again to warm and crisp them up.
Hope this helps and enjoy the dumplings 🙂
Barb,
Thank you so much! I made them last night, and they were incredible. I am a regular cook and experiment with all kinds of recipes. This is truly a winning recipe. YUM! I am so happy I have half of the batch in my freezer for my family to eat later, too!
Thanks!
🙂 Ricki
That’s awesome! I’m so happy you loved them 🙂 And yes, the best part is having the frozen dumpings for later!