I have to admit that I have a strong bias towards jiaozi (饺子). Besides Shanghainese soup dumplings (xiaolongbao), my favorite Chinese dumplings are thin-skinned and pan-fried, the kind found mainly in Southern China or New York’s $1-for-5 fried dumpling joints. Northern Chinese-style dumplings, which offer more thick doughy skin than filling, just can’t compare.
What’s better than anything a restaurant or dumpling stall can offer are homemade jiaozi, hot off the skillet. On my last day in Zhongshan my mother and I bought dumpling skins from a lady specializing in doughy things like wrappers and noodles, and spent an hour or two wrapping dumplings for dinner.
Since I have so many photos from that afternoon, I thought I would do a pictoral guide on jiaozi-making. (Often dumpling recipes fail to show the step-by-step process in folding.) Also included is my mother’s fool-proof method for getting perfectly crisp pan-fried dumplings without burning them.
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Pan-fried Pork and Cabbage Jiaozi, a Recipe in Pictures
猪肉白菜饺子
Makes 50 to 60
Lightly dust your work surface with flour and keep some extra flour within hand’s reach.
Dumpling wrappers: When I lived in the US, I always got my wrappers from Chinatown markets (the round kind, labeled for jiaozi（饺子) instead of for wontons (馄饨).). They are a hassle to make at home, but if you really want to give it a try, check out this post from Noodles and Rice.
For the filling, mix together: 1 lb ground pork, 1 cup shredded Napa cabbage, 2 tablespoons minced shallots, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 teaspoons salt or 1 tablespoon soy sauce, a pinch of ground pepper.
Egg wash: Gently beat 1 or 2 eggs.
(The hands shown are Mom’s. They are beautifully rough from decades of lovingly cooked meals.)
Folding the dumplings:
1. With a pastry brush or small pastry spatula, spread egg wash around the edge of the wrapper. Place a small spoonful of filling in the middle. (Be careful not to put too much; it’ll leek out during the folding process.)
2. Pinch the edge of the wrapper and make a fold like you see in Step 2. (If you’re a beginner at folding, place the wrapper on a flat surface while you work. Otherwise, keep it in your hand.)
3. Make 2 more identical folds in the same direction, until you end up with 3 folds, as shown in Step 3.
4. Bring the folded side together with the no-folds side, and press to seal.
5. Line finished dumplings on a plate. Keep extra wrappers covered, preferably with a moist towel, to prevent them from drying out.
6. Pan-frying*: Have about 1/2 cup water, a large skillet, and a lid for the skillet handy. Heat the skillet with about 1 to 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over high heat. Wait about 1 minute for the oil to heat up. (You can also use a small piece of extra dumpling wrapper or bread to test whether the pan is hot enough; it should sizzle immediately upon being placed in the pan.) Once the pan is hot, place the number of dumplings you want to cook smooth side down in the pan. Allow them to sear for about 1 to 2 minutes, until the bottoms turn golden brown. Add the water, immediately cover with a lid, and let the dumplings steam for another 3 to 4 minutes.
7 . Uncover the lid to allow any extra water to evaporate before turning off the heat. Loosen the dumplings with a spatula (or chopsticks!) and transfer them to a plate. Whatever you don’t cook can be frozen for later.
8. Et voilà! Plate them nicely or just pile ‘em up family-style. Just make sure to wait a few minutes before digging in or you risk burning your mouth.
Notes: Of course, these jiaozi can also be boiled (水饺 shuíjiǎo). To boil the dumplings instead, bring a pot of water to boil. Add dumplings and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain well.
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Other snacks and appetizers to try:
- Chicken Lollipops
- Chinese Tea Eggs
- Chicharrones de Pollo with Paprika Onions
- Gobi Manchurian
- Pan-fried Dumplings
- Pumpkin Hummus
- Scallion Pancakes
- Spicy Pickled Cucumbers
- Taro and Pumpkin Tofu Puffs
- Turnip Cake (Law bok gow)
- Wontons, in soup or fried
i do like jiaozi fried but prefer it in soup with noodles! so yummy.
lovely pictures.
This is awesome. I’ve only started making dumplings a week ago and the wrapping part really frustrated me.
I’ve never been able to get this frying and boiling method to work right. It just doesn’t seem very fried at the end.
I usually just boil the dumplings and then fry them after. Probably not too authentic. Oh well.
Wunami – I’ve tried the boil-first-then-fry method and the dumplings always turn out too soggy to fry well.
But you should always go with whatever method works best for you. I’m sure the type of frying pan, dumpling skin, and temperature of the oil all factor into how crisp the dumplings turn out in the end.
I tried making war tip at home and was told not to buy the wrappers from the chinese supermarket as they’re quite tough and rubbery. I made my own and it seemed pretty easy : http://lizzieeatslondon.blogspot.com/2008/03/tester.html
I put them in a non-stick pan, added water, put the lid on to steam for about 5 – 10 mins, then took it off, let the water evaporate and let the bottoms fry. Very nice.
Lizzie – Thanks for the tips. Currently any blogspot site is blocked in China right now, but I’ll check out your site once it becomes unblocked again. :)
I love panfried jiaozi and the northern style ones too. But Shanghai xiaolongbao will always have a special place in my heart… and my tummy! I think that’s because it’s the one I don’t know how to make at home myself haha… Great pictoral guide.
Interesting. I always fold in half and seal the edges first before doing the “pleats”. Your method makes more sense.
I find by the time i am done closing the dumpling, the dough is mushy and sticking to my hands. Or i have put too much stuff inside. It never works out for me
You have to me quick when working with the dough! Humidity can also effect the doughs texture.
the big trick i saw them use in the $1 for 5 places was to take the raw dumplings, then put them in a pan with a little water on the bottom, but also oil. they would steam in the water till the water all evaporated, then automatically fry in the remaining oil… perfect low maintenance way to cook them without touching them.
finalmente un bel post per fare Gyoza o jiaozi.
Li adoro, i miei preferiti
ciao
lilli
Fried or steamed. Love the pork and cabbage, also the pork and leek. My mom also uses the trick of adding water to the panfrying oil, and yes it works like a charm :) Love your vibrant pictures. I will have to visit your blog more often now.
Egg wash is unnecessary and just slows you down. All you need to do is wet the edges of the dumpling skins and squeeze them together.
My family’s from Northern China but we live in Shanghai. My mom always adds black vinegar when she fries the dumplings (vinegar : water 1:1) about a small bowl then after the vinegar is absorbed by dumplings, wait for a while til they’re golde brown. it makes the dumplings a bit sweeter and very very fragrant, but not sour at all.
For the dough, if it’s of a good consistency, they should be able to just stick together when you press them, no need for any water/egg wash at all.
Where would you recommend buying dumpling skins in NYC? Or online? Or what brand of commercial skins would you recommend?
Anonymous – I used to go to Dynasty Supermarket on Elizabeth Street in Chinatown, or Hong Kong Supermarket in Flushing. But any big market in Chinatown would have wontons skins. I have never bought any online. It’s hard to say which commercial brand is good, because all the better wonton skin makers are small regional companies. NYC’s Chinatown carries brands from the New York area, while SF’s Chinatown carries brands from the Bay area. I would buy fresh rather than frozen if possible.
Thank you – I have my own filling recipe (being a vegetarian) but I couldn’t remember how to steam/pan fry the dumplings. The pictures are great, and I will try your mom’s way of folding next time (I just folded them in half with this batch) because they look so beautiful. I love making and eating dumplings! I call these “gyoza”, btw. Don’t know why – that’s just the name I learned for them. Whatever you call them, your pictures and instructions are fantastic.
You call them “gyoza” because that’s the Japanese word for these dumplings. :D
Like many of the posters, I dearly love these dumplings. Thanks for sharing the recipe, the photos, and your mother’s wonderful hands! Seeing her folding technique is very helpful. I’ll be out looking for fresh dumpling skins very soon!
在肚子饿的看这个Blog，真是受罪。
I make these like crazy! They are my favorite thing next to pearl balls. Each time I make these I get better and better at it. I usually double the batch, makes about 120 dumplings (I use two pkg of 60 wonton wrappers). I then place them on a pan and freeze. I then put them 10 to ziplock bag in freezer. So then, when I crave them, I pull some out, and cook right away even frozen. I just lower heat at first while it thaws them. Super quick meal idea.
These are a huge hit with my co workers, they always ask for a bag of 10 just to have them :)
I also use the steam-then-fry method… by adding the raw dumplings in the frying pan with water and a couple tablespoons of oil. Once the water evaporates you are left with just the oil in the pan. This results in truly crispy bottoms! Try it! =)
I loved this recipe and pictures on the technique- very helpful. I tried making these recently before I found this recipe and was quite frustrated because the dough recipe I used did not seem correct. It was too stretchy (maybe I used too much liquid). One thing I added to the meat mixture was some grated ginger- adds a nice flavor like is found in the Chinese restaurant versions. All the comments were very helpful, also. I’m enjoying your site immensely! I’m looking forward to looking for some wrappers from the local asian store- we aren’t near a big city, but hopefully can find something that will work and be easier than my own dough. We’ll see :0
homestyleworldcook.blogspot.com
My jiaozi stuck to my pan when I got to the flipping stage! Is there a way around this outside of non-stick cookware? I prefer not to use non- stick.
Jen – If you have a cast iron pan, that would be the best and easiest for pan-frying dumplings and having them not stick. If you use a stainless steel pan, add a little bit more oil than you would for the non-stick (1 1/2 or 2 tablespoons instead of 1). Wait until the oil is very hot but not yet smoking (a drop of water would sizzle and evaporate in 1 to 2 seconds), then add the dumplings. Pan-fry the bottoms until you can see the edges becoming nice and crispy brown before adding the water. Also, I’ve found that metal spatulas are the best for flipping. Let me know if you have other questions!
I’m so looking forward to trying these.I’m living in Shanghai right now and took a cooking class. The dumplings we made had no cabbage, but after having dumplings in Xian with cabbage that were the best I’ve ever tasted, I thought I’d start looking for one with.
I like to make these and then freeze them. But I seem to have trouble cooking them once they have been frozen. Can you give me an idea on the correct way to cook frozen ones?
Rebecca – For pan-frying frozen dumplings, the only difference is that you cook the dumplings for a minute longer during the steaming part. You heat the pan with oil like you would for the freshly made dumplings. Put the frozen dumplings in the pan and allow them to sear for 1 minute or so, until the bottoms are nice and golden brown. Then add water and cover and steam for 1 minute longer than you would for fresh dumplings. This is a bit easier to do in a nonstick pan, but also works in a stainless steel pan if the oil is hot enough.
If you’d like to boil the frozen dumplings instead, just add about a minute more to the cooking time (about 5 minutes for frozen dumplings.)
I hope that helps! Let me know if you have other questions!
So I came upon your site while searching for a different way to make shrimp and I can’t stop looking through ur recipes I live in NYC and love Chinese food and have learned how to make a lot of recipes i love at home Im also from the Caribbean Dominican republic to be exact but tonight I’m making ur spicy garlic shrimp with fried plantains. Tomorrow I’ll be making shrimp lo mein and Saturday I’m going for the dumplings!!!! Thank you so much u have one of the best sites for recipes!!! Thank ur mom for inspiring the love of food in u so we can enrich our kitchens through ur recipes….
I am in love with this dish but I prefer to cook and drain the pork and boil the cabbage 10 to 15 minutes to soften, then shred or chop finely. I think the the short amount of cooking time while frying and then steaming is not long enough to cook the filling. I also add minced ginger and a little more soy sauce to the pork. I did not have shallots at the time substituted red onion. It turned out great, thanks
A video of the folding process would be very instructive.