15 BEST CHINESE DUMPLING RECIPES (2024)

FAQs

What is the most popular Chinese dumpling? ›

Jiaozi. One of the most ubiquitous types of Chinese dumplings, jiaozi (饺子) are usually steamed or boiled and have been enjoyed across China for millennia. They often have a mixture of minced pork, shrimp, vegetables, mushrooms, and aromatics, along with a paper-thin dumpling wrapper.

Hand-mincing meat and adding more pork belly results in the juiciest dumplings. Traditionally, some Chinese cuisine uses hand minced meat for their dishes. For example, lots of dim sum items like siu mai, pork buns, beef meatball, and more use hand minced meat to control the texture and fat content of the dish!

Potstickers are a type of dumpling that is pan-fried on one side, giving it a crispy texture. They are typically filled with meat and vegetables and served with a dipping sauce. Dumplings, on the other hand, can be boiled, steamed, or pan-fried and are usually filled with meat or vegetables.

A teaspoon of sugar adds an extremely subtle hint of sweetness. It also helps the dumplings retain their moisture through the cooking process and slows gluten development, which ensures tender dumplings. A pinch of salt seasons the dumplings and enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.

Instead of steaming these dumplings in water, we simmer them in a vinegary cornstarch and flour slurry that creates a lacy, crunchy golden crust as the water evaporates and the dumplings brown.

The second secret to making really good dumplings is to keep the lid closed while the dumplings cook. With the soup simmering over a low flame and the dumpling dough ready, you'll drop spoonfuls of the dough onto the surface of the simmering broth, then cover the pot with a lid.

Jiaozi (simplified Chinese: 饺子; traditional Chinese: 餃子; pinyin: jiǎo zi; [tɕjàʊ. tsɹ̩]) are a type of Chinese dumpling. Jiaozi typically consist of a ground meat or vegetable filling wrapped into a thinly rolled piece of dough, which is then sealed by pressing the edges together.

They are more than pieces of dough with a filling. Chinese dumplings are visible, tasty signs that illustrate essential parts of Chinese culture. The crescent-shaped dumplings served during Lunar New Year symbolize the brightness of the moon and the promise of a bright and prosperous year ahead.

Mandu tastes similar to Jiaozi (chinese dumplings), but I think that the main difference between these two types of dumplings is that korean dumplings usually use tofu but chinese dumplings do not. Dumplings are one of my most favourite foods.

Are Chinese dumplings fried or boiled? ›

I find boiling is best for dumplings that have a filling with a stronger flavour such as my lamb and onion dumplings. Pan-frying is better in fillings with a lighter flavour such as these vegetable dumplings where you can notice the extra fried toastiness.

For Crispy Dumplings Use the Classic Steam-Fry

The steam-fry or potsticker technique is the classic method for Japanese gyoza or Chinese guo tie. Essentially, you fry the frozen dumplings, then add water to the pan and cover them to steam through, then fry them again once the water evaporates.

Rule number one though, always make one extra dumpling, or sacrifice one to check that they are cooked all the way through. Undercooked dumplings is as common as overcooking, and the only reliable way to check they're done is to remove one and cut it in half, checking for any raw dough in the centre.

Sometimes, a jiaozi (the generalized term for Chinese dumplings) can first be made as a shui jiao before pan-frying it to turn it into guo tie.

Hong-Kong-style wonton wrappers are also square-shaped, but they're thinner than the Shanghai-style ones and yellow colored. These are used for Cantonese or Hong-Kong-style wontons, like in our Wonton Noodle Soup recipe.

When comparing Chinese dumplings vs wontons, some key differences are: Wrappers: Wonton wrappers are thinner, are usually square, and may contain egg. Dumpling wrappers are thicker, are usually round, and don't require egg. Filling: Dumplings can be filled or unfilled.