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Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

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Jiaozi (Chinese Dumplings)

[heart_this] · Feb 1, 2011 · 81 Comments

Jiaozi (Chinese Dumplings)


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With the Chinese new year in just a few days I thought that it was about time to practice my dumpling making skills. Jiaozi or Chinese dumplings, consist of a filling, generally a ground meat, that is wrapped in a thin wrapper and sealed by pressing the edges together or by crimping and they are commonly served with a dipping sauce. The dumplings can be cooked by frying them, steaming them or boiling them. Although steaming or boiling them is probably a little better for you, I prefer the fried version as the bottoms get nice and crispy and when they are fried they are often referred to as pot stickers. Dumplings are a popular New Years dish and since they are one of my favourite Chinese dishes it was the perfect excuse to make some at home.

Jiaozi (Chinese Dumplings)
There are near limitless fillings that you can place in dumplings but I was dead set of including shrimp in mine. I made sure to cut the shrimp very coarsely because I wanted to get large pieces of juicy shrimp in the dumplings. From there I filled out the dumplings with some fairly common ingredients including pork, cabbage, bamboo, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil. For the dipping sauce I decided to go with a simple soy and vinegar sauce that I spiced up with a bit of chili oil and a birds eye chilies.
While I was investigating recipes I came across a recipe for Chinese dumplings on use real butter that included a recipe for making your own wrappers which I immediately decided to try. The dough was a little difficult to work with given that it was so dry but after adding a bit more water it worked out just fine. I was not very good at rolling the dough out into perfect circles but using a ramekin as an outline I was quickly able to trim them into nicer discs. Since I had already picked up some pre-made wrappers I made half with homemade and half with pre-made to compare them and I have to say that I definitely preferred the homemade version which were thicker chewier.

Jiaozi (Chinese Dumplings)
One caveat with this recipe is that it takes a bit of time to wrap all of those dumplings so you need to plan for it. If you are also making the wrappers then it takes even longer but it is definitely worth it!

Jiaozi (Chinese Dumplings)

Jiaozi (Chinese Dumplings)

Jiaozi (Chinese Dumplings)

Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes Servings: 60
ingredients
  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 1/4 cup water (warm)
  • 1/2 pound ground pork
  • 1/2 pound shrimp (shelled, deviened and coarsely chopped)
  • 2 large napa cabbage leaves (salted, drained, rinsed and finely diced)
  • 2 green onions (finely sliced)
  • 2 tablespoons bamboo shoot (finely diced)
  • 2 tablespoons ginger (finely diced)
  • 1 tablespoon garlic (finely diced)
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
directions
  1. Mix the flour and water in a food processor until incorporates.
  2. Knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth.
  3. Cover the dough with a damp cloth while you let it rest for 30 minutes.
  4. Roll the dough into long cylinders about 1 1/2 inches thick and cut the cylinders into 1/2 inch pieces.
  5. Flatted the pieces with the palm of your hand forming discs and then rolled them out to about 2 inch diameter.
  6. Mix the pork, shrimp, cabbage, green onions, bamboo shoots, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch.
  7. Place a small spoonful of the filling in the center of the wrapper, fold the two sides over the center and pleat the edges to seal the filling in.
  8. For fried:
  9. Heat some oil in a large pan over medium-high heat, add the dumplings and fry until their bottoms are golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.
  10. Carefully add 1/2 cup of water, cover and steam until the water has disappeared, about 3-5 minutes.
  11. Uncover had cook for another 2 minutes over medium low heat.
  12. For steamed:
  13. Place the dumplings on the well greased surface of the steamer, or on cabbage leaves and steam until cooked, about 6 minutes.
  14. For boiled:
  15. Boil the dumplings until they float to the surface, about 3-5 minutes.
Garlic Chili Sauce

Garlic Chili Sauce

Prep Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 10 minutes Servings: 1
ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 birds eye chili (thinly sliced)
  • 1 green onion (thinly sliced)
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili oil
directions
  1. Mix everything.
Similar Recipes:
Shrimp Wonton Soup
Cold Shanghai Wontons in Peanut Sauce and Chili Oil

Appetizer, Chinese, Food, Main Course, One-Pan, One-Pot, Pork, Recipe, Seafood, Shrimp

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ana Powell says

    February 1, 2011 at 12:04 pm

    Awesome, great skill ♥

    Reply
  2. Jennifer says

    February 1, 2011 at 12:35 pm

    These look amazing!

    Reply
  3. Sanjeeta kk says

    February 1, 2011 at 12:44 pm

    Those cute dumplings look delicious! Love the sauce, and will use it with a veggie filling.

    Reply
  4. Rhona says

    February 1, 2011 at 12:51 pm

    those are really pretty. I think I will attempt to make those for my book club meeting but with veggies.

    Reply
  5. Belinda @zomppa says

    February 1, 2011 at 12:56 pm

    Beautiful! Sounds like a dumpling making party is necessary. Mine NEVER turn out like this. Mine always look like a 2 year old attempted it. 2 year olds probably do better.

    Reply
  6. The Food Hound says

    February 1, 2011 at 1:00 pm

    I LOVE Chinese dumplings but I have to psych myself up to make them from scratch someday!! I bet the homemade dough was delicious!

    Reply
  7. Token (Bento-Lunch-Blog) says

    February 1, 2011 at 1:08 pm

    Absolutely lovely!!! Pls give me some! 😀 Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  8. Rosa's Yummy Yums says

    February 1, 2011 at 1:09 pm

    Beautiful dumplings! You are very talented indeed.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  9. Kay Heritage says

    February 1, 2011 at 1:28 pm

    This looks fantastic,Kevin!!

    Reply
  10. Jennifer and Jaclyn @ sketch-free vegan says

    February 1, 2011 at 2:15 pm

    these are so cute!

    Reply
  11. emily jane says

    February 1, 2011 at 2:18 pm

    These look great! Definitely going on my to-do list.

    Reply
  12. Pam says

    February 1, 2011 at 3:05 pm

    I am hugely impressed!!!

    Reply
  13. Benny says

    February 1, 2011 at 3:06 pm

    I have been livig in china for a year. I adore Jiaozi. The best ones are basic cabbage and pork. Another super good version, which is traditional of Nanjin is the ones willed up with soup. They freeze the soup, fill the dumplings with it and then steam them. The soup melts and they are amazing!!!

    http://www.beinitaly.blogspot.com

    Reply
  14. Anonymous says

    February 1, 2011 at 3:23 pm

    Oh my boyfriend would love these! We always grab dumplings from Trader Joe's but I'm sure it's 100% better making your own. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  15. Rhondi says

    February 1, 2011 at 3:37 pm

    You are quite the talented home chef! I love these little potstickers. And they look so perfect!

    Reply
  16. Newyorkerbyheart says

    February 1, 2011 at 4:10 pm

    I love Jiaozi's – and yours are very pretty to look at 🙂

    My best,
    Birthe from Denmark

    Reply
  17. foodiefisher says

    February 1, 2011 at 4:10 pm

    These look amazing! I don't know what your day job is but you could totally cook for time! Love your blog 🙂

    Reply
  18. anniebakes says

    February 1, 2011 at 4:12 pm

    I can't even tell you how good these look right now, I'm printing this recipe for sure!! anne

    Reply
  19. Anonymous says

    February 1, 2011 at 4:13 pm

    I've been following your site for about a year now and I'm really impressed with your photos. They get better and better – great job!

    Reply
  20. [email protected] says

    February 1, 2011 at 4:46 pm

    I have to say. wow. You are pretty good at this. I have tried with pre made wrappers and they don't look a thing like these perfect dumpling! good job.

    Reply
  21. polwig says

    February 1, 2011 at 6:49 pm

    Fun… I have looked at the home made wonton wrapper recipe but then decided to just buy them. Lazy I know. I love the filling and we are all addicted to bottled chili sauce it is nice to know that I can turn to you once we run out.

    Reply
  22. Victor says

    February 1, 2011 at 7:26 pm

    You make your own dough. That's incredible! We usually buy them in the Chinese market. Great job!

    Reply
  23. Florida ♥ Food ♥ Lover says

    February 1, 2011 at 7:40 pm

    These made my mouth water! They look absolutely delicious!

    Reply
  24. kimchicsisters says

    February 1, 2011 at 8:01 pm

    looks great!

    Check out our korean dumplings! XO
    http://kimchicsisters.blogspot.com/2011/01/korean-food-homemade-mandoo.html

    Reply
  25. Stephanie @ Per l'Amore del Cibo says

    February 1, 2011 at 8:41 pm

    I am truly amazed at how much effort you put into these!! Homemade wrappers AND filling? Just amazing! They look gorgeous, too! Amazing, amazing post!

    Reply
  26. Karen from Globetrotter Diaries says

    February 1, 2011 at 11:45 pm

    gorgeous jiao zi– I know how hard these are to make, so great job!

    Reply
  27. Aurelia says

    February 1, 2011 at 11:48 pm

    I love Jiaozi so thank you for this recipe. I'm making quite a few different recipes for Chinese New Year (one of which I've just posted on my blog) but I'm also now going to add this one to the list because they look and sound delicious!

    It's actually good to see someone else doing Chinese New Year recipes 🙂 because the other blogs I go to a lot haven't seemed to even realise that it is Chinese New Year this week.

    Thanks again!

    Reply
  28. daphne says

    February 1, 2011 at 11:54 pm

    that looks wonderful Kelvin!! What a coincidence, I made some prawn dumplings too. but the soup form.

    Reply
  29. Cookin' Canuck says

    February 2, 2011 at 12:49 am

    Dumplings are one of my favorite foods and I am beyond impressed that you made your own dough. Good on you!

    Reply
  30. LimeCake says

    February 2, 2011 at 1:15 am

    Making dumplings is a labour of love for me. They're so time-consuming but the end result is always worth it!

    Reply
  31. Justeen @ Blissful Baking says

    February 2, 2011 at 4:37 am

    Wow, your dumplings look professional!! I make dumplings with my mom a lot, but mine never look as pretty as yours!

    Reply
  32. Jess @ Bakericious says

    February 2, 2011 at 4:58 am

    nice wrapping of the jiaozi.

    Reply
  33. Jen Wiehl says

    February 2, 2011 at 5:17 am

    So gorgeous and yummy!! I will be psyching myself up for a weekend to make them.

    Reply
  34. Anonymous says

    February 2, 2011 at 7:59 am

    Kudos to you for making your own wrappers. Your dumplings look incredible.
    🙂 Mandy

    Reply
  35. Joanne says

    February 2, 2011 at 11:17 am

    Kevin these look perfect! If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were an Asian grandmother who'd been doing this for decades from the looks of them.

    Reply
  36. Anonymous says

    February 2, 2011 at 2:46 pm

    Can you explain the salting and draining of the napa cabbage?

    Reply
  37. The Short (dis)Order Cook says

    February 2, 2011 at 3:34 pm

    These look professional. No one would have thought you had issues with wrappers.

    I've always loved dumplings the most when it comes to appetizers in Chinese restaurants. You're so right about that crispy bottom when they're fried.

    Reply
  38. Twin Tables says

    February 2, 2011 at 4:08 pm

    Do you think they would freeze before cooked? I do a lot of catering and freezing is a life saver!

    Reply
  39. Joanne S says

    February 2, 2011 at 4:20 pm

    I have been making potstickers at home for years and the dough I use is three cups flour, i teaspoon salt and one cup BOILING water. Mix, knead a bit till smooth and then let rest 15 to 30 minutes while you make the filling.

    This dough is very easy to work, elastic and very delicious to eat. Even as noodles in lo mein.

    Reply
  40. Alisa Fleming says

    February 2, 2011 at 5:21 pm

    These look like they were served up at a high end Chinese restaurant Kevein .. gorgeous! My husband would definitely like the shrimp added in that fashion also.

    Reply
  41. Rocky Mountain Woman says

    February 2, 2011 at 9:45 pm

    I've made Chinese Dumplings and well, let's just say they aren't any where near as good looking as yours are…

    Reply
  42. Chris and Amy says

    February 2, 2011 at 9:58 pm

    Gorgeous!!!

    Reply
  43. megi says

    February 2, 2011 at 11:34 pm

    The dumplings look impressive, they look so perfect!

    Reply
  44. robin katherine says

    February 3, 2011 at 12:51 am

    Hi- Wow I just found your blog and your recipes look great, soo many vegetarian options which I love. I'll definitely be back!

    Reply
  45. Paula says

    February 3, 2011 at 9:00 am

    this garlic sauce must be incredibly tasty! I need to try this 🙂

    Reply
  46. Shu Han @ Mummyicancook says

    February 3, 2011 at 4:26 pm

    Hi these look so pretty! I made a sourdough variation for those looking for dumplings with a twist 😉 They don't look as pretty, but I'm happy enough haha!
    http://mummyicancook.blogspot.com/2011/02/sourdough-dumplings-and-gyoza.html

    Reply
  47. ceecee says

    February 3, 2011 at 5:44 pm

    these look wonderful. will be trying them soon!

    Reply
  48. Kevin says

    February 4, 2011 at 11:43 am

    Twin Tables: These jiaozi freeze really well. After you wrap them, place them on a baking sheet with space between them and let them chill for 30 minutes in the freezer. Then transfer them to their final storage destination such as a freezer bag. This will prevent them from sticking together and allow you to pull some out at a time.

    Reply
  49. Kevin says

    February 4, 2011 at 11:46 am

    Anonymous: Sometimes cabbage can have a lot of liquid in it so you can throw the leaves into a colander, sprinkle with salt, let them sit for 20 minutes. Then rinse them, squeeze the liquid out and pat them dry.

    Reply
  50. Bobby @BlogChef says

    February 5, 2011 at 3:20 pm

    Wow, these pot stickers look great. Props on making your own dumpling wrappers, it looks like they turned out fantastic.

    Reply
  51. Christy says

    February 6, 2011 at 3:11 pm

    My husband's family learned to make this when his Grandpa was in the army many years ago. It's something that only the women in the family make, so the weekend after Thanksgiving they showed me how to make it. Theirs is a boiled pork dumpling and the recipe is all about the smell. We had to keep smelling the filling to decide if it needed more ginger, garlic, soy sauce, etc. A few weeks later I made it for my hubby all by myself and I got it spot on! There were so many that we froze a bunch on cookie sheets, then packed them in large ziplock bags for later use. I love your variation! Next time I will have to make some with shrimp and try frying them. Sounds great!

    Reply
  52. Marisa says

    February 15, 2011 at 10:48 am

    Kudos on making your own wrappers – can just imagine how time consuming the whole process must be. But just look at how perfect your dumplings turned out!

    Reply
  53. Anonymous says

    April 4, 2011 at 4:36 pm

    another tasty-looking recipe! i used one of your pictures and linked it back to this recipe (full credit given, of course!) here's the link:

    http://reluctantwwfoodie.wordpress.com/2011/04/02/weekly-weigh-in-and-tasty-randomness/

    Reply
  54. Charlie says

    April 20, 2011 at 5:13 pm

    Hello Kevin: I'm Charlie(female).
    I'm from New Brunswick but grew up in Paris, Ontario.

    I happened on your site, via Cuisine Paradise.

    I like what I see and will return.

    Reply
  55. yasser says

    May 17, 2011 at 8:13 am

    Made some alterations; I didn't have shrimp so I used 400gm beef and added 2 tbs of fish sauce. Also added 3 green chillies, thai basil & cilantro.

    I boiled mine, and then dropped them in a lightly oiled pan to get them to crisp.

    Thanks again for making dinner fun and easy!

    Reply
  56. Amy Brocato Pearson says

    January 17, 2012 at 6:36 pm

    This is probably a really dumb question, but do you cook the pork first?

    Reply
  57. Soni says

    January 18, 2012 at 7:45 pm

    Lovely recipe!I've always wanted to make dumplings, but never got a recipe.Your's looks fantastic and I think,I'm going to make these pretty soon 🙂

    Reply
  58. amrinshaikh says

    January 19, 2012 at 6:48 am

    i really longing for such kind of recipe.
    thanking your for sharing it.

    Reply
  59. Kevin says

    January 19, 2012 at 11:47 am

    Amy Brocato Pearson: No, the pork will cook when the dumplings are frying/steaming in the pan.

    Reply
  60. Mike Lim says

    January 20, 2012 at 9:28 am

    Try using whole prawns in your dumplings instead of having it all mashed up. It tastes a tad different but is brilliant anyways! XD

    Reply
  61. Anonymous says

    January 21, 2012 at 6:22 am

    The key to making a ton of dumplings with homemade wrappers is to invite friends and family over to eat and help. It's fun giving everyone a responsibility and allows you to chat and wrap at the same time!

    Great work! These look beautiful.
    -Margaret

    Reply
  62. Kooky Girl Blog says

    January 23, 2012 at 9:37 pm

    We made these at the weekend at our Chinese friend's New Year celebratrion. They tasted amazing and we all had fun learning how to shape them propely. I had such fun. !

    Reply
  63. ChineseCookingR says

    February 16, 2012 at 9:20 am

    Thanks for sharing the dumpling recipes.I love Chinese dumpling very much!

    Reply
  64. Diane says

    March 18, 2012 at 4:44 pm

    Hi! I just made these in all the versions listed, and they were all delicious!!but can I suggest that when and if you use the "frying" method, be very very careful when adding the water to the oil in the hot pan..It splatters like crazy and getting burned is a possibility!! be sure to remove the pan from the heat and maybe let it cool down for a bit before adding the water? Just a suggestion.. 🙂

    Reply
  65. Kevin says

    March 19, 2012 at 10:31 am

    Diane: Glad you enjoyed them! Good tip about being careful when adding the water. I have updated the recipe to note that.

    Reply
  66. Grace Arikuma says

    April 26, 2012 at 10:34 pm

    This is a great recipe!! I married into a Japanese family and this is a fam favorite, we call them Gyouza…

    When I make them I use ground beef (but the original is pork), chopped cabbage and alot of garlic… to cook add a bit of oil on a pan and slightly fry then add a very small amount of water and cover for about a minute and they finish cooking in steam… the easiest and still very very yummy

    accompany with a mix of regular white vinegar and soy sauce to dip it in and "itadakimasu" (lets eat ;))

    Reply
  67. Anonymous says

    September 3, 2012 at 2:50 pm

    Love your blog, it's so clean and fun to read! Also love this recipe! We'll be having pork version for dinner tomorrow! 😀

    Reply
  68. arenmarie says

    September 24, 2012 at 5:07 am

    I've been looking for the best dumpling recipe and yours seem to be the top contender! Thanks for sharing and hope you can also share how to make the homemade wrapper.

    Reply
  69. Anonymous says

    February 9, 2013 at 6:29 am

    Great Jiaozi recipe Kevin! I never thought to add shrimp to the filling mixture (I must watch cholesterol). My only suggestion? Should you choose to fry them, use peanut oil. I think peanut oil adds a wonderful layer of flavor to the dumplings.

    Reply
  70. Angie Barrett says

    February 22, 2013 at 3:50 pm

    These are on my cooking bucket list for this year! Yum!

    Reply
  71. Anonymous says

    July 27, 2013 at 10:46 pm

    These look AMAZING but I'm wondering if you know a good substitute for shrimp in dumplings? I want to try making these but don't eat meat.

    Reply
  72. kevin says

    July 31, 2013 at 5:38 pm

    thevegetarianginger: Load them up with more veggies like extra cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, bok choy, etc instead of the shrimp and pork.

    Reply
  73. Anonymous says

    December 4, 2013 at 10:47 am

    Where is the garlic in the garlic chili sauce ?

    Reply
  74. gwen says

    February 12, 2014 at 3:26 pm

    If I leave out the shrimp should I double the pork?

    Reply
  75. kevin says

    February 12, 2014 at 4:13 pm

    gwen: Yes that would do it. Enjoy!

    Reply
  76. Anonymous says

    February 16, 2017 at 11:21 pm

    TOO MUCH WORK AND TIME

    Reply
  77. Odette says

    January 24, 2020 at 7:13 am

    This recipe looks lovely. I’m planning on making it this weekend. Can you recommend a substitute for the Chili oil in the Garlic Chili Sauce? Thanks in advance

    Reply
    • kevin says

      February 3, 2020 at 12:22 pm

      You can simply omit the chili oil!

      Reply
  78. Ari says

    May 13, 2020 at 11:21 am

    Can you substitute the sesame oil as I am highly allergic?

    Reply
    • kevin says

      May 14, 2020 at 9:04 am

      You can omit the sesame oil! (It is there for the sesame aroma.)

      Reply
  79. jane baldrige says

    January 24, 2023 at 2:19 pm

    I’d love to see a video on making wonton wrappers ! These look and sound amazing .. evrything I’ve made from your site is delicious !

    Reply

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