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Crispy Cabbage Dumplings (Potstickers) – Easy Appetizer Everyone Loves

Juicy cabbage-pork dumplings pan-fried into one golden, lacy, shatter-crisp sheet.

  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 4 (about 30 dumplings) 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 small napa cabbage (about 1 lb), finely shredded
  • 1 tsp salt, for draining the cabbage
  • 1/2 lb ground pork (or finely chopped shiitake for vegetarian)
  • 3 scallions, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 30–32 round dumpling or gyoza wrappers
  • 2 tbsp neutral oil, for frying
  • 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, for the crispy skirt slurry
  • 3/4 cup liquid (reserved cabbage liquid plus water to fill)

Instructions

  1. Toss shredded cabbage with 1 tsp salt and let sit 15 minutes. Squeeze hard in a clean towel, reserving the drained liquid — you should get about 1/4 cup.
  2. Mix the squeezed cabbage with ground pork, scallions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, white pepper, and cornstarch until sticky and well combined.
  3. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling into each wrapper, wet the edges, and pleat closed into a tight half-moon.
  4. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high. Arrange dumplings flat-side down in a spiral, leaving small gaps between them.
  5. Sear undisturbed 2 minutes, until the bottoms are golden.
  6. Whisk the flour with the reserved cabbage liquid plus enough water to make 3/4 cup total. Pour into the pan around the dumplings.
  7. Cover immediately and steam 5–6 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed.
  8. Uncover and continue cooking 2–3 minutes, without moving the pan, until the liquid fully evaporates and you hear a steady crackle — this is the lace skirt forming.
  9. Loosen the edges with a spatula and slide the whole crisped sheet onto a plate, crust-side up. Serve with a dipping sauce of soy, rice vinegar, and chili oil.

Notes

Don’t skip squeezing the cabbage dry — this is what keeps the filling from turning watery. Save every bit of that squeezed-out liquid for the slurry; it’s seasoned already, so taste your final dipping sauce before adding extra salt. Freeze uncooked, pleated dumplings solid on a tray, then bag them; cook straight from frozen, adding 2–3 extra minutes to the covered steaming step. Don’t lift the lid early — the skirt needs to fully dry out before it crisps.

  • Author: Ella Whitley
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Method: Pan-fried (potsticker)
  • Cuisine: Chinese-inspired