Pan-fried Dumplings (4) Recipe

Prepare cabbage

Place the finely chopped Napa cabbage in a bowl, sprinkle with a small pinch of salt, toss, and let sit 5 minutes. Squeeze out excess liquid firmly with your hands or a towel until mostly dry. Measuring after squeezing, you should have about 80–90 g usable cabbage.

In a mixing bowl combine the drained cabbage, ground pork, sliced scallions, grated ginger, minced garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, salt, white pepper and cornstarch. Mix thoroughly using a spoon or your hands until the mixture is sticky and cohesive (about 1–2 minutes). This helps the filling bind and stay juicy.

Taste a tiny pinch of the raw filling by cooking a small piece in a microwave or pan to check seasoning; adjust salt or soy if necessary.

Prepare a clean work surface and a small bowl of water for sealing. Place one wrapper on the surface. Spoon about 1 rounded tablespoon (roughly 18–20 g) of filling into the center of the wrapper. Be careful not to overfill to avoid tearing.

Dip a finger in water and moisten the edge of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half over the filling to form a half-moon and press to seal at the top. Starting from one end, create small pleats along the sealed edge (3–5 pleats) pressing firmly to close. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling; you should make about 12 dumplings, which serves 4 as a small plate/appetizer.

Heat a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the neutral oil and swirl to coat the bottom.

Arrange the dumplings in the pan flat side down or pleated-side up, leaving about 1 cm (0.4 in) between them so they don’t stick together. Fry undisturbed for 2–3 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown.

Carefully pour in 3/4 cup (180 ml) water — it will sizzle — and immediately cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid. Reduce heat to medium-low and steam for 6–8 minutes, until the water has mostly evaporated and dumpling wrappers are translucent and cooked through. If using pork, ensure internal temperature reaches 70–75°C (160–165°F).

Remove the lid and increase heat to medium-high for 30–60 seconds to re-crisp the bottoms. Use a spatula to loosen and transfer dumplings to a plate.

Whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, chili oil or flakes and optional sugar in a small bowl. Taste and adjust balance (more vinegar for tang, more sugar to soften acidity). Serve alongside hot dumplings.