Pork Potstickers are always a favorite, but they can sometimes be a pain to make—all those folds can be difficult to get a hang of if you’ve never done it before. That’s why we’re posting this easy potsticker recipe—the lazy cook’s potstickers that require NO complicated folding whatsoever. Ok, I just wanted to repeat that here again. These are the easiest pork and cabbage potstickers ever and you should add them to your go-to list of quick meal or dim sum recipes!
They’re actually “open,” and not fully sealed. This might sound strange, but we saw them prepared this way in many places in China, where they’re called guotie (which literally translates to “pot stick.” Imagine that!).
Even in grocery stores, they’d have a bunch of different fillings and they would cook them to order so that you could take them home or just eat them on the spot! It’s a little odd that I have never seen potstickers made this way here in the US.
I’ve never tried making dumplings with this method before this Pork and Cabbage Potstickers recipe, but they really exceeded my expectations and have to be the most simple of all dim sum recipes we have.
Flashback–while on a business trip in Nara, Japan years ago, a colleague and I frequented a small restaurant that served Japanese gyoza and fried rice. It was our go-to cheap and quick dinner.
Back then, we were away from our families a lot, so our approach was to save money on dinner and use the rest of our per diem allowances to buy gifts for loved ones.
Of course, the gyoza were great and something about the texture of the filling was really appealing. I like to think that after 20 years, all those meals finally inspired the recipe for these super-easy to make pork and cabbage potstickers.
All you need is dumpling skins, ground pork, napa cabbage and leeks. Grab the food processor, and you’re only minutes away from a fantastic plate of crispy potstickers.
The key for this recipe is using the food processor to finely chop the pork and napa cabbage. The mixture is quite “juicy” and loose, which is why despite the fact that they’re not sealed, they’re still very moist and flavorful.
You can literally wrap a dozen of these in the couple minutes it takes for you to heat the pan! If you happen to have extra filling and dumpling skin, keep them in the fridge in separate airtight containers, and you can have fresh potstickers any time in minutes.
For more dumpling ideas, check out our foundational post, The Only Dumpling Recipe You’ll Ever Need, an epic Shanghai Soup Dumpling post, or our Simple Wonton Soup.
Recipe Instructions
Put the napa cabbage, ground pork and leeks or scallions into a food processor and pulse until very finely chopped. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
Reserve about a tablespoon of egg for folding the pot stickers, and add the rest to the bowl. Add the sesame oil, soy sauce, salt, sugar, and white pepper. Stir until very well combined.
Take about 2-3 teaspoons of filling and place in the middle of each round egg dumpling wrapper.
Fold in half and use the egg to seal the top. Leave the sides open.
Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a non-stick or cast iron pan over medium heat. Place the dumplings in the pan. Once they begin to sizzle, add a quarter cup of water to the pan and cover immediately.
Allow the dumplings to cook until the water has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Keep an eye on the pan to make sure nothing is burning, and add a little more water to the pan if necessary.
Next, remove the cover and let them cook uncovered until all the water has evaporated to also let the bottoms get crispy (another 1 to 2 minutes). It’s an essential step or these will really become potstickers and stick to the pan!
Use a spatula and flip the potstickers upside down onto a plate. Serve with chili oil, vinegar, soy sauce…whatever you prefer!
Better yet, use our traditional dumpling sauce to go with this easy potsticker recipe.
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Recipe
Easiest Pork and Cabbage Potstickers Recipe Ever
Ingredients
- 3 cups napa cabbage (shredded)
- 8 oz. ground pork (225g)
- 1/2 cup leeks or scallions
- 1 egg (beaten)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 pack round egg dumpling skins (look for the ones that are yellow, rather than white)
- Vegetable oil
Instructions
- Put the napa cabbage, ground pork and leeks/scallions into a food processor and pulse until very finely chopped. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Reserve about a tablespoon of egg for folding the pot stickers, and add the rest to the bowl. Add the sesame oil, soy sauce, salt, sugar, and white pepper. Stir until very well combined.
- Take about 2-3 teaspoons of filling and place in the middle of each dumpling skin. Fold in half and use the egg to seal the top. Leave the sides open.
- Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a non-stick or cast iron pan over medium heat. Place the dumplings in the pan. Once they begin to sizzle, add a quarter cup of water to the pan and cover immediately. Allow the dumplings to cook until the water has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Keep an eye on the pan to make sure nothing is burning, and add a little more water to the pan if necessary. Next, remove the cover and let them cook uncovered until all the water has evaporated to also let the bottoms get crispy (another 1 to 2 minutes). It’s an essential step or these will really become potstickers and stick to the pan!
- Use a spatula and flip the potstickers upside down onto a plate. Serve with our favorite easy-to-make dumpling sauce.
