Pot Stickers (Guo Tieh)
January 09, 2018
This isn’t a recipe as much as a way to document the precise cooking method I use for steam/frying frozen dumplings. Getting the right balance of crispiness and chewiness in a dumping requires some practice. The method I was taught to use is to first pan fry the frozen dumplings on a very high heat- the high heat will crisp the outside and prevent the frozen dumpling skin from melting gradually and ripping in the pan.
In New York City, I like to buy my dumplings at Lanzhou Hand Pulled Noodles in Chinatown, or at Fu Zhou dumplings in the Lower East Side.
Ingredients
- 10 pork and cabbage dumplings, frozen
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon corn oil
Tools I Used
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet on high heat until it reaches the smoke point. Add the frozen dumplings directly from the freezer into the pan.
![Step 1]()
- Sear the bottom of the dumplings for 2 minutes, and then turn the heat down to medium and add 1 cup of water. Cover the pan and let the dumplings steam for 10 minutes.
![Step 2]()
- After 10 minutes remove the lid and let the remaining liquid evaporate on low heat. Use a thin metal spatula to lift the dumplings off the pan hopefully without the eponymous sticking.
![Step 3]()
- Serve the dumplings with a mixture of soy sauce and garlic chili sauce for dipping.
Fujian-style Stir-Fried Noodles
Kung Pao Chicken
Beef and Broccoli
Written by Will Chiong who lives and works in New York building useful things.