Delicious Dumplings

The Main Types Worth Knowing

"Dumpling" covers an enormous range of things depending on where you are. Here are the ones that come up most often:

• Gyoza (Japanese): Thin wrappers, usually pork and cabbage filling, pleated along one edge. Pan-fried on one side until crispy, then steamed to finish — this is the potsticker technique. The contrast of crispy base and soft, steamed top is the whole point.
• Jiaozi (Chinese): The broader family gyoza belongs to. Can be boiled (shuijiao), pan-fried (guotie), or steamed (zhenjiao). Filling varies widely — pork and chive is classic, but prawn, lamb, and vegetable versions are all common.
• Mandu (Korean): Larger than gyoza, often with a more varied filling — pork, tofu, glass noodles, kimchi, cabbage. Steamed, fried, or added to soup (mandu-guk). The wrappers are slightly thicker.
• Wontons: Thinner wrappers, smaller, usually boiled and served in broth or deep-fried. The classic filling is prawn or pork. The square wrapper gets pulled up around the filling rather than pleated.
• Xiaolongbao (soup dumplings): These are their own category entirely. The filling contains aspic (chilled broth) that melts into soup when steamed. Eat them with care — bite a small hole, let the soup cool slightly, then eat. Burning your mouth on XLB is a rite of passage but an avoidable one.

Making the Filling

A well-seasoned filling is what separates good dumplings from great ones. The basics for a classic pork filling:

• 500g pork mince (not too lean — some fat carries flavour)
• 200g cabbage, finely chopped, salted, squeezed dry (removing the moisture stops soggy dumplings)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
• 2 tsp ginger, finely grated
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced

Mix everything together and stir in one direction for a minute or two — this develops a slightly springy texture. Fry a small spoonful to taste before wrapping. Season more if needed. Cold filling is easier to work with, so refrigerate it for 20 minutes before you start.

The Folding

Don't let folding intimidate you. The simplest method: wet the edge of the wrapper with water, place filling in the centre, fold in half, and press the edges firmly to seal. That's it. That's a dumpling.

Pleating looks impressive but is optional. If you want to try: after sealing, use your thumb and index finger to make small folds along the top edge, pressing each fold against the back. Three to five folds is plenty. With practice it takes about 10 seconds per dumpling.

The only non-negotiable: seal well, with no air pockets. Trapped air expands during cooking and can cause blowouts.

How to Cook Them

The classic potsticker technique for gyoza and jiaozi:

1. Heat a non-stick pan with a thin layer of oil over medium-high heat
2. Arrange dumplings flat-side down — don't overlap them
3. Fry undisturbed for 2–3 minutes until the base is golden
4. Add a splash of water (about 3 tbsp), immediately cover with a lid
5. Steam for 4–5 minutes until the water has evaporated and the tops are cooked through
6. Remove the lid, let any remaining moisture cook off, then slide onto a plate base-side up

For boiling: drop dumplings into salted boiling water, stir gently so they don't stick. They're ready 2 minutes after they float to the surface.

Five Dumpling Tips for Better Results

• Always salt and squeeze your cabbage — skipping this is the main cause of watery, soggy filling
• Keep wrappers covered with a damp cloth while you work — they dry out fast
• Freeze extras on a tray before bagging — they won't stick together and cook from frozen beautifully
• The dipping sauce matters: soy + rice vinegar + a few drops of chilli oil is the baseline
• Don't overcrowd the pan — dumplings need space to crisp properly without steaming each other