Pan-Fried Chinese Dumplings {Homemade Dipping Sauce}

by Nancy

These pan-fried Chinese dumplings are easy to make and include a delicious dipping sauce.

Pan-Fried Chinese Dumplings with Ground Pork on plate

These pan-fried Chinese dumplings are so easy to make.

They’re filled with a ground pork mixture and cooked by first browning them, and then steaming them in the same skillet.

And they’re served with a quick and easy dipping sauce (recipe included).

Serve these dumplings with dipping sauce as an appetizer, side dish or main dish.

About the Dumpling Wrappers

I used wonton wrappers in this recipe because gow gee wrappers weren’t available at the store I shop at.

And since wonton wrappers are square, I cut them into circles with a round cookie cutter.

Following are the differences between gow gee, wonton and eggroll wrappers, and where to find them at the grocery store.

Gow Gee Wrappers:

Gow gee wrappers, also called “dumpling” wrappers are round and generally used for making dumplings.

These wrappers are thicker than wonton wrappers and are meant for boiling or steaming.

Gow gee wrappers aren’t as desirable for frying as wonton wrappers are because they don’t get as crispy (due to the thick dough).

The preferred wrapper for dumplings is the gow gee wrapper.

Wonton Wrappers:

Wonton wrappers (or wonton skins) are square and thinner than gow gee wrappers.

The thinner dough of a wonton wrapper is great for frying because it gets crispy.

Wonton wrappers are preferred for frying because the dough is thin.

Egg Roll Wrappers:

Egg Roll Wrappers (or eggroll skins) are made out of the same dough (and thickness) as wonton wrappers.

These wrappers are also shaped in a square but it’s larger than a wonton wrapper.

Egg roll wrappers are great for frying because the dough is thin, and they get crispy.

Location of Wrappers in the Grocery Store:

The hardest thing about this recipe may just be locating the wrappers in the grocery store.

They’re normally located in the refrigerated section either in the deli or the produce department.

When choosing the wrappers, an option is to check the “pull date” or “best by” date on the packages.

These dates should be stamped somewhere on the package.

Then buy the freshest package by choosing the one with the longest pull date (or best-by) date.

About the Dipping Sauce

For the dipping sauce, there are just 5 ingredients.

They are soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger root, and garlic.

Let’s check out the ingredients.

Meat Filling – ground pork, ginger root, garlic, cilantro, egg, green onion, sugar, salt, pepper, corn starch and soy sauce

Dumplings – meat filling, gow-gee round dumpling wrappers (or wonton wrappers, square-shaped; will need to cut into circles with a round cookie cutter), canola oil, and water

Dipping Sauce – soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, minced ginger root, and minced garlic

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

A printable recipe with the measurements and instructions is located at the bottom of this post.

Dipping Sauce

In a medium size bowl, add all ingredients and whisk together.

Set aside.

Ground Pork Filling

In a large bowl, add the ground pork.

Green Onion, Ginger Root, Cilantro and Garlic:

To the bowl, add green onions,

ginger root,

cilantro,

and garlic.

Sugar, Corn Starch and Soy Sauce:

sugar,

corn starch,

and soy sauce.

Seasoning and Egg:

To the bowl, add pepper,

salt…

…and…

egg.

Mix together.

For the Dumplings

Filling:

Lay a round wonton skin on a small plate.

Add a small amount of the pork mixture (about 1/2 teaspoon, heaping) on the wonton skin about 1/2-inch from the edge.

Using a pastry brush or your finger, put water around the inside edge of the wonton skin (about 1/2-inch from the outside edge towards the middle).

Fold:

Fold the wonton skin over the meat.

Pinch Edges:

Pinch the edges of the wonton together gently and tightly.

Set aside on a large parchment paper-lined cookie sheet or platter.

Cover the dumplings with a damp paper towel.

This should prevent them from drying while making the remaining dumplings.

Brown Dumplings:

Heat a medium to large-size skillet on medium heat and add the canola oil (2 tablespoons per batch).

Add the dumplings…

…and let cook until the bottom side of the dumplings are golden brown.

Turn the heat off and transfer the dumplings back on to the cookie sheet or platter for just a moment.

The pork mixture in the middle of the dumpling is not thoroughly cooked yet.

It still needs to be steam cooked.

Heat another medium to large-size skillet on medium heat and add the water (another skillet is used to avoid oil from popping when water is added).

When the water starts to boil, transfer the dumplings into the pan, browned side-down.

Add as many dumplings to the boiling water as possible.

Cover the Pan and Steam Dumplings:

Cover the pan.

Set the burner to low and steam the dumplings.

Cook until the pork is cooked through, and the water has evaporated (about 8 to 10 minutes).

Serve:

Remove the lid and continue to cook for just a moment to brown the bottom sides of the dumplings.

Garnish with sprigs of cilantro…

…and serve warm…

…with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce:

Thank you so much for stopping by CCC!

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Pan-Fried Pork Chinese Dumplings {Homemade Dipping Sauce}

You don't have to go another day without experiencing these heavenly Chinese dumplings with a quick and easy dipping sauce.

5 from 3 votes

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Yield: 4 Servings (makes 50 dumplings)

Prep: 50

Cook: 20

Total: 1 10

Ingredients

For the Dipping Sauce:

1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
2 small cloves garlic peeled and minced
1 tablespoon peeled and minced ginger root heaping tablespoon

For the Meat Filling:

3/4 pound ground pork
3 green onions diced (including chives)
2 teaspoons peeled and diced ginger root
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg

For the Dumplings:

1 package (12 ounces) approx. 50-count round pot sticker (gow gee) wrappers or square wonton wrappers (using a round cookie cutter to cut the wrappers in circles)
Meat filling
1/4 cup canola oil approx. 2 tablespoons per batch made in a medium-size to large-size skillet (more oil may be needed depending on the size of the skillet used)
1/2 cup water for adhering edges of the wonton wrappers
2 cups water for cooking dumplings (use approximately 1 cup water per batch of dumplings made in a large-size skillet); depending on the number of batches, another cup may be needed
Sprigs of cilantro for garnish

Instructions

For the Dipping Sauce:

In a medium size bowl, add all ingredients and whisk together. Set aside.

For the Dumplings:

For the Meat Filling - In a large bowl, add the ground pork, onions, ginger root, cilantro, garlic, sugar, corn starch, soy sauce, pepper, salt, and egg. Mix all ingredients together.
Making the Wontons - Lay a wonton skin on a small plate. Using a pastry brush or your finger, put water around the edge of the wonton skin (about ½ inch from the outside edge towards the middle).
Add a small amount of the pork mixture (about ½ teaspoon, heaping) just inside of the edge where the water is.
Fold the wonton skin over the meat and gently, but tightly pinch the edges of the dumpling together.
Set aside on a parchment paper-lined large cookie sheet or a platter, and cover with a damp paper towel (to prevent them from drying out) while making the remaining dumplings .
Cooking the Dumplings - Heat a medium to large-size skillet on medium heat and add the canola oil (2 tablespoons per batch).
Add the dumplings and let cook until the bottom side is a golden brown. Turn the heat off, transfer the wontons back on to the cookie sheet or a platter.
Heat another medium to large-size skillet on medium heat and add the water. When the water starts to boil, transfer the dumplings back to the pan, browned-side down.
Cover the pan and set the burner on low to steam the dumplings. Let cook until the pork is thoroughly cooked and the water has evaporated (about 8 to 10 minutes).
Remove the lid (water should be evaporated by this time), let cook for just a moment to brown the bottoms of the dumplings.
Garnish with sprigs of cilantro and serve immediately while warm with dipping sauce.