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Pork, Shrimp and Chive Dumplings - cooked perfectly with a crispy bottom! Enjoy with a delicious chili soy sauce dipping sauce!
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Pork, Shrimp and Chive Dumplings

Juicy and crispy dumplings. The perfect classic chinese comfort food that you can make in bulk so that you always have some in the freezer when you have a craving!
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: chinese, chive, comfort, Dumplings, ginger, make ahead, pan fried, pork, potstickers
Servings: 75 dumplings

Ingredients

Dumplings

  • 1 package round white dumpling wrappers
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1/2 lb shrimp, chopped fine
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
  • 1 tsp white pepper powder
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
  • 1/2 cup chinese chives, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 1/4 cup wood ear mushroom, finely chopped (optional)
  • 2 stalks green onions, chopped finely
  • 1 bunch cilantro, chopped finely
  • 1 tsp MSG (optional) I like the umami flavour it adds and it was a common ingredient in my mom's kitchen growing up but can be excluded if you don't like MSG.

Dipping Sauce

  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp chinese black vinegar
  • 1 tsp chili oil

Instructions

Making the filling

  • Use chopsticks to mix ground pork, pork belly, soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil in a large bowl
    Pork and Shrimp Dumplings - Chopped shrimp and pork mixture
  • Slowly stir in chicken stock, one tbsp at a time. This allows the meat to absorb the liquid and lead to juicier dumplings! You should get a paste once you've mixed in all the stock.
    Pork and Shrimp Dumplings - chopped pork and shrimp filling mixed with chicken stock
  • Add remaining filling ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. At this step, I like to fry a spoonful of filling to a quick taste and adjust as needed before I start wrapping 50 dumplings and find out they're a bit bland :)
    Pork, Shrimp and Chive Dumplings - all ingredients for filling
  • Cover and let marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes
    Pork, Shrimp and Chive Dumplings - finished filling

Wrapping Dumpling

  • Spoon about 1 tbsp of filling in the middle of the wrapper
    Pork, Shrimp and Chive Dumplings - filling in dumpling wrapper
  • wet the edge with water and pinch wrapper closed in the middle
    Pork, Shrimp and Chive Dumplings - pinched dumpling wrapper
  • Form 3-4 small pleats on one side from middle to outer edges until sealed
    Pork, Shrimp and Chive Dumplings - half sealed dumpling wrapper
  • Do the same on the other side
    Pork, Shrimp and Chive Dumplings - fully wrapped

Cooking the dumplings

  • Heat some cooking oil in a large nonstick pan over medium high heat
  • Place dumplings in the pan and fry until crispy and golden (about 3-5 minutes)
    Pork, Shrimp and Chive Dumplings - pan fry for the best potstickers!
  • Pour 1/2 cup of water into pan and cover with lid. Let boil for 10 minutes
    Pork, Shrimp and Chive Dumplings - pan fry with a bit of water to fully cook
  • Uncover and continue cooking until water has completely evaporated. Quickly sear each side of dumpling for extra crispiness. Combine all the dipping sauce ingredients in small bowl and serve with dumplings.
    Pork, Shrimp and Chive Dumplings - cooked perfectly with a crispy bottom!

Notes

  1. Ground pork belly - Your butcher will usually ground some pork belly for you if you ask. I like to add ground pork belly because I find the fat helps make juicier dumplings
  2. Wood ear mushrooms - you can usually find these dried at any asian grocery store. Just soak them in some warm water for 15 minutes before using. My mom always used this ingredient in her dumplings so I always include it in mine, but this ingredient is optional if you can't find it
  3. The MSG debate - some people claim that MSG gives them headaches or makes them sleepy. To be honest, after a big dim sum brunch, I always need an afternoon nap afterwards, but it's probably from the excess amount of food I pigged out on rather than the MSG. My mom often cooks with a pinch of MSG in her dishes because it compliments salt and adds a little umami kick so I like to use it in my dumplings too. Feel free to omit this as well if you have strong feelings about MSG.