Asian Dumplings
These homemade Asian dumplings are comforting and delicious, and are filled with a mixture of ground beef, ground pork, and Asian flavors. They are fantastic steamed or pan fried as potstickers.
I keep wonton wrappers in my fridge at all times because I never know when I will get a craving for these. This is the comfort food of my childhood, and there’s something wildly delicious about these beef and pork dumplings.
Asian dumplings are some of my favorite things to eat, and the recipe shared in this post is how my mom would make dumplings when I was a little girl. While my mom grew up in Korea, I hesitate to attribute these to any specific cuisine, though it is generally thought that dumplings were created in Northern China (and they are definitely a dim sum staple today). Regardless, we’re certainly working with Asian flavors here.
These dumplings go by quite a few other names, like potstickers, gyoza, and more, depending on the culture. I would even say that Pierogies are Poland’s version of the great dumpling. But basically you fill dumpling wrappers (similar to pasta) and fill them with a variety of things. They’re very easy to make, they just take a little bit of time to fill all the dumplings and close them up.
For that reason, I like to make these with family members or friends since you can gab away while you knock out several dozen of these things. They’re good to make with helpers! My mom would actually make these with her sisters every New Year’s Eve to celebrate the new year.
Step by Step Overview:
Make the dumpling filling by combining ground beef and ground pork with Hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, green onion, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, and sriracha.
Though this is my favorite combination, I will share some variations for dumpling fillings down by the recipe card.
Once the filling is mixed, place a big spoonful in the center of a wonton wrapper. I purchase these at the grocery store because making these is already tedious enough, but you can also look up a recipe for homemade wrappers if you want to make your own.
Dip your finger into cool water and wet the outsides of the wrapper (so the wonton can be pressed shut):
Close them up, and place in a steamer basket in a single layer.
I have an electric steamer here, but you can also use a bamboo steamer or make your own steamer setup by setting a steamer insert above a large pot of water. You will need to add at least 1 cup of cold water to the steamer, for a cook time of about 12 minutes.
Steam the uncooked dumplings for 12 minutes until the meat has cooked through:
Though this is a flavorful and delicious dumpling on its own, I like to serve these with a homemade dipping sauce made of soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, thinly sliced scallion, and sesame seeds.
Also, feel free to freeze some of the dumplings for other recipes. I sometimes like to use these as soup dumplings for when I make a quick hot soup similar to this Quick Ramen Noodle Soup.
Make them crispy, if you wish
This is optional, but after steaming, you can fry these in a large skillet to make pan-fried dumplings that are crispy on the edges.
Simply place a single layer in a nonstick skillet with a couple tablespoons of the cooking fat of your choice, and cook over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes on each side, until the pot stickers are golden brown. My son thinks that those are the best dumplings!
Recipe Variations
There are so many ways to make flavorful fillings for this dumpling recipe. Always make sure that you retain the sauces and seasonings in the recipe, but feel free to play with other ingredients.
Mushroom – Add your favorite mushrooms to the filling, such as shiitake mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, or hen of the woods mushrooms. Make sure to saute first so the moisture is cooked out. I recommend no more than 1 cup of cooked mushrooms.
White pepper – Instead of the sriracha, add ground white pepper to the filling for a spicy and aromatic flavor.
Chives – Instead of scallions, you may substitute chives instead (use Chinese chives if you can).
Cabbage – Feel free to add cooked shredded cabbage to make this more reminiscent of a spring roll. I recommend using napa cabbage.
Recipe FAQ and Tips
The reason why I don’t recommend boiling is that the likelihood that water gets inside the filling is very high. Try to finagle the best steamer setup that you can.
Tried this recipe? Leave a rating and comment below — I’d love to hear how it turned out! Or, follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!
Asian Dumplings
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp chopped scallions
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sriracha
- 1/2 tsp grated ginger
- 1/2 lb ground chuck
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 1 12 oz package wonton wrappers
For the dipping sauce:
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tbsp thinly sliced scallion
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- Whisk to combine all of the dumpling ingredients except the meat and wonton wrappers. Add the ground chuck and ground pork and mix very gently until combined.
- Place a spoonful of the filling into a wonton wrapper one at a time. To seal the edges, dip your finger into water and wet one of the edges of the wonton wrapper.
- Press tightly to close. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
- Steam the dumplings for 12 minutes until the meat has cooked through. Stir to combine all the dipping sauce ingredients, and serve with the dumplings. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
27 Comments on “Asian Dumplings”
Hi! I would love to have the info on the steamer basket you are using. I lost the one I had for years somewhere, somehow. This looks like a cool and interesting replacement. Thanks!
These look great! I’m headed to the store to get the wonton wrappers this afternoon. Have you had any luck with freezing the uncooked dumplings? I love to have homemade stuff in my freezer for lazy days.
Oh man, yes, these freeze wonderfully! My mom would get together with her sisters and they’d sit and make hundreds of dumplings, then keep them in the freezer. Then all you have to do is steam them whenever you want to eat.
Made these today, along with several other things, they were delicious! I got the hang of filling the wontons quickly, the sauce was very good! Thanks for all the great cooking tips!
Hi Nancy, that’s great! I love asian dumplings…they are some of my favorites! Glad the filling process went so well.
Dumplings are one of my favorites, but I haven’t tried them with Siracha sauce. Something new to try. The recipe has it all.