Wontons, potstickers, boiled dumplings. If you think that these are all different names for the same thing, then this is for you! Each of these styles of dumplings have different characteristics and cooking styles and throughout this series that we’re calling Unwrapping the Dumpling, we’re going to take a deeper look into the many types of dumplings out there and what makes them unique.

First up: Potstickers.

Cooking Style

Traditionally, potstickers are panfried, but they sometimes boiled in water or deep fried and served with a dipping sauce like ponzu sauce. The name “potsticker” comes from the idea that during the panfrying process, the potsticker often sticks to the pan. It takes a special skill to keep the potstickers moving on the pan to make sure that they’re fried up perfectly and don’t end up sticking to the pan!

In Chinese, the name for potstickers has two characters, where the first character is the word for “wok” and the second word is the word for “stick”. Much like its English name, the Chinese name for potstickers also literally means to stick to the pan, or in this case, a wok.

As previously mentioned, other accepted methods of cooking a potsticker includes boiling it in water or deep frying them. That said, these other methods don’t live up to the potsticker’s traditional method of preparation and its name of sticking to a pot!

Wrapper & Folding Technique

Since potstickers are cooked fairly rigorously while fried on a pan, its wrapper tends to be slightly thicker than other dumplings like soup dumplings or wontons. Potstickers are made with round wrappers where the fillings sit in the middle and folded in half to create a crescent shape and then pleated at the edges. This method of wrapping creates natural flat edges to the potsticker, which makes it easier to panfry since it sits flat on the pan.

What is a gyoza and is it the same as a potsticker?

Gyoza and potstickers are fairly similar, but has one clear difference: gyoza are smaller. Gyoza originate from Japan, but its origins are deeply rooted in Chinese culture. The Japanese were inspired by Chinese culture with this type of dumpling and today you can find it at Japanese restaurants served with sushi or at ramen shops served with their bowls of noodles. You may find that gyoza and potstickers have different fillings, but that is usually up to the person making the dumpling.

Cooking Instruction

Cooking Time: 15-20mins

Potstickers or gyoza are great for sharing. As opposed to boiling or steaming, they are a little more difficult to prepare, but they are definitely an instant favourite in the room.

1. On medium heat, pour a small amount of oil onto a frying pan, enough for a thin layer to cover the pan.

2. Place the potstickers or gyoza onto the pan, with the flat side down. Make sure that you do not put too many on the pan at once as they need space to cook properly.

3. Allow the potstickers or gyoza to sit and slowly golden for about approx. 7 minutes. If the pan heats unevenly, shuffle the dumplings around and check that they don’t burn. If they start to burn, the pan is too hot and you may have to flip the dumplings on its other sides.

4. After approx. 7 minutes or when the skin is golden, flip all the potstickers or gyoza on another side.

5. Fill the pan with cold tap water, covering about 2/3 of the potstickers or gyoza.

6. On high heat, place a lid on the pan and allow the water to boil for about 7 to 10 minutes. Keep an eye out to make sure that all the water doesn’t completely evaporate during this time.

7. After the 7-10 minutes, the water should be slowly evaporated. At this point, the potstickers or gyoza are fully cooked.

8. Leaving them on the pan longer after all the water has evaporated will make the skin crispier, but this is also when they start to stick to the pan (hence the name). Move them around so that they don’t completely stick or burn and let them crisp a bit. If necessary, lower the heat a bit.

9. When the skins are crispy, remove them from the heat and serve with soya sauce or ponzu sauce. Enjoy!

Come in to Typical Noodles today! We have both the Japanese Gyoza or a number of different flavours of potstickers that you can view here.