This pork and prawn potstickers have a tantalising crispy base, they’re as scrumptious and tasty as the ones you get in Chinese restaurants!
Lunar New Year is nearing and I’m so excited!
When we were little my parents took us to Chinatown for the Chinese New Year celebrations. We loved seeing the dragon do its dance and getting our ears blown off by the loud firecrackers. After the celebrations, we would fill our stomachs with a yummy Chinese banquette in a restaurant nearby.
Our family has always adored Chinese food. From their dumplings to their stirfries there would always be plenty of mouthwatering flavours and textures involved!
I could seriously spend all day eating at a good Yum cha restaurant. I would devour all of the dim sum dishes, have a nap, then stuff my gob right up again!
Here are my irresistible Pork and Prawn Potstickers with a crispy skirt to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
These mouthwatering potstickers are filled with plump prawns and pork mince covered in chewy Gow Gee pastry. It’s then fried in a flour slurry to create an extra crispy base. So much deliciousness in a small parcel!!!
Without a doubt, I’m confident you’ll love these dumplings as much as my family and I did. Each time I make a batch I can’t stop eating them and find it very difficult to share. My dad hardly gives compliments but he couldn’t help himself this time, he goes ‘Gimme more, they are so bloody crispy and yummy!’
What the heck is Potstickers with a crispy skirt?
Let’s try and tackle some questions curious minds may have. So what are Potstickers and why do they wear a fancy skirt?
I first discovered potstickers at our local ‘Din Tai Fung’ dumpling restaurant. We had no idea what potstickers were when we ordered them. When they came I was surprised to see that they were fried dumplings that were stuck together at the base. Since that day we’ve been sold on Pork and Prawn Potstickers and order it every time!
Potstickers are dumplings that have been pan-fried so the base is crispy. Rumour has it that they were called potstickers as a cook forgot about his dumplings cooking in a pot. In doing so, the dumplings stuck to his pot but he managed to pry them off and ate them. He fell in love with the crispy burnt base of the dumplings and that’s how Potstickers were born apparently.
The delicate crispy skirt or crispy lace sometimes comes with the Potstickers, it’s what attaches the dumpling together. The skirt is made from flour and water slurry, it adds a beautiful crunchy texture to the Potstickers.
Tips with making Potstickers and its skirt
Wrapping the dumplings:
To be honest the thought of wrapping dumplings over and over again does not excite me. Last time I made a big batch of dumplings I made my sister and husband do the wrapping for me. I taught them how to do the easiest fold to wrap up the dumplings and walked away. A few minutes later I could hear them arguing who made better-looking dumplings.
I will show you two methods of folding dumplings, the super easy method and the pleated method. It was incredibly hard for me to wrap the dumplings and take photos at the same time so apologies there are not any finger action happening!
Super easy fold method
Don’t ever feel guilty about doing this folding method! It’s super easy and fast! When the dumpling is cooked it still looks and tastes great as any fancy fold dumplings.
Using a serving teaspoon (not measuring spoon) scoop a generous amount of filling and place it in the centre of the wrapper. Dip your finger in water and run it across the outer half of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half and press along the edges to seal, sit the dumplings upright and gently press down to create a base.
Pleats in opposite directions method
Using a serving teaspoon (not measuring spoon) scoop a generous amount of filling and place it in the centre of the wrapper. Dip your finger in water and run it across the outer half of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half, starting from the centre, use your fingers to pinch 3 pleats of the outer layer of the wrapper towards the centre, do the same on the other side. Press firmly to seal the Pork and Prawn Potstickers.
There are many Youtube clips that show how to fold dumplings, I find these really fascinating and helpful.
Making the crispy skirt
To be honest, doing a crispy skirt can be a little tricky. After doing it a few times and understanding your stovetop, will make this a piece of cake!
You’ll need a nonstick fry-pan with a lid. If possible use a small fry-pan (15 cm/6 inches) and cook the dumplings in small batches.
This base of the dumplings is prone to burning if the oil is too hot. To prevent burning a batch of dumplings I would recommend doing a tester on two dumplings to start off with until you get perfectly cooked Potstickers and a crispy skirt.
I cooked my potstickers on an induction top which has a heating selection from 1 to 9. I heated my oil on level 4, as soon as the oil gets hot I carefully lower the dumplings down.
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After cooking the dumplings for 20 to 30 seconds lift up a dumpling to inspect the base. Once light golden spots appear on the base of the dumplings pour the flour slurry onto the pan. Pour the slurry between the dumplings and around it but not too much as it may have trouble crisping up and won’t look lacy.
Cover the frypan and reduce the heat to low, I decrease my induction heat to 2. Cook the dumplings for approximately 5 to 6 minutes, the slurry should be dried and crispy.
The Pork and Prawns Potstickers can be cooked without the skirt. To do this heat oil into a frypan on medium-high heat, fry the dumplings until they are golden brown at the base. Add in 1/4 cup of water, cover and cook for 7 minutes, remove the lid and cook until the base has crisped up again.
Ingredients for Pork and Prawns Potstickers
For the Pork and Prawn Potstickers filling:
Prawns – For convenience, I used peeled and cleaned frozen prawns. However, fresh raw peeled and deveined prawns can also be used.
I like my potstickers to have some chunky prawn pieces in it so I chop the prawns roughly.
Garlic chives are sold in Asian speciality shops but can be found in some Veggie shops. Unlike regular chives. garlic chives are flat and not hollow inside, it also has a distinct garlicky smell.
Gow Gee pastry can be found in Asian specialty shops and in some supermarkets. The wrappers I used were circle (slightly oval) shaped.
Bamboo shoots can be found in Asian specialty shops and in supermarkets. Bamboo is mild in flavour but adds a crunchy texture.
Shaoxing wine – can be found in Asian specialty stores. Shaoxing wine can be substituted with dry sherry.
For the crispy skirt slurry:
Cornflour or cornstarch will give the skirt that extra delicious crunch!
Plain flour – Also known as all-purpose flour
How to make Pork and Prawns Potstickers
Step by Step instructions with photos
Make the filling:
Mix all the Pork and Prawn Potstickers filling ingredients in a bowl and combine well.
Wrap up the Pork and Prawn Potstickers:
Using a serving teaspoon (not measuring spoon) scoop a generous amount of filling and place it in the centre of the wrapper. Fold and wrap the dumplings using your preferred method (see post).
Make the slurry and cook the dumplings
In a jug combine the ingredients for the slurry to make the crispy skirt. Stir thoroughly to make sure there is no flour is left at the bottom of the jug. Always stir the slurry again before pouring it into the frypan.
Heat up 2 teaspoons of oil in a small fry pan (15 cm/6 inches), once the oil is hot place 5 to 6 dumplings down into the pan.
Cook the dumplings for 20 to 30 seconds lift up a dumpling to inspect the base. Once light golden spots appear on the base of the dumplings pour the flour slurry onto the pan. Pour the slurry between the dumplings and around it but not too much as it may have trouble crisping up and won’t look lacy.
Cover the pan and lower the heat, let it cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until the slurry has dried up and is crispy. Carefully remove the dumplings with a big spatula. If you like to present the skirt facing up, cover the pan with a plate and flip the pan upside down.
Cooked dumplings should be served immediately with Chinese vinegar, soy and chilli. The dumpling can be frozen raw for 3 months.
For more Asian at home cooking check out these recipes:
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements.
A Third-Party Application calculated the calories and nutritional information. Please use this as an approximate guide only.
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Cheers (I’ll drink to that) – Cat Tre
Pork and Prawns Potstickers
Ingredients
- 30 Gow Gee pastry wrappers (NOTE 1)
- Vegetable oil for frying (or any neutral oil)
FOR THE CRISPY SKIRT
- 2 tbsp cornflour (or cornstarch)
- 1 tbsp plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- ¾ cup water
FOR THE FILLING
- 250 gm pork mince (ground pork)
- 150 gm raw prawns (chopped roughly) (NOTE 2)
- ¼ cup garlic chives (finely chopped) (NOTE 3)
- 40 gm bamboo (finely chopped) (NOTE 4)
- ½ tsp chicken powder (or salt)
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 tsp Shaoxing wine (NOTE 5)
- 1 tsp peanut oil
Instructions
- Mix all the potsticker filling ingredients in a bowl and combine well.
- Using a serving teaspoon (not measuring spoon) scoop a generous amount of filling and place it in the centre of the wrapper. Fold and wrap the dumplings using your preferred method (see post).
- In a jug combine the ingredients for the slurry to make the crispy skirt. Stir thoroughly to make sure there is no flour is left at the bottom of the jug. Always stir the slurry again before pouring into the frypan.
- Heat up 2 teaspoons of oil in a small fry pan (15 cm/6 inches), once the oil is hot place 5 to 6 dumplings down into the pan. Cook the dumplings for 20 to 30 seconds lift up a dumpling to inspect the base. Once light golden spots appear on the base of the dumplings pour the flour slurry onto the pan. Pour the slurry between the dumplings and around it but not too much as it may have trouble crisping up and won't look lacy.
- Cover the pan and lower the heat, let it cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until the slurry has dried up and is crispy. Carefully remove the dumplings with a big spatula. If you like to present the skirt facing up, cover the pan with a plate and flip the pan upside down.
