San Xian dumplings are made with ground pork, fresh shrimp, dried shiitake mushroom and fresh green onion. Its seasoning is classic. The simple combination of soy sauce, Chinese Shaoxing wine and sesame oil brings out the great flavor of the ingredients and creates a satisfyingly savory sensation.
If you’ve ever dined at an authentic Chinese restaurant or traveled in China, you might have heard the word “San Xian” (三鲜). San Xian literally means “three delicious flavors”. If a dish has the word San Xian in its name, it will contain three savory main ingredients in it.
There are countless combinations of the three ingredients, but San Xian usually contains fresh or dried seafood. Like the logic of adding oyster sauce or fish sauce to a dish, a small amount of seafood or seafood extract will enhance the flavor of the whole dish and bring it to another level. Traditional Chinese cooking uses fresh and dried shrimp, dried scallop, and fresh fish to achieve this goal. San Xian also has a vegetarian version, which uses eggs and vegetables.
The recipe I will introduce today is an authentic way to cook Chinese potstickers, so you won’t find sriracha or ketchup in the ingredient list. However, I did incorporate my own twist by replacing the Sichuan peppercorn with black pepper. I found it didn’t make a huge difference in the result, and black pepper is a much more common ingredient in the average household pantry.
I also included a few universal tips for making moist dumpling fillings. Even if you use totally different ingredients to make the filling, you should always apply these rules. By following these simple tips, you can create very tender, moist, or even soupy potstickers and dumplings.
The Secret to Creating Moist Fillings
- Choose ground pork that contains 20 to 30 percent fat. The fat keeps the filling juicy and moist. A cut of meat that is too lean won’t work well in traditional Chinese style potstickers and dumplings.
- Blend water into the meat before adding other solid ingredients. This adds extra moisture to the texture of the potstickers. Do not add too much water. An excessively runny filling will be difficult to wrap.
- Add a small amount of oil after blending in the water. The oil will lock the moisture within the ground pork while marinating. You can then start to prepare the other ingredients and chop the veggies.
- Always blend vegetables into the filling right before wrapping the potstickers. The salty seasoning will draw the moisture out of the veggies and cause the filling to become watery. This recipe only uses green onion, but you should apply this rule to all potstickers and dumplings.
- Drizzle a few drops of sesame oil into the filling at the end. This will add very nice aroma to the finished potstickers.
A Few More Tips
- Cook or freeze the the potstickers soon after wrapping, because the wrapper and the filling will both dry out if you keep them at room temperature for too long. If you’re making a big batch and plan to cook them all, you can place the dumplings on a tray or large container and cover them with plastic wrap. Or, you could wet a clean paper towel and cover the potstickers with it.
- Freeze raw potstickers right after wrapping to store them for a longer time. You should always cook the amount of potstickers you intend to consume during the meal. Cooked potstickers will dry out and won’t taste as good after being stored in the fridge.
- Fold the potstickers whichever way you feel comfortable, no matter whether you gently pinch the wrapper edges together, fold it like an envelope, or fold it like a ravioli. Unlike when making dumplings or ravioli, you don’t have to make sure the potstickers are wrapped tight so that they won’t fall apart during boiling. Do not let the fancy folding technique scare you away from making this easy dish!
Want to learn more dumpling recipes? Check out my Carrot Dumplings (vegetarian), my mom’s best lamb dumplings, and the ultimate guide of making dumplings from scratch!
I tried to keep the recipe simple and straightforward, but somehow it ended up being quite long. If you’ve never cooked potstickers before, I suggest you watch the short video below before deciding this is too complicated. It only takes 3 minutes to get an idea of the work flow and you will see how easy the whole process is!
In the end, even if you don’t apply all the tips about mixing the filling, you can still get a very tasty potsticker by dumping and mixing all the ingredients at once. Sound easy enough?
If you like the video, don’t forget to check out my YouTube channel! I have a collection of cooking videos that walk you through the delicious recipes at Omnivore’s Cookbook. It is one of the fastest ways for you to get used to the techniques that are used in Chinese cooking!
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San Xian Potsticker with Pork, Shrimp and Shiitake Mushroom
Ingredients
for dumpling
- 200 grams (7 ounces) ground pork (lean fat ratio 7:3)
- 10 large (1 cup) shrimp , peeled, deveined and chopped into corn kernel sized pieces
- 1 cup (30 grams / 1 ounce) shiitake mushrooms , dried, rehydrated and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 3 and 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 1 teaspoon ginger , minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup green onion , chopped
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 40 dumpling wrappers
for dipping Sauce
- 2 tablespoons ginger slices
- 4 tablespoons black vinegar
Instructions
To make the filling
- In a large bowl, combine ground pork, shaoxing wine and light soy sauce. Mix well with a pair of chopsticks (or a fork). Add 4 tablespoons water to the mixture, 1 tablespoons at a time, and stir until the water is fully combined. The mixture should feel sticky and a bit runny, but still thick enough to coat a spoon. Add shrimp, shiitake, ginger, salt and black pepper, mix well.
- Right before you’re ready to wrap the dumplings, add green onion and sesame oil, mix well.
To wrap potstickers
- Prepare a small bowl of water. Place a piece of parchment paper on a working surface or dust a wooden board with flour.
- To wrap a potsticker, scoop about 2 teaspoons of the pork mixture and place in the center of the dumpling wrapper. Gently press the mixture into a round shape, so it will be easier to wrap. Wet your finger or a pair of chopsticks with water and gently brush water onto the edge of the wrapper (this will help the wrapper stick to itself when pressed together).
- Fold the wrapper into a half moon shape, using fingers to pinch the middle and press the two layers together. Use your left hand to hold the dumpling and your right hand to fold 2 to 3 pleats in the outer layer towards the midpoint, and press it well to seal the filling inside.
- Switch so that you're holding the dumpling in your right hand, and use your left hand to form more pleats in the same manner. Press the pleats again to seal the filling tightly. If you have trouble sealing the dumplings, reduce the amount of filling inside until you can seal it easily.
- Place potsticker on the parchment paper. Continue forming the rest of the potstickers in the same manner. Leave about a finger’s width between any two dumplings, so they won’t stick together.
To mix dipping sauce
- In a small bowl, drizzle vinegar over ginger slices. If the dipping sauce is not salty enough to your liking, you can add soy sauce to adjust the flavor, 1 teaspoon at a time.
To cook potstickers
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. When oil is hot, place potstickers in the skillet, pleat side up. Swirl 2 tablespoons water into the skillet, cover immediately, and turn the heat to medium.
- Cook covered until the water is evaporated and potstickers are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove the cover and flip one potsticker to see whether the bottom side is charred. If not, turn to medium high heat and cook until the bottom side turns golden brown, about 1 minute. Transfer the potstickers to a plate.
- Serve immediately with dipping sauce.
To store potstickers
- Store the cooked potstickers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days.
- For uncooked potstickers, place them in a large airtight container, one finger’s width apart. Do not overlap dumplings. Store in freezer up to 1 month.
To cook frozen potstickers
- You don’t need to thaw the potstickers before cooking. Heat a tablespoon of oil until hot and place dumplings in one at a time. Swirl in 4 tablespoons water and cover. Cook over medium heat until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove the cover and flip one potsticker to see whether the bottom side is charred. If not, turn to medium high heat and cook until the bottom side turns golden brown, about 1 minute.
Maggie, these potstickers look absolutely delicious! It’s funny, I fold my potstickers by starting on the right and working my way across to the left. The look the same as yours though!
Maggie! You are GOLD. I love love love dumplings (that’s what we call pot stickers here in Aus, along with every other type of dumpling!). Your step by step is brilliant. And this is a proper recipe!! I am so disappointed with the number of potsticker recipes that are quite popular on Pinterest etc that aren’t authentic. Many leave out cooking wine and sesame oil (probably because they think most people don’t have or know what it is). And though I do swap around light and dark soy, I like that you are using light in this which is more appropriate for this dish. You really know your stuff!! PS I subscribed to your blog some time ago but not getting notifications!! Resubscribing 🙂
These look like the perfect appetizer! The step by step pictures are amazing, and I would love to try these, since I’ve never made pot stickers at home! I love your tricks on creating a moist filling and I can totally agree on all of them!
You definitely have got me craving pot stickers right now Maggie, these look SO delicious. I can’t remember the last time that I ate some so I must go out and get my hands on the ingredients so I can make the recipe!
Hi Maggie, just found your website through Robyn’s. These pot stickers look amazing, thanks for the great tips!
Hi Cheri, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! Have a great day 🙂
These potstickers look wonderful. And I love the step by step photos as well. I may have to definitely give this a try at my home and see how well they turn out.
I never knew there were so many “San Xian” dishes out there. I used to live in Jilin province, and one of my favourite dishes was Di San Xian, which contained green bell peppers, eggplant, and potato. These dumplings would pair well with that dish too! I’ll be pinning your recipe to try for sure!
I just loved your section on tips for making potstickers…followed with the whys! I’ve not yet had the patience to perfect the potsticker folding. These look gorgeous!
Your potstickers look absolutely gorgeous, Maggie! I love the step-by-step photos and video! They’re perfect – I could definitely eat that whole plate!
I have been craving potstickers lately! I would never have made them at home because they seem complicated but your directions are so amazing I feel like I can definitely make these happen!!
Maggie, these are wonderful. I want a dozen of them. You’ve really helped make Chinese food less intimidating. Thank you.
Thank you so much! Love the pictures and your videos. Greetings from South America
This is one of my favorite potsicker fillings! Have a great week ahead oni 🙂
Made these yesterday in Encinitas, CA! I made my first trip to a Chinese grocery store, and spent 20 minutes searching for Shaoxing wine, but the result was well worth it! The flavor was fantastic, and although somewhat labor intensive, it wasn’t actually hard to do! I cannot wait to make these for a dinner party. Can’t wait to try the next recipe Maggie! I’m a white girl trying to learn to cook Chinese, because I don’t want to be that boring lasagna woman. Your blog is awesome….I’m not an experienced cook, and I felt like I nailed it, thanks to you!
Hi Laura, I’m so glad to hear you tried out my recipe and enjoyed the dish! I agree with you, potstickers are quite labor intensive, but it is worth the effort and it’s always popular for a dinner party. The Shaoxing wine is a secret weapon to make all your Chinese dish stands out 🙂
Happy cooking and let me know how your next dish turns out!
dumplings are truly fascinating! i like dumplings and i want to know some varieties of it..please share some of your expertise so i could start somehow a great business out of it..:-) Thank you and more power to you Ms. Maggie! continue inspiring us!
Question: your ingredients list calls for peanut oil, but I seem to be missing where to actually use it in the recipe. What point do you add it?
Hi Matt, sorry for the confusion! I used peanut oil while pan frying the dumplings.
Great recipe! Going to try these. Can dumplings with this filling be boiled, too? 🙂
Hi Olivia, it really depends on the wrapper you use. If you use homemade dough (http://omnivorescookbook.com/recipes/how-to-make-chinese-dumplings) you can definitely boil them. I would be very careful with store bought wrappers. They tend to fall apart during boiling and I usually steam or pan fry them.
I never though I could make Potstickers that tasted this good. Thank You
So so so good!! The recipe is a keeper!! I decided to not do the wrapper, and fried them as little patties and ate with lettuce leaves – so so so delish!! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Absolutely amazing recipe. First ever time making dumplings and it was delicious! This is why omnivores cookbook is always one of my go-to recipe websites
nice big content, thanks for sharing
Thank you SO MUCH for the protips regarding mixing in the water & oil, that legit makes the difference. This recipe is excellent, I added ramp greens & white pepper and these are the best dumplings I’ve ever made by far.
Hi Maggie made this last night it was so nice.Only thing I done wrong is I found I might not have left the flour and water not long enough and not enough time to knead the dough as was a bit soft but managed to put mixture in and put in fry pain and fold over.Anyhow it tasted fantastic so next I will give more time and how good will it taste then.Thank You Maggie Again.