Pot stickers in Chinese are known as jiaozi and gyoza in Japanese. These tiny dumplings are usually filled with a mixture of meats and vegetables. The recipe here uses fresh chopped shrimp, cabbage, shiitakes, green onion, and other flavorings to create the perfect treat, enjoy.

3 dried shiitake mushrooms
½ cabbage (green or Napa)
3 green onions
3 cloves garlic
¼ piece fresh ginger
1 lb. fresh shrimp
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp Shao hsing wine
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
50 pot sticker (jiaozi, or gyoza) wrappers
peanut oil
sesame oil

1. Soak the shiitakes in warm water for about 30 minutes while preparing the other ingredients.


2. Wash the cabbage and discard the outer most leaves. Then cut it into fine shreds and place these in a large microwave safe bowl. To save time you can also use pre shredded angle hair cabbage that can usually be found in the produce section of most local grocery stores.


3. Next fill the bowl of cabbage with hot water and then microwave it on high for 3 minutes.


4. After 3 minutes the cabbage should be soft. Drain it in a colander and let it sit to drain thoroughly.


5. Wash the green onions and dry them thoroughly. Then dice both the white and green parts and set them aside.


6. Peel and dice the garlic.


7. Then using a knife or the back of a spoon peel the ginger. Then grate it and set it aside with the garlic and green onion.


8. Next peel and devein the shrimp. Then chop them into tiny pieces and place these pieces in a large bowl.


9. By now the shiitakes should have expanded. Remove them from the water squeezing gently out any excess water and drying them with paper towels. Then dice them and add them to the bowl with the shrimp.


10. Then to the bowl add the diced garlic, green onion, grated ginger, sugar, Shao hsing wine, soy sauce, and cornstarch. Mix everything together thoroughly and then check to see if the cabbage is completely dry.


11. If the cabbage is still damp, blot it with a towel until dry. Once it is dry add it to the shrimp mixture and mix everything together.


12. Now that the filling is made, we can start making the pot stickers. Make sure to have the wrappers, filling, a pan on which to place the finished pot stickers, and a bowl of water (used to seal the pot stickers) close by.


13. Then on a work surface place one of the wrappers and add about 1½ teaspoons of the filling to the center. Then dip your index finger into the bowl of water and spread this water along the edges of the wrapper. Then fold the wrapper in half creating a half and press the edges firmly to seal them. At this point you can pleat the sealed edge or simply leave it flat.


14. Then place the finished pot sticker on the pan and continue filling the rest of the wrappers.


15. When all of the pot stickers are finished, take a large non-stick pot that has a tight fitting lid and with the lid off, heat it on medium high.


16. Once it’s hot add the peanut oil spread it around evenly using a paper towel.


17. When the oil is hot add about 1/3 of the pot stickers. Depending on the size of your pot you may be able to add more or less, just make sure not to over crowd the pot.


18. Then add ½ cup of hot water, cover, and let them cook for 8 minutes, or until the water completely evaporates.


19. Then drizzle the sesame oil evenly on top of the pot stickers and let them cook 1 to 2 more minutes, or until the bottoms brown.


20. Then use a spatula and carefully remove them from the pot and place them on a plate. Continue cooking the remaining pot stickers in batches. This makes about 50 shrimp pot stickers.