Dumplings, Pot Stickers, Jiaozi, Gyoza? So which one is it?

Well, literally they are very similar to each other, just different name calling. Chinese called them “jiaozi” or in English “Dumplings”. They all can be eaten either boil, steam, pan fried or deep fried – all make with flour dough, pinch on the openings and with fillings (either all meat or vegetable or both).

The word “pot stickers” in Chinese actually refers to the way how your dumplings are being cooked. The chinese characters “ 锅贴 “ (pronounced as “wo tip” in Cantonese, "guotie" in Mandarin) where “wo” means “pot” and “tip” means stick, which interpret as pan fry the base first, then add water to steam cook them. So if you say “Wo Tip” or “pot sticker”, we know you want this (see picture). It is also the American name for dumplings.

But if you just say “dumplings” or “jiaozi”, then it means you either want the dumplings boil or steam.

Then there is Gyoza, the Japanese name for dumplings. It is cooked just like pot sticker, their filling is usually lighter with a pitch of fresh garlic added. Usually served with a vinegar based soy sauce and hot chili oil. They are usually pan fried, seldom steam or boil.

Pot stickers or gyoza found in most  America supermarkets are made with a thinner wrapper (skin) for easy pan frying, but they are not suitable for steaming or boiling - skin breaks too easily. In Asian supermarkets, you will be able to find packet that said "Dumplings" just like the one in the picture. They usually come with pork or chicken fillings mixed with vegetables, or just plain vegetables with mushroom or chives. They are suitable for pan fry, deep fry, steam or boil. Their skin are thicker, with some thicker than the other, depends on the brand. I prefer these that said “dumplings” on the package, which I can make pot sticker style or boil or steam. In fact, I found them a bit easier to work with when I pan fried them. Thinner skin tends to get brown faster before it gets cooked. Since they are frozen, I like to cook them slightly longer, so the slightly thicker skin fits me better. However, I always serve mine with the Black fragrant vinegar mixed with a dash of sesame oil. And if you have trouble finding the black fragrant vinegar, try dipping them with balsamic vinegar, you'll be surprised how well they go together!

In case you're wondering why most Chinese takeouts have "Fried Dumplings" on their menus, but not "Pot Sticker" ? Technically they made the dumplings just like they made at home, which  can be pan fried (pot sticker style), steam or boil, so Dumplings it is.