Northern-style · Recipes

Pork & Cabbage Dumplings

Name: Pork & Cabbage Dumplings
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 32 pieces round dumpling wrappers; 300 g ground pork; 300 g napa cabbage, finely chopped; 0.5 tsp salt; 2 pieces scallions, minced; 10 g ginger, minced; 1 tbsp light soy sauce; 1 tsp sesame oil (optional); 2 tbsp water for the filling

猪肉白菜饺子 · Zhū ròu bái cài jiǎo zi

A weekend project with a simple filling and ready-made wrappers. Start with a half-moon fold; fancy pleats can wait.

Jump to recipe ↓

Prep35 min

Cook15 min

Serves4

DifficultyMedium

Pork & Cabbage Dumplings — illustrative dish photo; ingredients may differ — Illustrative dish photography · credits below · Armineaghayan · CC BY-SA 4.0

Recipe guide · not yet kitchen-testedAI-assisted editorial draft. Timing depends on your stove, pan, and ingredient size. Use the doneness checks below.

Let’s get cooking

01
Prepare the cabbage
Mix chopped cabbage with salt and let sit for 10 minutes. Squeeze out excess liquid in a clean towel.
02
Mix the filling
Stir pork with soy sauce, ginger, scallions, optional sesame oil, and the measured filling water. Fold in cabbage. Keep the filling refrigerated when you pause.
03
Fill and seal
For a standard 9 cm wrapper, start with a scant tablespoon of filling, about 12–15 g. Use less for smaller wrappers. Moisten the edge, fold, and press firmly without trapped air.
04
Boil in batches
Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil. Add dumplings in batches and stir gently to prevent sticking. Simmer about 6–10 minutes depending on size.
05
Check the centre
Floating is not a reliable safety test. Use a thermometer to check the centre of a dumpling: ground pork must reach 71°C / 160°F. Drain and serve.

A little kitchen wisdom

Keep wrappers covered with a slightly damp clean towel while folding. Do not overfill: a firmly sealed edge matters more than elaborate pleats.

Can’t find an ingredient?

Napa cabbage: Finely chopped green cabbage can work; squeeze it after salting and expect a firmer texture.

Cook safely

Ground pork filling must reach 71°C / 160°F. Wash hands and utensils after handling raw meat.

FoodSafety.gov guidance ↗

Technique references

These sources inform general techniques. Our quantities and steps are editorial adaptations, not author endorsements or kitchen-test results.

Sarah · The Woks of Life ↗
Remove excess liquid from filling vegetables and avoid overfilling wrappers.

Pork & Cabbage Dumplings

Let’s get cooking

Prepare the cabbage

Mix the filling

Fill and seal

Boil in batches

Check the centre

A little kitchen wisdom

Can’t find an ingredient?

Cook safely

Technique references

Something else for the table

Tomato & Egg Stir-fry

Kung Pao Chicken

Everyday Egg Fried Rice