February 26, 2026 Ellen 0 Comments

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Grab Your Wrappers and Let’s Get Folding Some Pork and Leek Dumplings

Elevate your home cooking with the ultimate Pork and Leek Dumplings—a classic, juice-filled comfort food that rivals your favorite dim sum spot. This recipe balances the richness of savory ground pork with the sweetness of leeks and the fresh crunch of napa cabbage, all seasoned with an aromatic blend of garlic and ginger.

Versatile Cooking Methods for Dumplings

Choose your adventure—pan-fry them for a crispy, golden-brown potsticker finish, or boil them in a fragrant broth for a warming, soul-soothing meal. Potstickers are a type of fried dumpling and this recipe and folding method will teach you how to make this. I will use pork, leeks and napa cabbage here, but the variations are endless. Ground turkey, chicken or beef work great here. Even crumbled firm tofu or TVP. Shredded carrots, all kinds of cabbage, bok choy and other bitter greens all work well too.

Two+ Ways to Fold

I guess I’m old school when it comes to wrapping the dumplings. I love the idea of the lasagne dumpling by layering the filling and wrappers and not actually folding them. It makes dumplings and all its glorious flavors and textures so much more accessible to the home cook. But I’m a make-a-big-batch and freeze for later type of cook. Folding these little ingots is an hour of effort for weeks of enjoyment so it’s worth it to me. The act of folding pleats on a dumpling is a muscle memory for me similar to how some people can knit or crochet. You can use this filling recipe and forgo the folding. Or… get a dumpling maker and create gorgeously perfect dumplings so easily with a simple squeeze. It’s up to you.

Pork and leek go well together. When we buy frozen dumplings from the store, we always choose the Pork and Leek variety. It’s like peanut butter and jelly. It’s just a classic combination. I use round dumpling wrappers here. Wonton wrappers are generally thinner as they are gently poached in water/broth. Dumpling wrappers are thicker and can hold up to frying and deep frying.

ground pork filling for pork and leek dumplings — Combine all the ingredients together.

Dumpling maker folding gadget — A dumpling maker is an easy way to fold dumplings.

Extra dumpling skin cut from dumpling maker — Extra skin from the dumpling skins is cut from the dumpling maker. Simply pull it off. The extra skin is perfect to use as noodles.

How to fry dumplings to make crispy potstickers — Remove the lid and let the dumplings continue to fry as the remaining water evaporates.

What’s in the dumplings

ground pork
leeks
napa cabbage
garlic
ginger
shaoxing wine
soy sauce
sesame oil
chicken bouillon
white pepper
dumpling skins

Pork and Leek Dumplings

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Our recipe focuses on authentic flavors and accessible techniques. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a first-timer, you’ll master the art of dumpling making. It’s great for meal prepping; these dumplings freeze beautifully, making them the perfect “emergency dinner” for busy weeknights.

Author: Ellen
Cuisine: Chinese

Ingredients

Units Scale

2 1/2 pounds ground pork
2 sweet garlic leeks (225 grams)
4 napa cabbage leaves (168 grams)
18 grams fresh ginger (1 1/2 inches)
4 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons shaoxing wine
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 teaspoons garlic granules
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
1 teaspoon onion powder

For dumpling “glue”

1 egg
2 tablespoons water

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Instructions

In a food processor, add ginger, garlic cloves, salt and olive oil. Grind on low until the garlic and ginger is minced very fine and almost a paste. Remove from food processor and toss into a large mixing bowl.
Roughly chop the cleaned leeks. Toss into the food processor until chopped fine. Remove from the food processor and toss into the large mixing bowl with the ginger and garlic. Repeat for the napa cabbage. Toss the napa into the same large mixing bowl.
Add the ground pork and the rest of the ingredients: soy sauce, shaoxing wine, sesame oil, corn starch, garlic granules, bouillon, and onion powder. Mix all together until very well incorporated.
Prepare a work surface. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and water together until very well mixed. Lay out your dumpling skins and 2 small spoons. Use one spoon to scoop about 2 teaspoons of pork mixture and with the other spoon in your other hand, push the mixture out of the other spoon and on to the center of a dumpling skin. You can lay out several dumpling skins at a time and spoon the mixture on to each skin several at a time.
Wrap and fold each dumpling. You can refer to my video to learn how to wrap a dumpling. A dumpling maker is a great tool to use for this as well.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay your folded dumplings on the sheet. This recipe is enough to use up 2 packages of dumpling skins, making approximately ?? dumplings. If not eating right away, freeze the dumplings for a few hours until they get hard then transfer them to a freezer ziplock bag and to store in your freezer.
To pan fry: Heat a non-stick pack on medium high. Add 2 tablespoons of oil (vegetable, avocado and canola works well) until hot. Add your dumplings to the pan, make sure they are not touching. Don’t move them, just let them sit and fry for about 3 minutes. After 2 minutes, check one of the dumplings to see if the bottom looks golden brown and crispy. Once they turn golden brown and crispy on the bottom, add 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup of cold water and immediately put the lid on the pan. Don’t touch and let the dumpling steam for 6 to 8 minutes. After this time, remove the lid and let the dumplings continue to crisp as the water on the pan evaporates. Once all the water has evaporated, remove the dumplings from the pan. They are ready to eat.
To boil: In a saucepan, boil water. Add the dumplings and let them cook on medium heat for 12 minutes. Drain and they are ready to eat. You can serve them simply by itself, in broth or over noodles. If you used a dumpling maker to fold your dumplings, the extra skin cut off would make perfect noodles to eat with your dumplings.