Rice Paper Dumplings (Chinese Potstickers)

What to expect from this recipe?

This recipe was inspired by Chinese dumplings aka potstickers. They are typically filled with pork, cabbage, scallions, and mushrooms. Traditionally, they are boiled or steamed then pan-fried and eaten on New Year’s Eve. We combined it with the flavors of Hoisin duck pancakes, to make the best rice paper dumplings you ever tried.

So what can you expect when you taste them? Rice paper wrappers are filled with crispy baked shredded king oyster mushrooms marinated in an aromatic Hoisin marinade and a pre-cooked shredded cabbage, carrot, and scallion. They are crunchy, flavorful, sweet, and savory at the same time. The different textures will make this recipe so exciting.

I know Chinese potstickers have a special folding technique which you cannot exactly do with rice paper. Since the classic wrappers are a bit thicker and dough-based it is easier to shape and stick together.

There are some limitations to rice paper wrappers, as despite common belief they don’t stick everywhere. However, we developed an easy folding technique to shape filled rice papers into cute dumpling packets.

Ingredients

What did we add to these crispy rice paper dumplings?

• Rice paper wrappers → We have a complete guide on rice paper wrappers with everything you want to know about how to choose, prepare, and roll it.
• King oyster mushrooms → We used the king one, but you can also use other types of oyster mushrooms. Here is a list of where to buy them.
• Carrots → Young vibrant orange carrots are usually sweeter than baby carrots.
• Cabbage → We recommend using napa, green, or savoy cabbage.
• Scallion
• Mung bean sprouts → Any other sprouts will do.
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Sesame oil

Hoisin sauce marinade

We prepared a quick marinade for the shredded king oyster mushrooms using these 9 ingredients. They will taste aromatic and flavorful.

• Hoisin sauce
• Chinese five spice
• Ginger powder
• Garlic powder
• Black pepper
• Soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free)
• Sesame oil
• Vegetable oil

🛒 You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Instructions

Preparing the ingredients

• Wash, peel, and shred carrots with a large hole cheese grater.
• Wash and cut green onion into thin matchsticks.
• Discard the outer leaves of the cabbage. Use a mandolin to shred it.
• Peel and finely chop garlic and ginger.
• Sprouts are usually sold washed, so you don’t need to prepare them.
• It is really easy to prepare oyster mushrooms since they are grown on trees, so they are usually not dirty at all. You can clean it with a dry paper towel. No need to wash them. Cut the last bit of the stem if that feels too hard and dry.

Baking the marinated mushrooms

There are 11 ways to cook oyster mushrooms, but for this rice paper dumplings recipe, baking is the best method to give you the right texture and flavor. It is also the easiest way to make a large batch.

1. Preheat the oven to 390 Fahrenheit (ca. 199 °C).
2. Shred the stem of the mushrooms with a fork into tiny pieces. Cut or shred the caps with your fingers.

3. Take a sheet pan and line it with parchment paper or use a non-stick baking sheet.
4. Mix the Hoisin marinade in a large bowl.
5. Add shredded mushrooms and use a spatula to cover all pieces with the sauce.
6. Spread the marinated mushroom evenly in one layer.

7. Bake them for 25 minutes until dark brown. When they are ready, we added the leftover Hoisin sauce to make them juicier.

Precooking the veggies

1. Preheat a frying pan or wok over low/medium heat. Add vegetable oil.
2. Add minced garlic and ginger. Stir and cook for approx. 2 minutes.
3. Add carrots, spring onion, cabbage, and mung bean sprouts. Stir to mix them.

4. Increase the heat to medium/high, and season it with salt and black pepper. Cook for approx. 4-5 minutes while stirring from time to time.

Forming the dumplings

1. Let the filling cool before using.
2. Pour lukewarm water into a large shallow bowl. You should use a large enough bowl to submerge the rice paper in one go.
3. Prepare a non-stick parchment paper nearby to place the rolled dumplings on.
4. Submerge the rice paper wrappers. (See Cooking tips section on how long.)
5. Once submerged, transfer it to a dry and smooth surface. (I wipe my surface more or less dry after each roll.)

6. Place the filling in the middle around the lower third of the rice paper. We used a small rice paper with a diameter of 6 inches (ca. 15 cm).

7. Don’t fold the sides like you would if you make rice paper spring rolls or egg rolls. Roll it up like a rod and use your fingers to tuck it tightly.

8. Then roll up sidewise to form a snail-shaped dumpling packets.

Frying

Traditional Chinese potstickers are steamed and then fried to ensure that they are crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. Since rice paper has already been softened in water, you don’t need to steam rice paper dumplings. See they are easy to work with and you can save so much time.

1. Preheat your frying pan or cast-iron skillet.
2. Add sesame oil to give it a bit more flavor.
3. Place the rice paper dumplings on the hot surface with the side where the folding is at the bottom. It is to sear the opening.
4. Fry them until crispy, golden brown, and bubbly. It will be a bit chewy compared to spring roll wrappers but crispy enough to enjoy them without guilt.

Cooking tips

We have a detailed guide on how to use rice paper wrappers, including how to choose, roll, and store them. If you are uncertain and need more info, be sure to check our guide out. However, the 3 most important tips to know about is here below:

• Use dry hands → Make sure you grab a new rice paper wrapper from the packaging with dry hands. If you use wet hands, they will stick together before you can use them. It is hard to separate them then.
• Damp towel or submerging in water? → Check your packaging and see if the first ingredient is tapioca starch or not. If yes, then a damp towel is enough to get the wrappers soft. If you see rice flour only, then you need to submerge it in water to get them soft.
• How much time do you need to soften them? → We use a wrapper made of 100% rice flour. I submerge this type for 7-8 seconds. If you are uncertain, start with 3-4 seconds, then place it on a dry surface. If you wait for 2-3 seconds and the wrapper is soft enough to fold, then you are good to go.

Variations

• Add other vegetables: We used green cabbage, but you can add any other types of cabbage for example napa, savory, or wombok (Chinese cabbage). Or try adding other veggies like green beans, bok choi, red bell pepper, scallion, or leek.
• Pork substitutes: TVP works perfectly as vegan ground pork in this Vietnamese rice paper pizza recipe.
• Shredded tofu: We added some shredded Hoisin tofu to make these Chinese rice paper spring rolls more interesting.
• Use other wrappers: While this is specifically a rice paper dumpling recipe, there are actually 10 different things you can use as spring roll wrappers.

Serving ideas

Chinese potstickers and dumplings are usually served with a soy sauce-based dipping sauce with vinegar and sugar. But there are many delicious alternatives. Browse through these 13 spring roll dipping sauces that work perfectly for dumplings as well.

Equipment

• Rice paper water bowl – Have you heard of them? They are pretty handy if you use rice paper wrappers a lot. They are compact and need only a tiny counter space. If you don’t have it, use a shallow bowl larger than the wrappers.
• Rice paper tray – This can help you a lot to save time since it makes rolling faster. A rice paper tray effectively prevents sticking and allows excess liquid to drain through holes. When you use a simple cutting board, you need to wipe it dry between each rolling.

Storing tips

• Fridge: Unbaked rice paper dumplings can be stored in the refrigerator on a plate covered in plastic wrap. Don’t let the rolls touch each other as they tend to stick easily. Baked or fried dumplings can be stored in an airtight container, but will lose crispiness over time.
• Reheat: The best method would be to reheat the dumplings in a lightly oiled frying pan. Microwaves will not give you the same result.
• Freezer: We do not recommend freezing them as they will become soggy since the moisture from the filling will soften the wrappers.

More rice paper rolls recipes

Try one of these delicious rice paper recipes, or choose one from below: