Jiaozi

Jiaozi is called gaau ji in Cantonese and are standard fare in dim sum. The immediate noted difference to Northern style is that they are smaller and wrapped in a thinner translucent skin, and usually steamed. The smaller size and the thinner wrapper make the dumplings easier to cook through with steaming. In contrast to jiaozi, Cantonese gaau ji are rarely homemade because the wrapper, which needs to be thin but tough enough to not break, is more difficult to make. Many types of fillings exist, with the most common type being har gow (simplified Chinese: 虾饺; traditional Chinese: 蝦餃; Cantonese Yale: hā gáau; lit. 'shrimp dumplings'), but fillings can include scallop, chicken, tofu, and mixed vegetables; dim sum restaurants often feature their own house specials or innovations. Dim sum chefs and artists often use ingredients in new or creative ways, or draw inspiration from other Chinese culinary traditions, such as Chaozhou, Hakka, or Shanghai. More creative chefs may even create fusion gaau ji by using elements from other cultures, such as Japanese (teriyaki) or Southeast Asian (satay or curry), while upscale restaurants may use expensive or exotic ingredients such as lobster, shark fin, and bird's nest.

Another Cantonese dumpling is yau gok (Chinese: 油角; pinyin: yóu jiǎo; Cantonese Yale: yàuh gok), which are made with glutinous rice dough and deep fried.

Crispy gau gee in Hawaii

Gau gee (crispy gau gee or kau gee) is a Hawaiian derivative of Cantonese origin brought about during the migration of Chinese in the mid-1800s.[13] The deep-fried dumplings consist of a seasoned ground pork filling in a thick square wonton wrapper that is typically folded half into rectangles or triangles.[14] It is usually accompanied with a condiment of soy sauce mixed with mustard. They are mistakenly called fried wontons in error because the pre-packaged store-bought wrappers are labeled as "wonton wrappers".[15]

Making potstickers

A plate of potstickers and dipping sauce

Potstickers(Chinese: 鍋貼; pinyin: guōtiē; lit. 'pot stick') are northern Chinese style dumplings popular as a street food, appetizer, or side order in Chinese cuisine. Potstickers differs from pan fried dumplings, or jianjiao, in that the shape of potstickers are usually elongated and the two ends are often left open. Potstickers are sometimes served on a dim sum menu, but may be offered independently. The filling for both potstickers and jianjiao usually contains pork (sometimes chicken, or beef in Muslim areas), cabbage (or Chinese cabbage and sometimes spinach), scallions (spring or green onions), ginger, Chinese rice wine or cooking wine, and sesame seed oil. In southern China, the term potsticker is often used as a synonym for the typical jianjiao rather than referring to a particular variety of it.

Fried dumplings served with green onion and sauce

Gyōza with chili oil

Gyōza no Ōshō restaurant in Japan at Monzen-Nakachō Station

Gyoza are a Japanese version of jiaozi that were developed from recipes brought back by Japanese soldiers returning from the Japanese-backed puppet state of Manchukuo in northeastern China during World War II. The Japanese word gyōza derives from giǎoze, the Jilu Mandarin pronunciation of the standard Mandarin jiǎozi, and is often written using the same Chinese characters.

The prevalent differences between Japanese-style gyōza and Chinese-style jiaozi are the rich garlic flavor, which is less noticeable in the Chinese version, and that gyōza wrappers tend to be thinner, due to the fact that most Japanese restaurants use machine-made wrappers. In contrast, the rustic cuisine of poor Chinese immigrants shaped westerners' views that Chinese restaurant jiaozi use thicker handmade wrappers. As jiaozi vary greatly across regions within China, these differences are not as clear in the country of origin. For example, visitors will easily find thin-skinned jiaozi at restaurants in Shanghai and at street food vendors in the Hangzhou region. Gyōza wrappers are actually identical to jiaozi wrappers seen in Chinese households using store-bought machine-made wrappers. Gyōza are usually served with soy-based tare sauce seasoned with rice vinegar and/or chili oil (rāyu in Japanese, làyóu (辣油) in Mandarin Chinese). The most common recipe is a mixture of minced pork (sometimes chicken or beef), cabbage, Asian chives, and sesame oil, and/or garlic, and/or ginger, which is then wrapped in the thinly rolled dough skins. Gyoza share similarities with both pierogi and spring rolls and are cooked in the same fashion as pierogi, either boiled or fried.

Gyōza and gyōza wrappers can be found in supermarkets and restaurants throughout Japan, either frozen or ready to eat. Pan-fried gyōza are sold as a side dish in many ramen and Chinese restaurants. Both the wrappers and the prepared gyōza themselves are increasingly easy to find in Asian markets around the world.

The most popular preparation method is the pan-fried style called yaki-gyōza (焼き餃子), in which the dumpling is first fried on one flat side, creating a crispy skin. Then, water is added and the pan sealed with a lid, until the upper part of the dumpling is steamed. This technique is what the Chinese call making potstickers (see above). Other popular methods include boiling sui-gyōza (水餃子) and deep frying age-gyōza (揚げ餃子).

Store-bought frozen dumplings are often prepared at home by first placing them in a pot of water, bringing it to a boil, and then transferring them to a pan with oil to fry the skin.

The Tibetan and Nepalese version is known as momo (Tibetan: མོག་མོག་; Nepali: मम). The word "momo" comes from a Chinese loanword, "momo" (饃饃),[16] which translates to "steamed bread". When preparing momo, flour is filled, most commonly with ground water buffalo meat. Often, ground lamb or chicken meat is used as alternate to water buffalo meat. In Nepal there is also a vegetarian option where mixtures of potato, cheese and other vegetable items are mixed. Finely chopped onion, minced garlic, fresh minced ginger, cumin powder, salt, coriander/cilantro, etc. are added to the meat for flavor. A sauce made from cooked tomatoes flavored with Sichuan pepper and minced red chilies is often served along with momo.

The Nepalese momo is usually served with dipping sauces that include tomato based chutneys or sesame based sauces. Sauces can be thick or thin consistency depending on the eatery (locally called chutney/achhar[17]), that is normally made with tomato as the base ingredient. In Kathmandu valley, the traditional way of serving momo (momocha) is 10 ping-pong ball sized round momo drowned in a tangy, tomatoey and nutty broth or sauce called Jhol (watery soup / broth in Nepali) achar (served at room temperature, with watery / runny consistency, also known as Kathmandu style momo). Jhol momo has a warm or hot broth poured over momo (not cooked in the soup / broth).[18] To make the jhol achar one of the main ingredients is Nepali Hog Plum (Lapsi), but if unavailable, lemon or lime juice can be used.