Stir-Fried Salt and Pepper Dumplings

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Updated February 2, 2026

  • Andrew Bui for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Kaitlin Wayne.
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
25 min
Rating
5(882)
Comments
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Frozen potstickers get the stir-fry treatment in this speedy, comforting weeknight dinner that comes together in one pan. A wok, with its curved sides and excellent ability to distribute heat, is always the superior stir-fry vessel, and for this recipe, it allows for the dumplings to be tossed easily and cooked evenly. A large, preferably nonstick, skillet will also do the job, but make sure to handle the dumplings gently, shaking the pan to keep them moving. The Cantonese salt and pepper seasoning, more commonly used in dishes like salt and pepper tofu, is not a typical seasoning for dumplings, but it injects an aromatic salty-sweet note that makes earthy green beans and the pillowy dumplings feel fresh and new. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

For the Salt and Pepper Seasoning

  • 2 teaspoons salt

  • ½ teaspoon sugar

  • ½ teaspoon ground white pepper

  • ½ teaspoon five-spice powder

  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger

For the Dumplings

  • 4 scallions

  • 2 tablespoons canola or grapeseed oil

  • 1 pound frozen potsticker dumplings (not thawed)

  • 10 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces 

  • 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

  • ½ to 1 Fresno or Thai chile, roughly chopped

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

8 grams carbs; 97 calories; 1 gram monosaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 7 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 244 milligrams sodium; 2 grams protein; 4 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

    1. Step 1

      Prepare the salt and pepper seasoning: Combine the salt, sugar, white pepper, five-spice powder and ground ginger in a small bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.

    2. Step 2

      Prepare the dumplings: Separate the white and green parts of the scallions. Cut the white parts of the scallions into 1-inch pieces. Thinly slice the green parts. 

    3. Step 3

      Heat a wok or large (12-inch) nonstick skillet over medium-high. When hot, add the oil and the potstickers, and gently stir-fry for 1 minute, shaking the pan and tossing them gently, just to soften them slightly.

    4. Step 4

      Add the green beans, white parts of the scallions and the ginger; season with salt and toss to combine. Add 3 tablespoons of water, cover (a sheet pan works here) and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. (If your dumplings contain meat, cook for an extra 1 to 2 minutes, or according to packet instructions, adding a tablespoon or two more water if the skillet is dry.)

    5. Step 5

      Uncover and, using a flat spatula, gently lift the dumplings off the surface of the pan to loosen them from the pan. Add the green parts of the scallions, the chile and 2 teaspoons of the salt and pepper seasoning and shake the pan, tossing gently to coat. 

    6. Step 6

      Carefully transfer the dumplings and green beans among bowls and top with more of the salt and pepper seasoning. The seasoning is punchy and salty, so add as little or as much as you like.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
882 user ratings
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Comments

Andrew B

Costco has some great ones, I think they are called Ling Ling frozen potstickers.

jenny

My husband used to make these for the kids on the night that I was at school. Well, just the frozen potstickers frying up in a pan used to call them botofoti. Burnt on the outside, frozen on the inside.

T FOXE

Really wonderful and super simple but I hate green beans and substituted asparagus. There were no left-overs after the wrestling match for what little was left in the wok.

John

This was absolutely delicious and I’ve made it twice now. The first time, I used table salt in the directions and it was way too salty (the recipe doesn’t specify and when there is no specification that usually means table salt). This time I used kosher salt and the flavor is perfect. Use kosher salt!

Laurie H.

Fantastic, quick and easy! We used a package of frozen beans. I added 2 cloves minced garlic along with 2t minced ginger. I forgot scallions so I just used a sprinkle of Penzey's toasted onion powder. I also just added a tiny pinch of crushed red pepper instead of a whole chile since we don't like things too spicy. I'll be keeping the spice blend on hand because this is going in our regular rotation!

Nichole

This exceeded our expectations. We used frozen green beans that we ran under water and let drain while we prepped, didn't have green onion so used shallot; our meat dumplings were from a local maker and took a bit longer to cook through. Will definitely make again.

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