What pan-fried dim sum dumpling is known as a potsticker?

The pan-fried dim sum dumpling known as a potsticker is wor tip (potstickers). In Cantonese, wor tip refers to a pan-fried dumpling, usually filled with pork and vegetables and crisped on one side before being steamed in the same pan.

Potstickers are closely related to Chinese jiaozi, but the cooking method creates their signature contrast: a browned, crunchy base and a soft, steamed upper wrapper. The Cantonese name is especially common on dim sum menus, while guotie is the Mandarin term widely used in mainland China.

The English word potsticker comes from the Chinese idea of dumplings becoming stuck to the cooking pot as they fry. Buwei Yang Chao helped popularize the word in English-language food writing through her 1949 book How to Cook and Eat in Chinese.

Jiaozi, gyoza, and Korean mandu can all be pan-fried, which causes confusion. They are related dumplings from different culinary traditions; wor tip specifically identifies the Cantonese-style potsticker served as dim sum.