One of Oakland’s Top Noodle Makers Now Runs a Dumpling Shop

China’s northern Shanxi province is famous for its wheat-based cuisine, like the knife-shaved noodles that are the particular specialty of Huangcheng Noodle House in Oakland. But what does a Shanxier eat when he isn’t in the mood for pasta?

In those cases, says Huangcheng chef-owner Jimmy Huang, a plate of dumplings is often the go-to meal. Which is why the third-generation noodle maker decided to expand his family’s burgeoning East Bay restaurant mini-empire by opening Huang Cheng Potsticker, a food stall just down the hall from his flagship noodle shop at Swan’s Market. The new restaurant, which took over the old Dela Curo Curry/B-Dama spot, specializes in both boiled and pan-fried dumplings.

Huang, whose toothsome, pleasingly ruffle-edged noodles have built a cult following, says he always wanted to serve potstickers but never had the space at the noodle house. So he jumped at the opportunity to open a standalone dumpling shop. The menu is short and sweet: For now, there are only two types of dumplings, pork or shrimp, both available either boiled or pan-fried. As with Huang’s noodles, the foundation of the dumplings is the handmade dough for the wrappers, which is made from scratch in house. The fillings are simple, based on traditional Shanxi recipes — mostly meat, with a bit of very finely minced Napa cabbage and ginger mixed in.

These are plump little dumplings that come 18 to an order — two-bite dumplings at the most, each one not much larger in size than a fortune cookie. When I visited over the weekend, I was impressed with the pliant, supple texture of the boiled dumplings’ wrappers. When pan-fried in potsticker form, the well-browned, crunchy bottoms were a fantastic counterpoint to the juicy, super savory pork filling. In a bit of interprovincial fusion, Huang — who grew up in Shanxi but also has family roots in Sichuan — serves the potstickers with a spicy, chili- and scallion-infused dipping sauce that’s tasty enough to drink on its own.

The only problem with serving such cute little dumplings that are as delicious and light on the palate as they are? I felt like I could have eaten 100 of them. (You might consider ordering one more plate than you think you need.) The restaurant rounds out its concise menu with a refreshing cold cucumber appetizer and a chicken curry rice plate, which Huang makes with his own spice mix instead of a premade curry roux.

Within China, Shanxi’s noodles and other wheat-based dishes are esteemed to be some of the best in the entire country. (One local source documented no fewer than 890 different “flour foods” in the province.) In Huang’s view, all of these wheat-based foods, including the dumplings, are the kind of healthy, everyday dishes that make a person’s muscles stronger. In fact, he says matter-of-factly, a diet high in flour foods is why “Shanxi people are stronger than people from the south,” perhaps stoking the flames of China’s long-standing north-south rivalry. (The Guangdong rice-eating side of my family might take issue with this bit of northern folk wisdom, but I’ll grant that the chef’s past life as a professional acrobat lends a certain credibility to his muscle-making theories.)

Mostly, though, Huang just wants to introduce his American clientele to the flavors and textures of Shanxi cuisine. “I tell my customers I’m like a doctor for their appetite,” he says. “I open them up so that they can appreciate new tastes.”

Huang Cheng Potsticker is open Monday 11 a.m.–3 p.m. and Tuesday–Saturday 11 a.m.–8 p.m.