An Ode to the Dumpling
2017 Lunar New Year dumplings. Photos/Kathleen Kuo.
2018 Lunar New Year dumplings.
By Kathleen Kuo
Winter is the season for comfort food, and for me, there is no comfort food like the humble dumpling. These edible little parcels are literal gifts that deliver joy with every bite. Dumplings are wondrous in both their simplicity and complexity; on the one hand, a dumpling can be as simple as a filling contained within a wrapper. On the other hand, there are myriad ways that you can choose to fill, fold, and cook your dumplings. (I personally prefer the boiled or steamed method when making them at home myself) I also enjoy the particulars of dumpling taxonomy - what even constitutes a dumpling in the first place? Do you count samosas and tamales as dumplings? What about an Uncrustable or a piece of mochi ice cream?
Dumplings themselves can also be the catalyst for conversation and positive change. In March 2021 a good friend of mine and I hosted an online dumpling-making fundraiser as a part of Dump the Hate, where we shared stories about identity and belonging as Asians/Asian Americans. Image created by Suyash Kumar Neupane.
During my graduate school years, I hopped between my main department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology and my minor of Central Eurasian Studies. Coincidentally, this combination formed the perfect confluence of international dumpling studies, as I was always surrounded by people who loved all things food, community, and culture. At parties and potlucks, dumplings from different countries were frequently found on the table, or better yet, the focus of said party - to make dumplings together as a group, and then savor the fruits of our labor afterwards. In my Mongolian language classes, buuz and khuushuur were a staple at every gathering. Later on, when I traveled to Mongolia for my dissertation fieldwork, I would make buuz and khuushuur together with new friends and acquaintances, overcoming linguistic and cultural differences to bond over this shared food experience. I like to think about dumplings slowly traveling across Asia, taking on new shapes and common ingredients of whatever region they entered next; you might not realize it, but even recipes tell stories. Take some time to go down the Google rabbit hole and discover where pork is used over beef in dumpling fillings or when onions begin to enter the mix, and of course, revel in the linguistic cognates from mandu to manti to mantou, buuz to baozi, jiaozi to gyoza, and more. Underneath its humble facade, the dumpling hides a wealth of information.
While bags of commercially made frozen dumplings are wonderfully convenient, and something I always have in my freezer, homemade dumplings hold a special place in my heart. I must admit, I can no longer remember the last time I spent Lunar New Year with my immediate family, but I have made dumplings for the past few years at home or with friends to celebrate the holiday and to feel more connected to my heritage. It is an act of meditation in a way, to lose yourself in the assembly line of preparing a wrapper (whether pulling it premade out of the package or rolling by hand), putting in your ideal amount and makeup of filling, and then channeling your creative self as you pinch, pleat, and seal it up. Almost anyone of any age can join in, and even if you make a so-called ugly dumpling, it’ll still taste delicious in the end.
Give a person a plate of dumplings, and they’ll be full for a day; teach a person how to make dumplings, and they’ll be fed for a lifetime. I am lucky to have friends who love to eat dumplings just as much as they love to teach others how to make them. I hope you enjoy the following recipes, and that with every fold, you will create a new special food memory.
No such thing as an ugly dumpling, especially when making them together with friends.
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1. Wontons (courtesy of Kathleen)
This year for Lunar New Year, my boyfriend and I made soup dumplings (xiaolongbao) for the first time. It was a labor of love that required two days of preparation - the first day was to make the aspic (meat “jello”) that constitutes the soupy part of the filling, and the second day we made the rest of the fillings and wrappers from scratch before steaming two batches for the most satisfying dinner. There was a lot of extra filling left over, and so the following day, I made dozens of little wontons that we could freeze and save for a future meal. Here is a recipe for quick and easy dumplings that allow for flexibility in the ingredients. It makes anywhere from 50-70 dumplings depending on how much you stuff inside each wrapper.
Filling:
½ lb (6-8 large) raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
Note, if using frozen shrimp, thaw beforehand (either slowly in the fridge overnight or under cold running water)
1 lb ground meat (I like to use mainly pork, but you can also use a mixture of pork and beef, or even chicken or turkey if you want to be healthier)
Seasonings for the filling:
I often eyeball the following, and mix and match on a whim, but here is a rough description of what I usually add. You can also add grated ginger, minced garlic, or green onion, but sometimes if you add too many ingredients it ends up turning into a complicated meatball versus a more defined and focused filling.
1 to 1 1 ½ tbsp soy sauce (I like to use low sodium)
2 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine (I like to add a little more)
½ - 1 tsp white pepper
½ tsp ground black pepper
½ to ¾ tsp sugar (optional)
1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
Ready-made wonton wrappers:
I think that square wrappers are best for making homemade wontons due to the ease of folding, but if you want to make potstickers or the more familiar crescent-shaped dumpling, you can look for and use the circular ones.
Other:
I am a very minimal condiments person, so if I am not adding these wontons to soup, I like to eat them plain in a bowl with either a little bit of soy sauce and chili oil, black vinegar, or a heaping spoonful (or two) of chili crisp on top.
Directions:
1. If cooking right away, prepare a large pot of water and bring it to boil while you work on the filling.
2. Cut the thawed raw shrimp into small pieces - leave slightly larger chunks if you would like to have some more texture in the filling.
3. In a large bowl, combine the ground meat and chopped shrimp.
4. Add your preferred combination of seasonings to the bowl and mix well. You can use a fork or rubber spatula, or if you don’t mind getting messy, use a clean hand to squish and combine everything together. Try not to over-mix, and make sure the filling isn’t overly wet or dry. Once done, you can either cover and chill the filling, or use straight away. It is also okay to test your filling by cooking a small amount in a pan first, and then adjust the seasoning as necessary.
5. To make the wontons, first prepare a small bowl of water. This will be used to dip a finger in to moisten the edges of the wonton wrappers.
6. Take a wonton wrapper and place a little bit of the filling (around a teaspoon, or a teaspoon and a half) in the center. Dip your finger in the bowl of water and go around the edges of the wonton wrapper.
7. Fold your wonton - the images in the slideshow depict one way I like to do it, but you can fold it however you’d like as long as the edges are firmly sealed.
8. Place your finished wonton on a large plate or cutting board and continue making wontons with the remaining filling and wrappers.
9. Cook wontons by placing them in batches into the large pot of boiling water. Try not to overcrowd the pot. The wontons are done when they float to the surface, usually about 5 minutes. Sometimes I wait until they float to the surface of the boiling water, then add some cold water and wait until the water boils again, then take the wontons out.
10. Finish by adding your cooked wontons to a simple broth or soup, or you can also eat them plain in a bowl accompanied by your favorite dipping sauce.
To freeze any remaining wontons, you can put them on a cutting board in the freezer for 30-45 minutes, then transfer to a freezer bag.
2. Nepalese Momo (courtesy of Alfa and Suyash)
Wrappers:
All purpose flour (eyeballed)
Room temperature water (as needed)
Salt (optional)
Fillings:
2 cups shredded/grated cabbage
1 cup finely diced red onions
½ cup protein (we always use tofu or paneer)
½ cup finely chopped green onions
2 tbsp minced ginger
2 tbsp of melted butter or ghee
Salt
Peanut Sauce:
2 tbsp oil
2 handfuls of roasted peanuts (unsalted)
2 tomatoes
4 cloves of peeled garlic
2 dehydrated dry-red chile peppers
½ tsp cumin-coriander powder
2-3 green chile pepper
½ tsp turmeric powder
Salt (to taste)
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp Sichuan pepper powder
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
½ cup of chopped cilantro
Method:
Knead a soft dough, set aside for 30 minutes. Roll into thin wrappers of 4 inches or so, and cover with a damp cloth until you’re ready to wrap. Store bought wrappers are absolutely fine, but these were not available when we grew up.
Add salt to the grated cabbage, mix well, and set aside for 40 minutes or so. This will make the cabbage sweat. Using a cheesecloth or pressing against a strainer, squeeze out as much water as you can off of the grated cabbage – portion by portion. Keep aside in a mixing bowl.
Let’s make the sauce right away. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan, and add fenugreek seeds and cumin seeds. Once the seeds start popping, add garlic, tomatoes, green chile peppers. Sauté for 2 minutes or so. Add turmeric, salt, cumin-coriander powder, Sichuan pepper powder and cook for 2 minutes more. Turn off the flame, and once cool, transfer the contents of the pan to a blender/mixer, add peanuts, cilantro, dehydrated red chile pepper. Adding water per needed, blend until you get a thick, smooth, runny paste. Add lemon juice and mix well, and adjust salt as necessary. This is the peanut sauce that will have your friends asking for the recipe, and you can also use this sauce to eat with fried-rice or roti (flat-breads popular across South and South-East Asia).
To the grated cabbage, add diced red onions, your choice of protein, ginger, melted butter/ghee and mix well. Add salt at the end, and mix again.
Put a teaspoon of filling at the center of a wrapper and fold or shape anyway you like. A store-bought wrapper might also need a bit of water on the edge to seal.
Steam dumplings for 12-15 minutes, and serve with the peanut sauce. Something that we do in our families is to pan-fry the leftover dumplings in butter for breakfast.
3. Kazakh Manti (courtesy of Kris and Zhika)
For the dough:
500 grams (3 cups plus 2 tbsp) flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
200 ml (7/8 cup) of water
Mix the dough well, divide it into three balls, and let it rest for 30 minutes or so. Then on a floured surface roll each ball out to be quite thin (about 45-50cm/18-20 inch wide circle). Cut squares of 10cm (4 inches) per side from the rolled out dough.
For the filling:
800g (about 1.75 lbs) ground beef. We use 90:10, but ground chuck with more fat (85:15) would probably be tastier.
400g onion (about 2 medium size onions)
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon (or to taste) black pepper.
Directions:
Put about one heaping tablespoon of filling into each square and then fold.
In a steamer pot (we have a metal Kazakh one but you can use the bamboo ones that are easier to find in the United States) prepare the boiling/steaming water with a few bay leaves and a tablespoon of sunflower oil (or other mild flavored cooking oil).
Once the water is boiling add manti to the steamer baskets, and steam for around 40 minutes
Kris also recommends Samarkand by Caroline Eden, which has a good pumpkin manty recipe in it, and is otherwise a good cookbook and travelog of central Asian recipes adapted to western ingredient availability.
Kathleen Kuo is a Program Manager for Nevada Humanities.