Whenever I have a free weekend or a couple of hours on a weeknight, I like to sit in front of the TV…and wrap dumplings at the same time. It’s a fantastic way to relax. Plus, whatever I don’t end up making for dinner I can freeze.
Here are some favorite recipes for dumplings I’ve made over the last few years. Try them out for a Chinese New Year feast (there are still 6 days left!) or any other day of the year:
- Shrimp and Chive Dumplings
- Turkey and Mushroom Dumplings
- Sichuan Wontons
- Chicken and Apple Dumplings
- Ramp and Swiss Chard Dumplings
- Pork and Cabbage Dumplings
- Pea and Shiitake Dumplings
- Pork and Shrimp Shu Mai
What are some of your favorite dumpling recipes?
Such a good idea. I am going to plan my wonton making for our next movie night. I always get so tired of standing over the kitchen counter wrapping them but love having my freezer stocked!
Do you have any recommendations for Wonton wrappers? I can never get them to stay together.
Alyssa – I usually wrap my dumplings while sitting at the dining room table in front of the TV. It’s a much more comfortable way to get a lot of dumplings done!
Kathryn – Do you mean for wonton wrapper brands? The brands of fresh wonton wrappers will depend on your area; in NY’s Asian markets the brand most widely available is Twin Marquis (shown here; I use the thin “Hong Kong Style” ones.) Just using water usually works to keep them together. Frozen wonton wrappers, on the other hand, tend to be thicker. To get them to stick together, just beat an egg and use the egg wash to seal instead of water. Hope that helps!
Yeah, sorry. I’ve used the Nasoya ones and they always fall apart in the water. Are there any tricks to making sure they stay together? Or ways to fold them so they stay together? I’ve normally ran water on the edges and then held them down so they
Kathryn – Using a beaten egg to seal the wrappers instead of water would be your best bet. Just use your fingers and run them along the edges like with water. I’ve never used the Nasoya wonton wrappers but egg seems to work for the other frozen wonton wrappers I’ve tried.
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll try that next time.
Just made your basic pork ones from the Pan-Fried Dumplings article on Friday… which caused us to go find a source for more wrappers this weekend, and will be making them again. Many thanks!
When you freeze them, how do you cook them after you bring them back out? Defrost first? Standard cooking process?
Tom – I cook dumplings directly out of the freezer. If I pan-fry them, I sear them for 1 minute like I normally do to get a nice crispy bottom, then add a minute more to the steaming time (5 mins instead of 4 unless they’re unusually large or overfilled). If I boil them, I add a minute more to the boiling time. Hope that helps!
The best dumplings I’ve had were at Zinnet in Istanbul. So far I haven’t found a recipe for the Uyghur style shaomai but I’m quite interested in finding one. I’m not entirely certain what was in them, but something in there had a sharp, radishy sort of crispness to it.
Possibly a radish.
I have a pork and ginger-apple recipe that I ADORE. I also pan-fry mine a bit to make them into potstickers. Here’s the link, which also includes instructions for making your own wrappers!
http://www.30poundsofapples.com/2012/12/homemade-wonton-wrappers-pork-ginger-apple-potstickers/
Hi! your post just makes me feel like rushing to the supermarkets to buy wonton pastry and start to do dumplings !:)
The latest filling I did was a combination of beetroot+ turnip (instead of onions and carrots)+ ear mushrooms+shitake+cive+dried shrimp powder.; This makes for a good seasonal local combination and derives from a traditional Vietnamese recipe of banh cuon ..Here is the link (in French though) http://carnetdesaveursetsenteurs.com/2013/03/15/226/