Dumplings for a Crowd

Dumplings, sweet or savory filled packages of yumminess, can be found in pretty much every corner of the world. From Polish pierogi to Korean mandu to Spanish empanadas to Italian ravioli, dumplings are incredibly versatile from the fillings to the wrappers. In my opinion, they are the perfect meal because you can eat a bunch of them in one sitting (assuming they are on the smaller side) and experience a lot of flavor variety with different fillings. And, because they are a bit laborious to assemble, they provide the perfect hands-on activity for a group of people.

Over the holidays, my family and I took a trip to New Haven, Connecticut (yes, Frank Pepe is still the best!) to visit family. We were brainstorming fun and delicious dinner options for 11 people that wouldn’t break the bank, when my sister-in-law suggested we have a dumpling party. We were immediately on board and looked to Let’s Make Dumplings: A Comic Cookbook for inspiration. The book is a step-by-step illustrated guide for bringing Asian dumplings into the home kitchen, and it features recipes and techniques for savory and sweet dumplings, dipping sauces and creative riffs.

We made three different fillings from the cookbook including butternut squash & pork, pork and chive and sesame chicken.

Several of the ingredients overlapped, making shopping and preparation of the fillings straightforward.

When shopping, we also picked up several packages of dumpling wrappers to make the process easier. My nephew and I got to work, and with the help of a few other family members, we made the three fillings and two dipping sauces: a Chinese black vinegar sauce and a soy sauce-based example. We also use a prepared, bottled sauce called sweet chili dipping sauce that makes an excellent dumpling dipper.

Now that we had all components ready to go, it was time to get all hands on deck to assemble the dumplings. My husband (who’s also a chef) and I provided a brief dumpling-shaping and sealing lesson, and then everyone joined in. There were many creative interpretations of the dumpling shapes, but that’s what makes it fun!

We lost count, but we must have made at least 100 dumplings, and because there were so many, we started cooking them in batches right away.

There are two ways in which we cooked the dumplings: steaming and pan frying. To steam the dumplings, we lined a bamboo steamer with lettuce leaves (you can also use perforated parchment paper) to prevent the dumplings from sticking to the steamer. Place a couple inches of water in a pot and bring to a boil. Set the steamer on top of the pot, making sure it’s not touching the water.

Place the dumplings in the prepared steamer, making sure they are not touching (otherwise they will stick to each other), and steam for 10 minutes. Transfer to a platter and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

To pan fry dumplings that yield ultra crispy bottoms (my most favorite way to make them), this technique may seem a bit unconventional, but it really does work the best. Before you begin to heat a nonstick sauté pan, lightly coat the bottom with neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola. Load up the pan with your homemade (or store-bought, frozen dumplings) and add 1/2 cup water.

Place the pan on medium-high heat and cover with a lid. Cook the dumplings until all of the water evaporates (all that steam cooks the filling and wrappers) and then continue cooking, with the lid on, until the oil in the pan fries and crisps the bottoms. You’ll know you’re getting close when the noise from the pan sounds more sizzly; when you hear this transformation, remove the lid and check the bottoms. Once golden brown, transfer to a platter and serve with dipping sauce.

Every platter of dumplings we set out were gone in under a minute, and between all 11 of us, we polished off every single morsel. We tried to keep all of the different varieties separate, but that got to be more trouble than it was worth. All that mattered is that they were all delicious and we all had full tummies and a great memory to last a lifetime!

Butternut and Pork Dumplings

Scroll down for a printable version of this recipe

Adapted from Let's Make Dumplings: A Comic Cookbook

Yield: 36 to 48 dumplings

Active time: 1 hour

Start to finish: 1 hour

2 cups peeled, seeded, and grated butternut squash (about 1/2 large squash), lightly packed

2 teaspoons salt

12 ounces ground pork

3 green onions, timed and minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

One 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced

1 large egg, well beaten

1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

36 to 48 store-bought gyoza wrappers, defrosted if frozen

1. In a medium-size bowl, toss the squash with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Transfer to a fine-mesh strainer and allow to drain for 30 minutes.
2. Using your hands, squeeze out as much liquid as possible, and transfer to a large bowl.
3. Mix in the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt along with all of the other ingredients. Using a spoon, mix thoroughly.
4. To assemble the dumplings, moisten the edge the wrapper with water. Place a heaping teaspoon of the filling in the center. Fold in half, pinch the edges together to seal, and using your fingers create a pleated edge.
5. In a large nonstick pan that’s off the heat, add the oil and arrange the dumplings in the pan. Add the water, set the pan over medium-high heat and cover. Note: you will need to either use two pans or cook the dumplings in 2 batches. Allow the pan to cool down a bit before cooking the second batch.
6. Cook, covered, until all of the water has evaporated. Continue to cook, covered, until the bottoms of the dumplings are golden brown and crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Tip: Periodically check the bottoms of the dumplings while cooking to ensure they don’t get too brown.
7. Transfer to a platter and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

With Lunar New Year on the horizon, now is a good time to practice your dumpling-making skills at home. We are offering an exciting Hands-On Asian Boot Camp on Saturday, February 17 at 10am where you’ll learn how to make Korean mandu dumplings along with many other Asian dishes.

Yield: 36-48 dumplings

Author: Adapted from Let's Make Dumplings

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Butternut and Pork Dumplings

Prep time: 50 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

Ingredients

• 2 cups peeled, seeded, and grated butternut squash (about 1/2 large squash), lightly packed
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 12 ounces ground pork
• 3 green onions, timed and minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• One 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 large egg, well beaten
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 36 to 48 store-bought gyoza wrappers, defrosted if frozen

Instructions

1. In a medium-size bowl, toss the squash with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Transfer to a fine-mesh strainer and allow to drain for 30 minutes.
2. Using your hands, squeeze out as much liquid as possible, and transfer to a large bowl.
3. Mix in the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt along with all of the other ingredients. Using a spoon, mix thoroughly.
4. To assemble the dumplings, moisten the edge the wrapper with water. Place a heaping teaspoon of the filling in the center. Fold in half, pinch the edges together to seal, and using your fingers create a pleated edge.
5. In a large nonstick pan that’s off the heat, add the oil and arrange the dumplings in the pan. Add the water, set the pan over medium-high heat and cover. Note: you will need to either use two pans or cook the dumplings in 2 batches. Allow the pan to cool down a bit before cooking the second batch.
6. Cook, covered, until all of the water has evaporated. Continue to cook, covered, until the bottoms of the dumplings are golden brown and crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Tip: Periodically check the bottoms of the dumplings while cooking to ensure they don’t get too brown.
7. Transfer to a platter and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

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