As people settle into the Asian Dumplings cookbook, they want to spread the carb fun by organizing get-togethers. Wayne F. from Vancouver emailed this morning with this question:
Hi Andrea. I just wanted to say how much I am enjoying your Asian Dumplings book. You've done a great job with the instructions and providing fascinating background behind the recipes. I had a copy from the library but it is in so much demand that I can't renew it so I bought two copies. We are planning a dumpling party so I have to lend out one book to friends so they can practice.
Any advice on which dumplings to serve together? I'm looking for relatively easy ones to make and a variety to expose my friends to. Here is our proposed menu:
Boiled – pork and napa cabage water dumplings
Pan-fried – pot stickers
Steamed – har gow, siu mai, Chinese chive dumplings
Deep fried – spring rolls, taro puffs
My response:
Wayne, I want to come to this party not just because you purchase two copies of Asian Dumplings(!!), but there will be fabulous food! Unfortunately, I am geographically challenged, being in California and you in Canada.
Your Northern and Southern Chinese dumpling menu is quite ambitious. You’ve got a lot of different kinds of doughs and fillings going on. Pulling off that menu will require a fair amount of work and coordination on your part.
You seem like an organized fellow since you've lent out a copy of the book and given assignments to your friends. I like that! Nevertheless, I suggest scaling down the menu.
Here are a few tips on Asian dumpling menu planning:
Make a dumpling but cook it 2 ways. Depending on the number of guests you have, make a single or double batch of the pork and napa cabbage dumplings. Poach/boil half of them, pan-fry the other half into pot-stickers. It's great to compare and contrast the textural differences that you get from the two cooking methods.
Know your steamer tray limits. Don’t
overcrowd
your steamer trays by making too much and cooking them up all at once. To save time and minimize stress, make 2 steamed dumplings, not 3. You’ve smartly selected dumplings that can be steamed off in advance and then gently resteamed to refresh.However, each batch makes a lot so you’ll be working triple instead of double time to get the dumplings out to guests. Unless you have tons of steamer trays, and lotsa kitchen slaves to fill, steam and serve up dumplings, things can get hairy.
If you’re determined to make all 3, steam the Chinese chive dumplings
earlier in the day and pan-fry them. They are awfully good that way. You can also put the pan-frying station to greater use!Use a deep-fry thermometer for tricky dumplings. Deep-fried Asian dumplings are spectacularly good, showy morsels. Pick either the spring roll or taro puff for this initial party. When you’re deft in doing dumplings, do both.
If you choose the taro puff, do a practice run first, if you haven’t done so already. Taro puffs made at home are a zillion times better than what most dim sum houses produce.
The taro puff dough and filling can be made days in advance so that’s super cool. However, they are best when cooked a la minute. I ALWAYS cook taro puffs with a deep-fry thermometer. When I have guests over and if I’ve had too much champagne, beer, or wine, I can be off my game when it’s time to deep-fry.
My final tip: Don’t forget the dipping sauces! Make them in advance and set them out at the table.
My final final tip (really!): Have fun. If things don’t go exactly as you envisioned, your guests will still have a good time. They will be deeply grateful for your generous hospitality.
Okay, one last tip: Be considerate of vegetarians. There are lots of vegetarian fillings in the book, even vegan ones and gluten-free ones (use tamari instead of soy sauce).
If you have tips for Wayne, or questions for me, type your thoughts!
Related links:
I am a cook who sometimes runs all-dumpling brunches at a pop-up restaurant I cook for. Because we are serving dozens of people with a very small staff and because the nature of the pop-up restaurant means that we don’t have the infrastructure of a traditional restaurant, we have to strategize our dumpling menus very carefully.
My advice, in addition to all of Andrea’s extremely good points above:
— Choose at least one dumpling that is very forgiving of being cooked in advance and reheated. (Steamed bao are great in this role.) Make them in advance, steam them off, then resteam them as you need them.
— Choose at least one dumpling that does not have to be filled/folded. Meatballs that are rolled in rice or tapioca, for instance, are enormously quicker to produce a la minute than a dumpling that has to be pinched and pleated.
— Decide in advance whether you plan to serve multiple dumpling types at the same time, or serve each dumpling separately as it is cooked. Be warned that people will eat larger quantities of whatever they are served first. If you serve each dumpling type as it is cooked, you will probably end up with a lot of leftovers of whatever dumplings come later in the game. (Plan ahead: make sure it’s something you can reheat.)
Last, consider your portion sizes carefully. The menu you have proposed is larger than you may think — dumplings are small but they add up quickly. Even if you’re only planning one or two dumplings of each type per person, you’re looking at a pretty substantial plate of food by the time you put it all together. Between you, me, and the wall, I’d narrow it down some. Har gao *or* siu mai, not both; and as Andrea says, taro puffs *or* spring rolls, not both.
Have fun!
It’s so nice to have you do all of the research for us. It makes our decision making so much easier!! Thanks.
I hope you have a nice day! Very good article, well written and very thought out. I am looking forward to reading more of your posts in the future.
Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani will visit Iran from September 11 to 13 for talks with the Iranian leadership.
“The recent visit of Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi to Pakistan and his meetings with Pakistani leaders will provide important substantive inputs into the visit by the Prime Minister Gilani to Iran,” the APP quoted Foreign Office Spokesperson Tehmina Janjua, as saying at the weekly press briefing.
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