Asian Dumpling Tips

Dumplings make everyone smile. Make and eat lots.

Cooking Tips & Tricks

Tester Contribution: How to throw a dumpling cook-off party

Cooking Tips & Tricks

I am blessed with an amazing group of volunteer recipe testers. One person, Susan Pi, works in publishing and is an avid home cook. She keeps me on my toes. For the President's Day weekend, while most of us were slothing about, Susan and her husband organized a dumpling cook-off at their home.

She posted a recap and some tips on her blog: How to throw a dumpling cook-off party

Dumplings are the perfect group activity and Susan did a great job of getting people prepped in advance and ready to go. Competitive cooking is just not for television contestants. Bring it on home. Check out Susan's ideas and well… steal them for your own smackdown!

[3/14/11 Update: Susan's post inspired another blogger to make the Korean mandu recipe from the book. See what Au Contraire did on Edible Noir: "I heart Dumplings! Especially ones I made myself"

Related posts:

Practice Playdoh Dumplings

Cooking Tips & Tricks


Remember the post on making Asian dumplings with kids? One of the parents, Kirsten, who attended that neat event last April emailed this photo. She wanted to report on the progress she’d made with her daughter, the little girl in the red dress in the original post.

Kirsten was shaping dumplings and her daughter wanted to help. Mom thought of a nifty idea and got out the Playdoh. The little one at the front is her daughter’s handiwork.

In Asian Dumplings, I describe certain doughs as being like  Playdoh. This is working in reverse! Love it.

Nifty Dumpling Tricks from Chengdu

Cooking Equipment, Cooking Tips & Tricks, Technique Videos and Photos

image from www.flickr.com
I just came back from a 3-week trip to Asia, where I went to Taipei, Tokyo, Kyoto, Beijing and Chengdu. There was much to learn, eat, and observe. Of course, I had to check out lots of dumplings. I watched the professional dumpling makers wherever and whenever I could. On this trip, I had my digital and Flip video camera.

In Chengdu, China I captured some footage that reinforced authentic, time-honored dumpling traditions but also showed me some modern techniques too. Check out the post and video at Vietworldkitchen.com:

Asian Dumpling Tips from Chengdu Pros

Dumpling Tools: Tortilla Press Buying Tips

Asian Dumpling Basics, Cooking Tips & Tricks

image from www.flickr.com
As you may have noticed, I use a Mexican tortilla press to make dumpling skins that are darn close to perfect rounds.  There are several kinds of tortilla presses to choose from and they all have their pluses and minuses.

I was asked yesterday what kind and size to recommend for dumplings and tortillas. In response, I just posted some tips on Viet World Kitchen:

Asian Dumpling Tools: Tortilla Press Buying Tips

Keep on making and eating those dumplings!

Cheater Bao from Instant Biscuit Dough

Chinese Dumpling Recipes, Cooking Tips & Tricks

instant bao experiment
Though I've written lots on bao at this site (see the recipe index and index to videos and hints) and in the Asian Dumplings cookbook, there is still more to learn. The other day for an experiment, I baked Chinese-style bao from refrigerated biscuit dough.  It's supposedly an old-school Chinese-American secret. They may look good but we're quite right. Nevertheless, I was reminded of a few things about making good Chinese bao.

For the full low-down, read "Instant Bao Experiment" on Vietworldkitchen.com.