Dumplings are loveable for so many reasons. They’re packed with flavours–from pork to beef to turkey to chicken to seafood; whatever your heart desires! Not to mention, they’re also incredibly easy to eat—none of that messy slicing. All you need is a pair of chopsticks (or a fork!) to pop these little goodies into your mouth. And best of all? There’s a variety of ways you can choose to cook them, so you never get bored. To help you see this in action, here’s a complete guide to the 3 most popular methods of cooking dumplings.
Pan-fried dumplings
There’s no denying it: of all the different ways of cooking dumplings, pan-frying is probably the most delicious way. Pan-fried dumplings are magical because it offers so many different textures within one bite: the top folds have a great chewy bite with their doubled-up skin and the bottoms get super-crisp and aesthetically-browned.
How to pan-fry dumplings
Interestingly, the actual cooking procedure of pan-fried dumplings involves steaming. More details below:
- First, get a nonstick skillet with a lid you can pick up easily with one hand (you’ll see why later).
- Coat the bottom of the pan with your choice of neutral oil (e.g. canola oil).
- Place your dumplings belly-side down into the pan.
- Add 3 tablespoons of water to the pan, set over medium heat, and cover.
- Wait for the water to evaporate. Once the pan is dry, take off the lid.
- Jerk the pan a little, and your dumplings should slide right off. They’re ready to be dug into!
Boiled dumplings
If you’re health-conscious, boiling your dumplings is a no-brainer way of cooking these delectable treats! You’ll find that boiled dumplings may not necessarily lose out on flavour when compared to their pan-fried counterparts. They’re moist and juicy and will let out just the right amounts of flavorful soup when bitten into.
How to boil dumplings
To cook boiled dumplings:
- Fill a large pot with water and bring it to boil.
- Pop your dumplings into the simmering water and adjust the heat (if necessary) to maintain a steady simmer.
- Fresh dumplings will be ready to serve in 6 minutes, and frozen ones in 8 minutes. Enjoy!
Steamed dumplings
Looking for a fuss-free way of cooking your dumplings? Then you’ll love the method of steaming. It requires the least amount of effort and attention–yet doesn’t take away from the deliciousness of dumplings! It doesn’t hurt that it’s just as healthy as boiling, too.
How to steam dumplings
To steam dumplings:
- Place your dumplings in a single layer in a covered steamer basket over simmering water.
- Dumplings will take about 8 minutes to cook through if they’re fresh and 10 if they’re frozen (yes, steaming dumplings is that easy!)
If you’re like most people, you must be drooling by now! Maybe you’re even starting to imagine your favourite dumpling filling exploding in flavour–in your mouth? Well, stop imagining, and start ordering! And in the meantime, you can start making few dumpling sauces in preparation for the upcoming feast!