Asian Dumpling Tips

Easy Dumpling Folding Strategies -- Video

In July I traveled back East to do a consulting job, stopping enroute in New York City to see my friends at Saveur. (I've been a contributing editor at the magazine since 2007.) We'd been talking about making a video of me giving a cooking tip or two and settled on one about folding dumplings.

If you have Asian Dumplings, you know my motto about shaping dumplings. If you don't have the book, it's this: Get the wrapper closed. Practice pretty shapes later.  

Senior video producer Anique Halliday is a veteran of doing wonderful, fun educational videos; she worked on PBS projects before coming to Saveur. We strategized and planned on the phone in June and then in July, spent a couple of hours at the Saveur test kitchen to produce this:

 

Saveur's "Test Kitchen Tips" videos have run the gamut from the viral one on how to peel garlic in less than 10 seconds to the practical one on dipping truffles in chocolate. Asian food-wise, editor in chief James Oseland has shown folks how to tie a knot with lemongrass and how to use and chop kaffir lime leaves into fine hairs. (James wrote the amazing Cradle of Flavor cookbook, which I reference and use all the time.) 

If you're looking for more Asian dumpling tips, jump over to this page. 

Nifty Dumpling Tricks from Chengdu

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

How to Fold a Closed Satchel (video)

Don't be daunted by the task of making bao - the pillowy filled buns that you may have eaten lots of at dim sum. The shape is akin to cinching up a satchel (think of a hobo bag). You need this shape to master stuffed buns (Chinese bao, Filipino siopao, Vietnamese banh bao) and the graduate level Shanghai soup dumpling (xiao long bao, XLB). "The Perfect Shanghai Soup Dumpling" video I taped with the Chinese chef at Shanghai Dumpling King gives you a sense of rapid fire closed satchel making. You can work up to that but he started decades ago.

The video below slows thing down quite a bit to help you along. Do note that this shape only works for wrappers that you make from scratch. Do not try this technique on purchased pot sticker or wontons as they are not moist enough to seal properly. That said, review the instructions in Asian Dumplings on how to roll out dumpling wrappers and watch the video. That will bring you up to speed on where this video takes off!

 

A dumpling makeover tip: When making yeast-leavened bao, you can steam the dumpling with the pleats facing down to hide imperfections! No one will be the  wiser.

Related how-to videos:

• How to roll out Asian dumpling wrappers
  
• Basic Asian dumpling shapes: Half Moon, Pea Pod and Big Hug
• Advanced dumpling shapes: Pleated Crescent
•  How to shape a rope edge (for empanadas, turnovers, curry puffs)
  
• How to fold basic wonton shapes
• The Perfect Shanghai Soup Dumpling

Basic Wonton Shapes (Triangle, Flower Bud, Nurse's Cap)

I made my first wontons when I was in elementary school. They were triangles. Because my mother would give me about 3 packages of wontons to fill and fold, I started with the simple triangle and graduated to more complicated shapes. Then I had friends show me their nifty ones. I've also watched plenty of Chinese restaurant cooks fold wontons using a single chopstick or a bamboo spatula. They work at lightning speed. Those wonton professionals have folded thousands, if not tens of thousands of wontons. It just takes practice.

You can devise your own fanciful wontons but it helps to have a foundation to work off of. Here's a video that I taped with CHOW.com for their 2010 Lunar New Year dumpling-a-thon. If you're new to wonton folding or need extra detail aside from what is already in Asian Dumplings, this is the video for you!

 

Video presented courtesy of CHOW.com

Some other helpful links:

• Wonton skin buying guide (tips on finding, choosing, and using)
• Crab Rangoon fried wonton recipe (an American classic)
• Almost Meatless Pork and Vegetable Pot Stickers Recipe (w/ an interesting shape to learn)
• Modern Indian Chile Pea Puffs Recipe(a baked wonton acting like a samosa)

How to Shape a Rope Edge (Video)

Earlier this year, Mike Miller requested that I put up a video on this nifty technique for gussying up a turnover-like dumplings. He has been a diligent dumpling maker and reminded me in his comment on the pleated crescent video that I owed him this one.  I promised Mike and now am delivering.

You’ll find this advance shaping technique referred to in the following Asian Dumplings cookbook recipes:  Mongolian meat and caraway pockets (p. 50), baked Filipino empanadas (p. 111), Southeast Asian curry puffs (p. 125), and my childhood favorite -- Vietnamese shrimp, pork, and jicama turnovers (banh quai vac chien, p. 118). Aside from using the technique for dumplings, you can certainly put a rope edge on a pie crust. Enjoy and practice lots. Eat your way to perfection.

Related videos:

• How to roll out Asian dumpling wrappers
  
• Basic Asian Dumpling Shapes: Half Moon, Pea Pod and Big Hug
• Advanced dumpling shapes: Pleated Crescent

Advanced Asian Dumpling Shapes: The Pleated Crescent (video)

A commonly seen Asian Dumpling shape (think pot stickers and har gow), the pleated crescent is a bit more advanced than the half moon, pea pod or big hug. I watched a lot of dumpling masters perform this shape and then figured out how to do it myself. 

Remember to work with both hands holding the wrapper in the air as that allows you to manipulate the dough better. You can certainly use this folding technique for store-bought wrappers. Be sure to moisten the wrapper first to create a decent seal.

More how-to videos:

• How to roll out Asian dumpling wrappers
  
• Basic Asian Dumpling Shapes: Half Moon, Pea Pod and Big Hug
• How to Shape a Rope Edge
  

How to Fold Basic Asian Dumpling Shapes: Half Moon, Pea Pod and Big Hug (Video)

I’ve said this so many times in cooking classes and I’m typing it out right here: When folding up Asian dumplings, start out simple and work your way up. The number one goal at the beginning is to get the darn wrapper closed! Concentrate on that and then hone the aesthetics as your progress.

You’ll find that fresh, homemade wrappers yield to your touch and manipulation much easier than store-bought wrappers, which tend to be dry side and require moistening with water. The shapes that I demonstrate in this video produce with CHOW.com are for the most basic shapes. The idea is that you start with a half moon then you can make a pea pod and a big hug. They latter two shapes build upon the half moon. They are merely baby steps on your journey toward becoming a dumpling master! 

These instructions are meant to go along with the text on pages 26 and 27 of the Asian Dumplings cookbook. Also check out the general tips for shaping dumplings on page 28. Even though these dumplings were formed from wrappers that I had just rolled out by hand, you can apply these techniques to purchased wrappers.

 

Presented here courtesy of CHOW.com

More how-to videos:

• How to roll out Asian dumpling wrappers
• Advanced dumpling shapes: Pleated Crescent
• How to Shape a Rope Edge

How to Roll Out Asian Dumpling Wrappers (video v.2)

If you have made Asian dumplings using purchased wrappers, how about trying out making your wrappers from scratch? Freshly made Asian dumpling wrappers are (1) easier to fold and shape, (2) do not require water to seal as they are super soft and moist, (3) taste a lot better than store bought ones, and (4) do not involve a special trip to an Asian market. The ingredients are at your fingertips: all-purpose flour and water. Once you have rolled your own, you’ll be on your way to making perfect pot stickers, mandu, momos, Shanghai soup dumplings (xiao long bao), baked and steamed bao, and deep-fried curry puffs.

To encourage cooks to try rolling out their own fresh dumpling wrappers, I posted a YouTube video tutorial last May. But I’m my worse critic, and soon after I uploaded the video, I felt like it had room for improvement. I wanted to lead cooks from beginning to the end of how to form the wrappers. A few days ago, my husband and I spent a rainy afternoon making this more detailed how-to video. You’ll see me in my home kitchen and my hands do most of the ‘talking.’

I can’t physically/personally teach you how to do make your own wrappers, but I think you’ll gain lots of pointers between this video and the detailed instructions on page 24 and 25 of Asian Dumplings. See page 22 of Asian Dumplings for the basic dumpling dough recipe.

Related information:

What if you don’t have a tortilla press like I do? Substitute some kind of heavy flat bottomed object, such as a 4-cup glass measuring cup, saucepan, or skillet.

Helpful how-to links:

• Do-it-yourself Asian rolling pin: it is simple and cheap to make a bunch for a dumpling party!
• Basic dumpling shapes: Half Moon, Pea Pod and Big Hug (video)
• Advanced dumpling shapes: Pleated Crescent (video)
• How to Shape a Rope Edge (video)