Is there anything better to warm you up in winter than a steaming hot plate or bowl of dumplings? Come to think of it, they’re terrific in summer as well. And while many of us first experience the joy of eating little parcels of deliciousness when we first try ravioli or have our first yum cha adventures, they’re found in many of the world’s great cuisines.
As a salute to the brilliant idea of eating food that’s already split into little bites of goodness, I’ve put together a list of some of the most delicious dumplings I’ve tried. Have you sampled them all? And what have I missed out?
Wontons
One of the most popular Chinese dumpling varieties, these balls of protein comes rolled in a voluminous pasta-like noodle wrapper. It’s often served as the highlight of a noodle soup, but my favourite version is when their pork and prawn variety is served floating in a spicy red sauce.
Found at Shanghai-style restaurants like Din Tai Fung or , both of which have multiple locations across the country, the taste is utterly addictive – sweet and spicy with that refreshing numbness you can only get from Sichuan peppers. Din Tai Fung’s website calls it , and that’s not a bad description!
Xiao long bao
While I’m on Din Tai Fung, let’s talk about the dumplings that made them famous all over the world – soup dumplings with pork. While DTF originated in Taiwan, their most iconic dumplings are distinctively Shanghainese. You’re supposed to dip them in a mix of vinegar and soy, garnish them with ginger, then puncture the dumping on your spoon using a chopstick, eat the dumpling, and then slurp the soup. Which sounds complicated, but is more than worth the effort. There are many xiao long bao dealers around these days, but Din Tai Fung has perfected their technique on an industrial scale.
The fun is on the inside: pork xiao long bao at Din Tai Fung (Image: Dom Knight) Source: Dom Knight
Gyoza/jiao zi
Some of the most popular items associated with Japanese food hail from China – I’m looking at you, ramen. And most purveyors of that famous yellow wheat noodle soup also serve those Chinese crescent-shaped dumplings known as jiao zi in Mandarin – transliterated to Japanese as ‘gyoza’. The Japanese version usually contains pork, cabbage, chives and a great deal of garlic, and are pan-fried, then dipped in a soy sauce that’s usually seasoned with rice wine. They’re the perfect entrée before a bowl of noodles, especially when washed down with a beer.
Jiao zi are also often boiled and steamed, and available with a vast array of fillings – it’s a delicacy that’s spread across the region via the Chinese diaspora, and been reinvented wherever it’s been taken.
Momo
I don’t know much about Nepalese food – but I do know that this delicacy common to the countries that border the Himalayas (and is native to Tibet, apparently) is worth climbing mountains for. I’ve had them at the Muglan Nepalese-Indian chain in Sydney, as well as at a bunch of stalls at trendy markets – and because they’re from that part of the world, momo dumplings are particularly common in chai-soaked hippie areas like Byron Bay.
are Nepal's contribution to the wonderful world of dumplings, which you can
But if you’re the kind of person who routinely neglects your chakras, don’t let the association dissuade you. They’re simple dumplings, delicious when steamed, and often filled with pork or a vegetable mixture, and occasionally paneer and other interesting regional delicacies. The killer attribute of the momo is the incredibly tasty chilli dipping sauce.
Ravioli and tortellini
Little pasta parcels with a filling – what could be better? Beef ravioli with Napoletana sauce is still one of my all-time favourite comfort food options, and I especially enjoy the way the little ravioli stick together when they’ve begun to dry out. I’ve been to restaurants where they give you one enormous ‘pocket’, as we used to call them when I was a kid – but it’s best not to muck around, keep the filling simple and you’ve got an incredibly tasty dish, especially as an entrée so the simplicity of the flavours doesn’t get tiresome.
They're everywhere: how about Russian
Source: Derek Swalwell
Matzo balls
These tend not to consist of a wrapper surrounding a protein filling, like most members of the dumpling family, but they still qualify as dumplings, and I reckon because they’re a ball of protein that’s generally served in soup, they totally qualify. Matzo ball soup, which is usually made with chicken, is one of the great staples of Jewish food, and it’s always delicious, particularly in a New York winter.
Used to battle the bitter chill of a New York winter, are wholly comforting
Source: Feast magazine
Wikipedia also tells me that the world record for eating them is 78 in 8 minutes, held by a certain Joey Chestnut, and that the world’s largest matzo ball weighed 193kg. I haven't been able to find confirmation of this record, but if it's true, that's one big matzo! Mazel tov all round!
Indian dumplings
Besides the momo, which is popular in the north, there is a dizzying variety of dumplings on offer in India’s cuisines. The is perhaps the most famous here, along with the bhaji. I also like vadai, which I discovered via my Tamil relatives – which are like savoury doughnuts in some respects, but often served in ‘sambar’ soup, making them very much dumplings. Chennai’s globally popular chain Saravana Bhavan, now in Sydney and Melbourne, does great vadai alongside the fabulous that I’ve written about before.
Wikipedia lists quite a few more that I don’t believe I’ve ever tried – what a challenge to sample them all!
Thai dessert dumplings
To finish, why not something sweet? Thai cuisine has a few varieties of dessert dumpling, and khanom krok is one of the most famous – combining coconut milk with rice, as is the case in many a Thai dessert. Little sweet potato balls (khai nok gratah), banana fritters in rice batter and coconut milk dumplings (tup tim grob) also feature at some of the restaurants in Sydney’s Thaitown, including the venerable chain.
So that's where my dumpling sampling has taken me so far. But I wonder, what's still waiting? There's so much left to try.
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