We Love Dumplings | Our Faves
Our family loves everything about dumplings- the chewy skin, the filings and all the different varieties. We can eat them pan fried, steamed, deep fried or boiled. We are always on the hunt for new restaurants that serve up these tasty treats. Which got me to wondering, who dreamed up this delicious dish?
According to legend, Chinese dumplings were created by physician Zhang Zhongjian as a warm meal for his sick patients during the Han Dynasty. He stuffed meat, herbs and peppers into some dough and boiled them, and these dumplings quickly gained popularity and have changed my life ever since.
Growing up our family would make postickers as a family. As quickly as we could fold them, my mom would pan fry them and we would devour them. Our dumpling folding definitely improved as we grew up. They morphed from flat half circles to more traditional dumplings folds, luckily the fold doesn’t influence the taste! We could always tell whose dumplings were who’s based on the folds (my sister’s dumplings were always the most creative looking).
Some dumplings even resemble the shape of gold ingots which makes this a lucky food. I know my stomach feels lucky.
A list of our family favorites:
- Jiao Zi (potstickers) – pan fried dumplings usually filled with pork, scallions and cabbage. Can be eaten any time of day. Breakfast, lunch or dinner. Yum.
- Har Gao—steamed dumplings filled with shrimp with a chewy translucent wrapper, a must have a dim sum.
- Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings)— steamed pork dumplings that have a delicious soup filling. The signature dumpling at the delicious Din Tai Fun restaurant.
- Shu Mai- steamed dumplings filled with pork, shrimp and vegetables, with an exterior wrapper and an open top.
- Sheng Jian Bao (pan fried pork buns)- similar to a xiao long bao filling but comes in a doughy pan-fried bun. As a fan of more carbohydrates, these are absolutely delicious.
- Shui Jiao- boiled dumplings with a variety of filings, our favorite is pork and chives. Can eaten by themselves or with noodles.
- Wontons- filled with pork, we usually eat these with egg noodles and soup.
Dumplings are hands down wonderfully delicious.
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