The Irresistible, Indispensable, Inordinately Intriguing Chinese Dumpling

The Chinese dumpling is loved and appreciated throughout the world. The origin of this classic snack dates back hundreds of years and possibly thousands if one believes the numerous legends. (Look up Zhang Zhongjing.)

Known as Jiaozi in China and dumplings (or potstickers) in North America, these crescent-shaped delicacies begin with finely diced pork, chicken, vegetables or whatever else your imagination conjures up combined with a variety of spices then wrapped in a thin dough typically made with flour and occasionally eggs.

They can be steamed, boiled, or pan-fried although some restaurants eschew tradition and deep fry them, a technique that renders them overly crisp and, in my opinion, mostly inedible. They also usually predominate the various offerings on the carts at dim sum feasts.

Making them is a painstaking and labor-intensive process and after having tried to make them at home my wife and I have really come to appreciate what restaurants have to go through to make hundreds for dim sum weekends.

We grew up in New Haven, CT where most Chinese restaurants opted for egg rolls, chop suey, egg drop soup, and lots of fairly bland Cantonese dishes. But it wasn’t until later when we were living in Irvine, Ca, and happened to go to a Chinese restaurant that we saw pork potstickers on the menu. Not really knowing anything about what we were ordering, we tried them and were immediately smitten. Done deal!

Upon our return to Austin and during my tenure as the restaurant critic for KTTV (which later became KXAN), we got to try the newly opened Chinatown in Westlake. We looked for dumplings on the menu and there they were. Owner and chef Ronald Cheng had taken a new turn on the tradition and used minced shrimp wrapped in a vegetable flavored layer that gave it a green color. He called them Jade Dumplings. They took 30 minutes to prepare and were worth every second of the wait. Served with soy sauce and chili oil, the Jade Dumplings were an immediate hit and paved the way for the introduction of Chinese dumplings to the palates of Austin foodies.

Of course, various forms of dumplings are popular around the world: gyoza in Japan, empanadas in South America, pierogies in Poland, and those endemic to other cultures.

But for me, whether you’re dining in Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, on Mott Street in the heart of New York City’s Chinatown, or through the Dragon’s Gate into San Francisco’s Chinatown (where you absolutely have to stop at the historic Sam Wo, which also employed Edsel Ford Fung, known as the world’s rudest waiter) the Chinese dumpling with its infinite iterations and flavors remains one of the world’s culinary marvels.

And in Austin, dumplings remain a staple on the carts at Chinatown Mopac’s weekend dim sum brunches.

So there you have it. In my opinion, there are also great dumplings to be had at Wu Chow, Julie’s Noodles, Fat Dragon, Old Thousand, Lotus Chinese, Din Ho BBQ, Lin Asian Bar, Chen’s Noodle House, and Ramen Tatsu-Ya, just to name a few.

Enjoy! And let me know if I’ve missed any.
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