Chinese dumplings are often sold as street food and are a part of the food family of dim sum, small snacks to accompany tea. Perfect Chinese dumplings are waiting for you at Dot Wo Garden, 6161 N. May Ave. Pot stickers, named because they can stick to the pot when cooking, are fried dumplings filled with delectable pork.
The won ton skin dumpling wrappers are pleated on one side, flat on the other, in a half-moon fold. With a traditional vinegar and soy sauce for dipping, they are enough for lunch, or add a creamy chicken corn soup for a light dinner.
Eat dumplings with all the expertise of a well-traveled foodie by this traditional method. Place a bit of the dipping sauce in your spoon, and with the dumpling on your spoon and secured with chopsticks, bite a small corner of the dumpling to allow the steam to escape. After about a minute, the dumpling is ready to eat, minus the possibility of burning your tongue.
It’s dumplings Thai-style at Sala Thai, 1614 NW 23rd St. These savory bundles contain minced chicken and vegetables in a gyoza dumpling wrapper and are served with a sweet Thai dipping sauce and a cabbage and carrot accompaniment.
The beautifully crafted shuumai dumplings are both a visual and culinary Japanese treat at Tokyo Japanese Restaurant, 7516 N. Western Ave. These delicate basketshaped dumplings are open on one end, hinting at the seafood filling inside. Also get the takoyaki, ball-shaped dumplings filled with octopus, dried fish flakes and seaweed served with a thick Worcestershire-style tonkatsu sauce. Add a small bottle of sake to sip, a seaweed salad and a miso soup for a relaxing lunch.
There’s no resisting the dumplings at Korean House, 4813 SE 29th St. in Del City.
“These are traditional Korean dumplings with ground pork and beef, cabbage, carrot, onions and tofu, steamed or fried,” said owner Bona Cho.
Known as man doo gui, these tempting dumplings are served with kimchi. Accompany them with soon dae kook soup, a spicy sausage soup, for a full Korean culinary experience.
For easy home prep, Chinatown Supermarket, 1228 NW 27th St., has an entire freezer section of dumplings, crafted to perfection, that can be steamed or fried anytime.
Or, if you are feeling adventurous, purchase the filling ingredients and dumpling wrappers and make them at home.
