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A dozen dumplings to soothe your soul.
Whether you call them wontons, ravioli or empanadas, if they’re filled with veggies or meat, or if they’re boiled, steamed or fried, dumplings are a universal comfort food. Each parcel is like a little gift and every fold, crimp and pleat signals the intention, love and care sealed inside. There’s something about the texture, too—pillowy and supple, chewy and plump or flaky and tender—that satisfies the soul.
Even if the dumplings you grew up eating go by a different name than that of your neighbors’, there’s no denying the dose of comfort they deliver. Here, we explore a dozen filled dumplings from around the world and where to sample them.
Wonton | China
Wontons, which are said to have originated in Northern China, are characterized by their thin wrapper. They can be prepared and served in a variety of ways, including pan-fried and paired with dipping sauces, seared in spicy oil, steamed and plated with noodles or boiled as part of wonton soup. Cafe Asia 2 offers wonton soup as an appetizer or entrée, with a choice of shrimp or pork wontons. The delicate wrappers are sturdy enough to contain their filling and hold up in the liquid but if you’re not deft with chopsticks, use a spoon to keep the dumplings intact on the way from bowl to lips. At City Corner 2, wonton soup features ground-chicken-and-shrimp dumplings bobbing in broth and flanked by barbecue pork and bok choy.
Shumai | China
Shumai are steamed dumplings with thin wrappers and frilly tops and are typically filled with pork or shrimp, often both. They originated in Hohhot in Inner Mongolia, though they’re frequently thought of as staple of Cantonese cuisine originating in Guangzhou, in Southern China. The diminutive bundles are a fixture on dim sum tables and Chinese restaurant menus. Shumai are also popular in Japanese cuisine, so it’s not surprising that Ben Gui Sushi serves shumai alongside gyoza (more on that below). You can opt for shrimp or pork shumai, the latter of which comes coated in sharp, spicy wasabi.
Gyoza | Japan
Gyoza originated in China (where they’re called jiaozi) but they’re also very popular in Japan. The crescent-shaped dumplings are also referred to as pot stickers. The thin dough is folded, pleated or crimped and then sealed around a filling of vegetables or meat, sometimes both. Ike’s Kitchen turns out a textbook example of gyoza stuffed with a pork-and-chicken filling. Following traditional preparation, the dumplings are boiled then pan-fried till golden on one side, while the other side retains a supple chewiness. To sample a variety of gyoza, hit up ramen joint Sticks & Spoons for pork, spiced beef and vegetarian versions, all of which would pair nicely with a bowl of ramen.
Mandu | Korea
Across Korea, mandu go by different names depending on the filling, shape or preparation, which includes steaming, pan-frying, deep-frying or boiling. They can be shaped like pleated parcels, crimped into half-moon shapes, sealed into a circular shape or rectangular. Sometimes the filling contains only vegetables, as with yachae mandu. Sometimes mandu are filled with a combination of meat and vegetables, like at Wonju Korean Restaurant, where diners can opt to have them steamed or deep-fried. Regardless of their shape, filling or preparation, mandu are a symbol of good luck and are a staple of Korean Lunar New Year celebrations.
Samosas | India
Samosas are baked or fried dumplings made with pastry dough and spiced filling mixtures such as potatoes, onions and peas, beef or lentils. They’re often triangular but can be cone or half-moon shaped, too. Samosas are a staple of Indian cuisine, but their popularity extends beyond the subcontinent. Purity Osorro, who runs Osorro’s Kitchen, nods to her Kenyan roots by preparing ground turkey samosas. Ground turkey, onions and peppers are tossed with a spice blend before mounds of filling are sealed inside pastry dough. They’re pan-fried until golden and the dough is rendered flaky and tender. For Indian-style samosas, visit Taaza or Nawab where you’ll find them stuffed with a classic combination of spiced potatoes and peas (Taaza often adds chickpeas to the mix, too) and served with chutney for dipping.
Empanadas | Venezuela
If you’re not familiar with empanadas, the team at Leonore Restaurant likens them to hot pockets. These baked or fried turnovers are common in Latin American cuisine; the name empanada is derived from the Spanish verb empanar, which means “to bread.” Owner Miguel Liendo honors his Venezuelan roots by offering empanadas as an appetizer. They come three to an order, each containing a different filling—cheese, chicken and shredded beef—and are accompanied by salsa mojo, a zippy cilantro-garlic based sauce.
Fatayer | Lebanon
Fatayer are Lebanon’s answer to turnovers. The baked triangular dumplings are often eaten as part of a light meal or served as part of a mezze spread alongside dishes such as hummus, grape leaves and tabbouleh. Typical fatayer fillings include spinach, ground beef or zucchini. At Cedar’s Lebanese Restaurant, spinach fatayer are stuffed with a mixture of spinach, onions and pine nuts bound together by olive oil and spruced up with lemon juice, then baked until golden.
Pierogis | Poland
Pierogis are boiled (and sometimes also pan-fried) dumplings that are a staple of Central and Eastern European cuisine. Though Jason Martin, Sidecar’s chief operating officer, doesn’t have any Polish roots, he’s always been a fan of pierogis. Martin rediscovered his affinity for them during a trip to Cleveland, where he sampled a classic version at an old school Polish joint as well as an elevated take with short rib at Lola Bistro. The latter provided inspiration for the version that landed on Sidecar’s own upscale small plates bistro menu. The dough is crafted with potato puree (which is typical of Polish pierogis) and a duo of sharp cheddar and Parmesan, then wrapped around a filling of braised lamb shank, wild mushrooms and caramelized onions and served with dill crème fraîche.
Ravioli | Italy
Ravioli hail from Italy; the word ravioli comes from riavvolgere, an old Italian word which means “to wrap.” They’re made up of two layers of dough sealed around a filling—cheese, meat or vegetable—to create pillowy dumplings. They are often square or circular in shape, but mezzelune are shaped like half-moons (which is the English translation, too) and agnolotti, which are made by using one piece of rolled out dough to wrap around the filling, are rectangular in shape. The pillowy dumplings lend themselves to pairing with a variety of sauces. At Billy’s, spinach-and-portobello ravioli are plated with a brown butter sauce alongside roasted pine nuts and basil, and at Remini’s, jumbo five-cheese ravioli are topped with marinara sauce and a dollop of ricotta.
Jamaican Beef Patties | Caribbean
These baked dumplings are fashioned in a similar way to American hand pies, though instead of a fruit filling intended for dessert, these patties are savory. Flaky pastry is wrapped around a savory filling such as ground beef, other meats or vegetables, then baked until lightly golden. Their trademark yellow hue comes from the addition of egg yolk or turmeric. Though they’re commonly referred to as Jamaican beef patties, they are a staple throughout the Caribbean. At Carrabica Soul, you can choose from beef, chicken or veggie patties. They make a fine portable snack and pair nicely with a Jamaican soda.
Pupusas | El Salvador & Honduras
Pupusas are thick cornmeal griddle cakes that are stuffed with meat, cheese or beans. (Pupusas also share culinary DNA with arepas, which hail from Venezuela and Colombia.) In their native El Salvador and Honduras, pupuserias, restaurants dedicated to serving pupusas, traditionally serve them with curtido, a cabbage relish similar to vinegar coleslaw, and salsa roja, a zippy tomato sauce. Honduran restaurant Rincon Catracho offers a variety of pupusas (plus the requisite accompaniments), including pupusa revuelta, which are stuffed with cheese, pork and beans, as well as versions filled with beans and cheese, chicken or chicharron.
Pappas Rellenas | Cuba
Pappas rellenas eschew a wheat-based dough in favor of mashed potatoes wrapped around a filling of ground beef (called picadillo), rolled in breadcrumbs and deep-fried. They’re a type of croquette that is popular in many Latin American countries, including the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Cuba. At Cuban Island Restaurant, pappas rellenas are stuffed with a mixture of seasoned ground beef, diced bell peppers, cilantro and onion. Make it a dumpling duo and pair with an order of beef empanadas.
The story above is from our January/February 2021 issue. For more stories, subscribe today or view our FREE digital edition. Thank you for supporting local journalism!