010 - Doing Dumplings

London’s best dumpling spots and some ESSENTIAL recipes.

Hello and thanks for opening this month’s Food Team newsletter - it’s great to have you. This month, we delved into all things dumpling, which meant a little research, a lot of recipe development and hours of crimping! Read on to get your mitts on some of our favourite dumpling spots, read a little further for some iron-clad essential dumpling recipes.

Slater: I had always known that Kush was a pretty fast walker, but had never seen him walk this fast. I trailed behind him, lapping at his heels through Aldgate and on to Shoreditch. Two days of back and forth between each other over Whatsapp had led us to this point. Our aim was simple, hit three great dumpling spots in one hour. 

The first question we had to answer was what we might define as a dumpling for the purposes of this newsletter. To keep things succinct, we decided to swerve the steamed, unfilled British dumplings I was brought up on. Many centuries before Brits were unceremoniously dumping leftover bread dough into boiling water and calling them “Norfolks” (our first known domestic “dumpling”), something a lot more exciting was happening in the Middle East.

The history of the dumpling is pretty murky. But it’s thought that the blueprint for the filled dumplings that you might find in your local Dim Sum spot was laid out by Turkic communities who took their new fangled creations through Central Asia, to China in the fourth century. Their journey can be tracked through the evolution of early dumpling names. Turkic “manti” (which Kush is a BIG fan of) became Chinese Mantou. These filled dumplings of dubious origin would be our focus.

Kush: It seemed we were not the only people who had ventured to Spitalfields to try Dumpling Shack’s somewhat legendary Sheng Jian Bao (pan fried soup dumplings). A huge bustle of diners jostling for an eating space is always a good sign, so we joined the queue and patiently waited to order. While the now ubiquitous Xiao Long Bao have spread worldwide thanks to the likes of Din Tai Fung, their more robust, crispy bottomed sibling is less well known. 

Dumpling Shack’s version was a bold affair with an almost chewy pastry, crisped to a dark amber underneath. The filling was characteristically, unbearably hot, but after a little time left to cool, the enclosed minced pork and rich, meaty broth stood up to the thick pastry well. The balance of textures when combined with the chilli oil and vinegar dipping sauce set these apart. Coupled with the exceedingly good value for money, it's clear to see why these have such a following. 

Slater: Our second stop was a small 3 minute walk away, but a giant leap across China’s sprawling border. Tibet Kitchen sells some of the best momos in town - and they didn’t disappoint, but the sauces they were drenched in brought them alive. Dumplings with a wonderfully thick, glutinous shell true to form were served with copious amounts of chilli oil, a spicy tomato sauce, and plenty of crispy onions. 

The sauce reminded us of a vindaloo - a tomato based, vinegar seasoned curry originating from Goa over 2000km away from the Himalayas where the momo is thought to hail from. It countered the fat from the chilli oil and fillings pretty well.

The attention paid here to the ratio between filling and wrapper, fat and acidity was a pretty valuable take home. And it’s something everyone can take note of when cooking at home to elevate dishes. Balancing acidity can be as easy as adding a splash of vinegar, balancing texture can be as easy as frying some panko breadcrumbs until golden brown. We do this when developing recipes for our Sidekick app, so you don’t have to.

Kush: I was always going to order a small selection of Dim Sum from Sichuan Folk, our third and final stop. While the restaurant name might not be synonymous with classic Cantonese fare, they do great steamed dumplings.

I have been eating Dim Sum for 31 years. When I was younger, my family would make a food pilgrimage into London’s Chinatown once a month from our home near Reading. On my 1st visit to the now sadly closed Chuen Cheng Ku restaurant when 5 years old, I was instantly in love. The concept of endless delights brought on dim sum trolleys, now sadly lost from London was what captured my attention. Not having to order and wait for your food to be brought to you, the trolleys would instantly roll over to your table and items would be shown and chosen. I loved this so much that my Dad had to carry me from the restaurant back through Soho to the car as I had over-eaten to the point of losing the ability to walk… not much has changed since then!

Sichuan Folk was the cap to a very filling day and reminded me that sometimes simple is best, and the OG Har Gow can never really be beaten. There is something quite magical about the marriage of prawns and a glutenous, translucent dumpling wrapper. Luckily, I have been attempting to make these and other dumplings over the year and thought it would be nice to show Slater some of my learnings.

Slater: The sun had set on our mini-adventure around East London, and with 30 seconds to spare we had hit all three spots. We didn’t account for the 15 minute walk back to the office which took us well over our allotted lunch hour - but it didn’t matter. Great recipes need a little imagination and plenty of inspiration - the latter of which we had gleaned by the steamer-load. Have a go at the recipes below and let us know how you get on!

Pork Belly Wontons

Makes around 30

You don’t have to mince your own pork for this recipe, but it really helps as most, if not all, supermarkets in the UK fail to put enough fat in their mince. By mincing belly pork, you should get 25-30% fat content - this will aid tenderness and taste. 

For the dumplings

250g pork belly, sliced and well chilled

3 cloves garlic, finely grated

20g ginger, finely grated

5 spring onions, minced

2 tsp cornflour

4 tbsp sesame oil

½ tsp white pepper

MSG (optional)

30-35 wonton wrappers

To serve

6 tbsp Chilli Oil (see below)

2 tbsp black vinegar

Feed the sliced pork through a mincer, set with a coarse grinding plate, twice or get to work with a sharp knife. We are looking for a coarse paste-like consistency.

Add the pork to the bowl of a stand mixer, then add the garlic, ginger, spring onions, cornflour, sesame oil, white pepper, a small pinch of MSG and a generous pinch of salt.

Beat on a medium speed, until the mix is sticky and very homogenous. It should come away from the sides of the bowl slightly in one mass. This step is important to get a bouncy texture later.

Add a small, marble-sized ball of the mix to a plate and microwave on full power for 1 minute, until cooked. Taste the cooked filling and adjust the seasoning of the raw mix accordingly with salt and MSG.

Leave the mix to chill in the fridge for between 4 and 12 hours.

Take 1 wonton wrapper at a time and load 1 tsp of the pork filling into the middle. Lightly dampen 2 of the wrappers edges with a wet finger, then bring 1 corner up over the filling to the corner opposite to make a triangle. Press to seal around the edges, then bring the outer corners inwards and press them together.

Store in the fridge on a tray dusted with cornflour until needed.

Line a bamboo steamer with greaseproof paper and carefully lift in the dumplings making sure they aren’t touching one another. 

Place the steamer over a pan of boiling water. Steam for 3-4 minutes, until the wrappers become glossy, a little translucent and the filling is more firm to the touch.

Once ready, transfer to bowls or a large serving plate with a slotted spoon. Spoon over plenty of chilli oil, drizzle over some black vinegar for balance.

Prawn and Bamboo Shoot Har Gow

Makes around 16

Great Har Gow are the mark of a great Dim Sum spot owing to their difficulty, so this recipe isn’t for the faint hearted, or remotely clumsy! To make things slightly easier, we have done away with crimping and taken inspiration from how the Turkish seal their Manti. 

For the filling

170g raw prawns, de-veined

80g bamboo shoots

1 tsp sesame oil

10g ginger, finely grated

½ tsp sugar

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp cornflour

For the dumpling wrapper dough

50g  wheat starch

50g  tapioca starch

¼ tsp fine sea salt

1 tsp sesame oil

Vegetable oil, for kneading and rolling

To serve

Chilli oil (see below)

Finely chop the prawns and bamboo shoots, then mince them together on the board with a knife until a semi-coarse paste forms. Transfer to a bowl.

Add the sesame oil, ginger, sugar, salt and cornflour. Beat until homogeneous, then cover and leave to chill in the fridge.

To make the dumpling dough, heat 160ml of water in a small pan over a high heat. Add the starches and salt to a bowl, then once the water has come to a simmer, tip it in. 

Use a chopstick or butter knife to bring the dough together, then add the sesame oil and tip it out onto a lightly greased work surface. Knead for 2-3 minutes, until smooth, then return to the bowl to rest for 15 minutes.

Once rested, split the dough into 16 balls. On a lightly oiled work surface, roll 1 ball out to make a small disc, around 2mm thick. Load 1 tsp of filling into the centre, bring the sides up around the filling to the centre and press to seal, creating 3 seams. 

Store in the fridge on a lightly oiled tray until needed.

Line a bamboo steamer with greaseproof paper and carefully lift in the dumplings making sure they aren’t touching one another. 

Place the steamer over a pan of boiling water. Steam for 3-4 minutes, until the wrappers become glossy, a little translucent and the filling is more firm to the touch.

Serve with chilli oil.

Crispy Chilli Oil

You can buy perfectly good, perfectly delicious chilli oil from any Chinese supermarket, and now most supermarkets in the UK (we tend to use this brand). But for those who want the satisfaction of making their own, this recipe will have you covered.

400ml vegetable oil

1 star anise

1 stick cinnamon

2 cloves

10 szechuan peppercorns

20g ginger, thinly sliced

10 cloves garlic, peeled, thinly sliced

75g blanched peanuts, roughly chopped

100g shallots, peeled and thinly sliced 

150g chinese long chillies

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp MSG

Add the oil, star anise, cinnamon stick, cloves, peppercorns and ginger to a medium saucepan.

Place the pan over a low heat. Slowly fry for 10-12 minutes, until the ginger starts to take on a little golden colour and the oil is fragrant. 

Tip the oil through a fine sieve into another medium saucepan. Discard the spices and ginger, but keep the empty pan - we will use it later.

Add the garlic and peanuts to the oil and place the pan over a low heat again. Slowly fry for 5-6 minutes, until light golden brown, once ready, tip the oil through the sieve again into the pan from earlier catching the fried garlic and peanuts. This time keep them.

Add the shallots to the oil and place the pan back over a low heat once more. Slowly fry for around 8-10 minutes, until deep golden brown and crisp. 

While the shallots fry, deseed, then blitz the chillies in a mini chopper or spice grinder, until semi-fine flakes form. Add them to the empty pan. Tip the crispy garlic and peanuts from the sieve onto a chopping board and place it back over the pan with the chillies in.

Once the shallots are ready, tip the oil through the sieve over the chilli flakes. Set the pan aside to infuse and cool. Tip the shallots from the sieve onto the board with the garlic and peanuts.

While the oil cools, roughly chop the fried garlic, peanuts and shallots to a similar size as the chilli flakes.

Once the oil is cool, add the garlic, shallots, salt, sugar MSG and mix well. Store in the fridge for up to 3 months.

Herby Potato Pierogi with Crispy Pancetta

Makes around 20

Comfort is a plate filled with Pierogi - potato dumplings filled with seasoned potato. Try making a double batch, freezing them on lined trays, then bagging them up ready to be boiled or steamed when you need a quick fix!

For the filling

3 large baking potatoes

30g parsley, finely chopped

20g chives, finely chopped

40g crispy fried onions

For the dumpling dough

2 eggs, beaten

75g sour cream

250g flour

½ tsp baking powder

For the pancetta brown butter

140g smoked pancetta, diced 

50g unsalted butter

To serve

10g parsley, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Prick the potatoes all over with a fork and place on a large baking tray. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes - 1 hour, until soft throughout. Once ready, allow to cool completely.

Scoop the soft potato flesh from their skins into a large mixing bowl. Add the parsley, chives, fried onions, then mash everything together, until smooth. Season to taste with salt and plenty of black pepper.

To make the dumpling dough, lightly beat the eggs with the sour cream and a pinch of salt. Add the flour and baking powder, then use a butter knife to cut the flour into the wet mix. Work the dough into a ball, then knead on a clean work surface for 5 minutes, until smooth.

Wrap tightly with cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Split the dough into 4, then re-wrap 3 of the balls to keep them from drying out. Roll the unwrapped ball out to around a 5mm thickness on a floured work surface. Using a 5cm cookie cutter or a glass with the same diameter opening, cut rounds from the dough. Cover the rounds with cling film and repeat with the remaining dough. 

Load a heaped teaspoon of the potato mix into the centre of each round and lightly moisten the edges with a wet finger. Fold each dumpling in half over the filling creating half moons. Seal the edges with a fork.

Store in the fridge on a tray dusted with more flour until needed.

Add the pancetta and butter to a large frying pan and place it over a medium heat. Allow the fat to render from the pancetta, then fry in the butter. Once the butter starts to brown, and the pancetta becomes crisp in places, take the pan off the heat.

Bring a large pan of salted water up to a boil over a high heat, then reduce the heat to medium. Carefully lower in the pierogi and cook for 5-6 minutes, until they float to the top. 

Once the pierogi are ready, use a slotted spoon to transfer the dumplings into the pan with the pancetta over a high heat. Toss to coat the dumplings in the butter and pancetta, then take the pan off the heat and toss through the parsley.

Serve on a large plate.