Food

Dumplings Around the World

January 18, 2012

Whether fried or boiled, filled or doughy, homely or origami-perfect, dumplings the world over are almost always comforting tidbits that are handmade with love.

Dense, savory bread dumplings are simply seasoned with onion, parsley, and nutmeg in this classic recipe from Bavaria.Todd Coleman

The deeply satisfying combination of potatoes, bacon, caramelized onion, and sour cream featured in this rustic old-country recipe came to Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains via Eastern Europe.Todd Coleman

These German bread dumplings spiced with nutmeg are served in beef-marrow enriched broth for a warming winter soup.Todd Coleman

Soft dumplings of Corsican fresh cheese and wild herbs highlight the natural culinary products of this beautiful Mediterranean island.Beth Rooney

Hearty Georgian dumplings blend pork, beef, chiles, cilantro, and fenugreek in a generous packet of soft dough.Landon Nordeman

This popular Indian fried pocket of spiced potatoes, onion, and peas pairs perfectly with sweet and hot tamarind chutney.Penny De Los Santos

Pot stickers, with their crispy seared edge and juicy filling, are the perfect bite-sized balance of texture and flavor. This recipe comes from New York's Buddakan restaurant.Maxime Iattoni

With a delicate, translucent skin and plump form, these little dumplings resemble goldfish.Maxime Iattoni

Pillowy gnocchi in a deliciously simple pesto sauce is light enough for a first course to a homemade Italian dinner.Penny De Los Santos

These dumplings hailing from Quebec are a delightful dessert treat, especially drenched in butter and maple syrup.Landon Nordeman

Chef Anna Klinger of Al Di La in Brooklyn, New York, flavors these dumplings with nutmeg. For the best results, drain the ricotta overnight and squeeze all the moisture out of the Swiss chard.Todd Coleman

Little pyramids of chicken-stuffed dumplings in broth are a solid Jewish holiday dish.Todd Coleman

This southern German specialty combines four kinds of meat in crinkled pockets of dough, served floating in a clear chicken broth with carrot and celery.Todd Coleman

These Roman-style gnocchi aren't the usual potato, ricotta, or squash kind. The recipe for these flat semolina gnocchi is an adaptation of one in David Downie's Cooking the Roman Way (HarperCollins, 2002).Andre Baranowski

To keep the wrappers from tearing while making these dumplings, we suggest finely chopping the scallions and grating the ginger (see our step-by-step instructions). These classic snacks--which are boiled, not steamed or fried--were featured as part of Matt Gross's feature story on Taiwanese cuisine, "Taipei, Family Style" (April 2010).Todd Coleman

This braised chicken and dumplings dish is based on a recipe we got from home cook Olga Kolozy.Todd Coleman

Plantain Gnocchi with Short Rib Ragu — Ripe plantains and yucca stand in for potatoes in this version of gnocchi from the Dominican Republic, which is served with short rib ragù. A long, slow braise with red wine, cayenne, and paprika results in tender, fall-off-the-bone morsels of meat; bolstered with cream, the rich sauce is then ladled over the slightly sweet, fluffy dumplings.Farideh Sadeghin

There's an art to eating these dumplings. Resist the temptation to pop one whole into your mouth; you'll almost certainly burn your lip. Instead, set a dumpling on a deep-bowled soup spoon, nibble a small hole near the top of the wrapper, and carefully slurp out the hot soup. Then finish off the dumpling, dunking it into the dipping sauce if you like. Look for pork skin at Asian meat markets or at butcher counters. See also:
How to Make a Soup Dumpling »Steve Giralt

Store-bought wonton wrappers are perfect for making ravioli. We based this recipe on one in Cooking with Daniel Boulud (Random House, 1993).André Baranowski

A regional dish from the Italian province of Parma, these plump spinach gnocchi are excellent sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.André Baranowski

Escarole, veal, and Parmesan make a rich filling for ravioli; serving them in veal or chicken broth turns them into a comforting soup.Penny De Los Santos

An ideal stew for a snowy winter's night, the combination of tender veal and dense potato dumplings make a warm evening at home that much more homey.Helen Rosner

In this recipe from Transylvania, sliced root vegetables and textured semolina dumplings are moistened in a chicken broth spiced with paprika and caraway.Landon Nordeman

Filled with a sweet, chewy mixture of walnuts and almonds, yuanxiao are a traditional dish for Lunar New Year, but we love them year-round.Maxime Iattoni

Spinach Spätzli with Brown Butter, Crispy Speck, and Pangrattato — Near Italy's border with Austria, the food takes on a distinctly Teutonic bent with spätzli, a close Italian cousin of German spätzle.Con Poulos

Shiitake mushroom and chicken make a moist and succulent filling for these Chinese dumplings.Anna Stockwell

Bread Crumb Dumplings and Bean Stew with Parsley-Speck Pesto — In Emilia-Romagna, chef Carla Rebecchi taught Jenn Louis to make this borlotti bean stew with shell-like gnocchi called pisarei. A fresh herb sauce laced with speck tops it off.Con Poulos

Thin noodles and hearty liver dumplings make this rich, hearty soup a mainstay of the 86-year-old Klas Restaurant in Cicero, Illinois. Just outside Chicago, Cicero was once home to a thriving Czech community, reflected in Klas's old-world d¿cor and cuisine. For more about Klas Restaurant and other delicious stops on the road, see Adventures in Good Eating.Penny De Los Santos

Plenty of pesto tops Ligurian-style ravioli filled with a cremini mushroom mixture.André Baranowski

Paprika-Spiced Cauliflower Soup (Karfiolleves) — Tiny dumplings called galuska enhance this Hungarian spice-laden, vegetarian soup—to make them, simply drop bits of dough into the simmering broth.Todd Coleman

Crystal Palace Hunan Pork and Peanut Dumplings — The now-shuttered Crystal Palace of Montreal used to serve these beef dumplings as an homage to the Quebecois favorite, peanut butter dumplings.Matt Taylor-Gross

dumplings, shrimp dumpling recipe — These delicious Malaysian dumplings stuffed with minced shrimp, scallions, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots are easy to make with store-bought gyoza (pot-sticker) wrappers. Get the recipe for Har Gao (Shrimp Dumplings) »Todd Coleman

Spinach and Potato Dumplings with Cold Tomato Sauce — A chilled tomato sauce with sundried tomatoes makes a pleasant contrast to these hot potato and spinach dumplings, which chef Josita Hartanto of Berlin's Lucky Leek binds together with firm tofu and durum wheat semolina. Dry the potatoes and spinach thoroughly so the dumplings will hold their shape. Get the recipe for Spinach and Potato Dumplings with Cold Tomato Sauce »Matt Taylor-Gross

Turkey Momos with Tomato-Cilantro Sauce — These steamed, meat-filled Nepalese dumplings come from Binita Pradhan, the entrepreneur behind Bini's Kitchen in San Francisco, CA.Matt Taylor-Gross

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