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If you’re like most people, chances are you adore Asian dumplings. And in the 2020 state of things, odds are you aren’t used to making them at home and miss them dearly.
Mention crafting homemade dumplings of any type to the average home cook and they’ll most likely run for cover. Like most common dishes and staples of various national cuisines though, Asian dumplings aren’t at all hard to make. You just have to know and learn from the right people.
When it comes to Asian-style dumplings, spring rolls, and samosas – Andrea Nguyen has you covered in her award-winning cookbook Asian Dumplings: Mastering Gyoza, Spring Rolls, Samosas, and More.
Starting from scratch
There is something so delightful about the combination of chewy or crisp dough with a hearty, flavorful filling. They make for the perfect appetizer, snack, or meal. While easy enough to grab as a takeout food, these little treats are, indeed, quite the task to make.
Although far from impossible, Asian dumplings do require a careful balance of filling-to-dough to properly come together and quite a bit of skill to fold. Fortunately, those looking to make them at home have a skilled guide on their side. (Nguyen also happens to be a professional cooking teacher!)
Nguyen’s Asian Dumplings was released over a decade ago and continues to be a full guide through creating over 75 diverse dumpling recipes. Her goal was to transform classic Asian dumpling dishes into Western-friendly meals that can easily be mastered and customized to create new fusion dishes that suit any taste preference.
Aall of the base recipes are very well-written and provide step-by-step breakdowns of each folding technique, to ensure you can create dumplings that hold up to the cooking process. Nguyen has made it fool-proof for any home cook.
Our favorite Asian dumplings from Andrea Nguyen
From tricky but delicious soup dumplings from Shanghai to Phillipino lumpia, you can make any type of dumpling you can imagine with the help of this comprehensive, beautifully photographed book.
There are even delicious dessert dumplings! As a whole, Nguyen nailed her goal of curating an easy to follow and enticing cookbook. Even the newest aspiring home chefs will begin to understand and create simple and complex dumpling dishes alike.
Our favorites include these easy pork and pumpkin pot stickers and, if you’re looking for something just a little more complex, this Sichuan crescent dumpling recipe.
This could very well be the must-have for any Asian food fan. But before you decide to own this prized cookbook, head over to The Splendid Table for Nguyen’s infallible basic dumpling dough recipe.
More from Andrea Nguyen:
Taylor Smith is a content writer and home chef with experience in the kitchen and a love for trying new foods and recipes.
