How to Cook Dumplings: Boil, Steam, or Pan-Fry | Cooking Tutorial by Mary's Test Kitchen

Alright, we are starting with boiling. Bring up a pot of water or broth to a rolling boil over high heat. Then drop in your dumplings. How many? There are no rules, just try not to crowd them. Now, wait for the water to come to a rolling boil again. This should take almost no time if you are cooking fresh dumplings. It will obviously take longer if cooking from frozen. Once we get to a rapid boil again, add one cup of cold water or broth. Then we wait for the water to boil again. And that's it. The dumplings are floating at the top and ready to remove and serve. I'm having these with a little savory soybean broth and scallions. Delicious. Next, let's try them steamed.

Prepare your steamer by oiling the bottom of the basket or lining with parchment paper. Place the dumplings in with a bit of room so that as they expand they won't stick together. Sticking together is for family, friends, and communities...not for dumplings. Place them over a base of boiling water and steam over high heat for about 10 minutes for fresh dumplings and between 15 and 20 minutes for frozen ones. Easy peasy.

And now for pan-fried dumplings aka pots tickers which are my favorite. Heat a little oil in a large pan. Once the oil is hot, add your dumplings, one at a time, making sure each one gets some oil on the bottom. Cook over medium high or high heat until the bottoms are nicely golden. Then add some water. For fresh dumplings, you only need a few tablespoons of water. For frozen, add enough water to come up about halfway on the dumplings.

Cover with a vented lid, or if you don't have one like me, just use another pan turned over. We're cooking until most of the water evaporates. You can lift the lid every so often to check, but you can also use your ears. It will start to crackle very loudly as it gets down to the last bits of water and the oil and water are having it out. Uncover and let the rest of the water evaporate.

You can take these off the stove right away, or turn them over to get a little crispness on all sides. This is my favorite way to prepare dumplings, especially with homemade wrappers. The wrapper is chewy and soft at the top while the bottoms are so nice and crispy.  And the inside stays juicy and plump. Serve them with soy sauce, sweet vinegar, hot sauce, hot chili oil, the possibilities are endless. What kinds of vegan dumplings are your favorite? Boiled, steamed, pan-fried, or perhaps deep-fried. Let me know in the comments below.

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