Even the most talented chefs began their food careers as eaters. Well before they were able to cook, they witnessed the magic of combining ingredients into delicious dishes, made for them by family, friends and other cooks. For some, need, desire — or even nostalgia — converts us from eaters to makers of the foods we love.
Sharon Lee’s childhood memories are about eating dumplings, not making them. Growing up in southern Taiwan, she and her family frequented a day market where they purchased fresh, uncooked dumplings. Lee remembers the dazzling speed and dexterity of the woman who filled and wrapped the savory treats. The family took their dumplings home to savor, enhanced with the simplest of soy-based sauces and a splash of vinegar.
In February 2021, as the pandemic isolation was receding and the Chinese New Year was approaching, a friend suggested that Lee might host a dumpling party. “Typically Chinese New Year doesn’t easily fit into the American holiday calendar,” Lee says, “but I still like to celebrate it. Inviting friends over to make dumplings seemed like a low-pressure, fun way to bring a small group together.” That first casual dumpling dinner party launched a tradition that Lee, a radiology researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, has continued to celebrate every February since.
Inviting friends over to make dumplings seemed like a low-pressure, fun way to bring a small group together.”
— Sharon Lee
Lee’s approach to hosting a DIY dumpling party sounds invitingly easy and involves far less work than orchestrating a sit-down dinner for ten. Her menu consists of three types of dumpling fillings, usually the traditional cabbage-and-pork combination she ate as a child, something with beef and a vegetarian option. She’ll have soy, ginger, rice wine vinegar and minced garlic on hand to mix into sauces. Lee makes the fillings herself in advance and saves time by purchasing the wrappers from an Asian market. She sets out an array of snacks and beverages before guests arrive, then arranges the dumpling fixings on the large kitchen island in her Francisville townhouse.
While guests help themselves to drinks and snacks, Lee plays a YouTube video demonstrating methods for folding and pinching dumplings. Next, everyone gathers around the island and gets busy making dumplings. Laughter and camaraderie are by-products as people “invent” new ways to shape dumplings. “They let their creativity out,” Lee says. Meanwhile, she begins cooking the dumplings in batches, laying them out on platters. As the makers keep making, they also dine on their finished products.
Prepping the fillings takes Lee one or two hours of chopping and mixing. The party usually unfolds over two to three fragrant, fun hours. Lee’s ideal guest list consists of people who “like to play with their food and are open to experimenting.” Each year she has some repeat attendees, but first-timers are welcome. “There’s something about food, that whether you’re making it or eating it, it brings people together,” Lee says. “I think my family in Taiwan would find it funny that I am hosting these parties because I was never the dumpling maker, but always an enthusiastic dumpling eater.”
Pork and Cabbage Dumplings
Yields about 50–60 dumplings. Extra filling can be made into meatballs or frozen.
1 pounds ground pork
1 ½ pounds green cabbage, finely shredded
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 to 2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 packages of dumpling wrappers
2 to 4 tablespoons flour
- In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients (except the wrappers and flour). Keep stirring until the mixture is a bit sticky.
- Lay out the dumpling wrappers on a chilled sheet pan dusted lightly with flour.
- Place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each wrapper.
- Fold dough over to enclose filling and pinch or press wrapper closed. (Lee recommends the YouTube video “16 Ways to Wrap a Dumpling”.)
- Chill raw dumplings on a sheet pan for 5 to 10 minutes.
- To Boil: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add about 10 dumplings at a time. Once the water begins to boil again, add a cup of cold water. Repeat this process two times. The floating dumplings can now be removed with a wire basket or slotted spoon. Serve at once with your choice of dipping sauce.
- To Pan Fry: Generously coat the bottom of a large flat pan with vegetable oil and heat until the oil shimmers. Carefully lay dumplings flat side down into the pan, being careful not to crowd them. When the bottoms are slightly golden brown and crisp, add about ¼ cup of water to the pan and cover immediately to steam and finish cooking the dumplings. Repeat in batches and serve immediately with your choice of dipping sauce.
