Pork Dumplings

More often than not, if my family went out for dinner it was for Chinese food.

Our usual spot changed over the years in accordance with changes in quality (getting on “the list” in this case meant something went terribly wrong), but what stayed the same were a few elementary dishes we would order.

For my father it was hot and sour soup. My mother, egg rolls. For my brother and me, the humble pork dumpling. Always pork and always pan-fried.

Even as I’ve gotten older and the rest of my order has become more sophisticated, pork dumplings remain fundamental to my plate. And deservedly so! A slight chew in the dough, a crisp bottom, a fragrant filling, all dipped in a spot of scallion sauce. Delish.

When it comes to the at-home setting, a great thing about dumplings is that you can cook them from frozen, no thawing required. As if they weren’t already the perfect food, this makes them a heavy hitter in “quarantine cuisine”. I made this batch, froze them, and like most every portion of dumplings I’ve ever had in my life, split them with my brother.

This recipe is featured in the cookbook “Double Awesome Chinese Food” from the restaurant Mei Mei in Boston, MA. Besides a rotating slate of dumplings to eat in-house, they also offer dumpling making classes. And if you are reading this and it is STILL quarantine, they have take-home dumpling kits and virtual classes.