Looking to host a dumpling-making party? Drawing from other similar articles linked below, here is a basic guide that I crafted.
*Throwback to my “Got Cabbage?” series featuring dumplings!*
(1) Determine how many people total. Plan for about 15-20 dumplings per person. Leaning on the side of overestimating just means more dumplings to eat or freeze and take home!
(2) Decide on which filling(s) you want to use. Typically, you want to opt for one meat-based and one vegetarian. Here are some recipes you can use:
– My Best Pork Dumplings by Hot Thai Kitchen
– Chicken Dumplings by Tiffy Cooks
– Vegetable Dumplings by CJ Eats
– Vegetable Dumplings by The Woks of Life
(3) Go shopping. Grab all the ingredients for your fillings and, if you’re making wrappers from scratch, make sure you have enough flour. Otherwise, store-bought wrappers work great.
(4) Prepare the fillings and (if making) wrappers. While the ingredients are simply flour and water, it will take a couple hours, so budget your time wisely.
– How to Make Dumpling Wrappers by healthy nibbles
– Foolproof Dumpling Wrapper Recipe by Woks of Life
(5) Prepare the dipping sauce(s). Feel free to go as simple or complex as you want. I personally opt for something simple by combining soy sauce, black vinegar, chili oil, and sliced scallions. You may also want to add a splash of water to dilute the saltiness, keeping in mind that you still want their to be enough flavor to complement the dumplings.
– Six Dumplings Sauces by Red House Spice
– Easy Dumpling Sauce by Pickled Plum
(6) Set up the “stations.”
– Wrappers: remember to defrost beforehand so they are ready to use.
– Fillings: provide spoons or chopsticks for filling the dumplings.
– Bowls of water: try to have at least 1 bowl per 2 people who can share.
– Parchment lined trays: you may want to have separate trays for the different filling types.
– Cooking methods: depending on how your party likes their dumplings, set up the different cooking methods (pot for boiling, steamer/steamer basket for steaming, pan for frying).
(7) Cook or freeze the dumplings. You can cook large batches for people to eat from or have people “select” their dumplings and be in charge of cooking their own. If freezing, make some room in your freezer to flash-freeze the dumplings on the trays for at least half an hour. Once frozen, you can transfer them to zipper lock bags.
Bonus Tip: Consider asking your party people to bring some other foods or snacks to munch on while making dumplings. I had decided to make some egg rolls as it coincided with my 52 Week Challenge post, Week 5: Egg Rolls.
Other articles I referenced:
– You’re Throwing a Dumpling Party this Weekend by Christina Chaey
– Now’s the Time to Throw a Dumpling Party, Here’s How by Xueci Cheng