Dumplings are family fun; and just fun to say and eat, of course!

It seems like every family has something that they come together to make and eat.  In my family though we did not have that one thing.  It was more like everyone had one thing they were good at, and they would bring that one thing every time to the table.  Mine was deviled eggs, my mother made potato salad and my grandmother had a family jello salad she always made.  With time though, I began to make all of these things and it became more about me cooking and them eating.  :)

I was jealous of other families though that did have a traditional food they gathered over.  My friends had cookie parties, or canning parties.  My husband's family go together to make empanadas or sopapillas. 

So when I began learning about other cuisines, I found out that for the Asian New Year, it is very common for the family to get together and have a dumpling party.  What a great idea, I thought.  And then it hit me, I didn't know much about dumplings.  So here are the basics that I have gleaned.  Hey, this is easier than Chinese Noodles, so keep on reading and then think about when you can have your next Dumpling (I just love saying this word) Party.

First off, what is a dumpling?  They are cooked pieces of dough that can be stuffed or have ingredients mixed into them (like a meatball).  They use many different types of flour around the world, but they can also be made with potatoes or bread.  The variety of ways that they can be cooked is amazing: boil, pan-fry, bake, steam, simmer and/or deep-fry.  The other great thing is that they can be eaten by themselves, or in a soup/stew or with gravy or dipped in sauce.  You can find dumplings from all over the world. 

For a more complete listing of Dumplings form around the world, you can check out this link.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumpling

SO...what do you need to know to make any simple type of dumpling?

1. Start with just making a basic dough that cooks in liquid.
2. Add a favorite ingredient to the dough to change the flavor.  They can be sweet or savory.
3. Try Potato Dumplings next
4. Remember that anything wrapped in dough is considered a dumpling, so buy some ready made wraps for wantons or spring rolls, before trying to make your own.
5. Try cooking your Asian dumplings 2 ways.  Boil half and fry the other half.  Look for the textures you like best or that you like to combine best.
6. For your Dumpling Party, keep it simple and open for any type of Dumpling from around the world.
7. Look at YouTube for videos that can show you step by step instructions
8. When making homemade stuffed Dumplings, make sure to pinch the dough together so you don't have any messes.
9. Look at one ingredient that you can add to change the style of the Dumpling.  Soy sauce in the meat for Asian, sour cream for Polish or Russian, syrup for Scandinavian etc.
10. Get the whole family involved with making them, as you really can't go wrong.  :)  And if you chicken out you can always buy them at the store and make a great sauce.  LOL