Growing up, my grandma's visits to our home meant one thing: All of the dumplings. She'd drop by on a Sunday morning, bags in tow laden with ground pork, tofu, vegetables, and packages of dumpling wrappers. My family would devote the entire afternoon to filling and pleating our way through hundreds of dumplings, as my dad would boil and pan-fry batches for us to eat as we worked. We'd freeze what we couldn't eat, to be pulled out on busy weeknights when none of us felt like cooking.
Dumplings are the singular best food to make for (and with) a crowd: They're cheap, easy, beginner- and kid-friendly, and cook up super quickly. The more hands you have on deck, the quicker the dumplings come together and the faster you can get eating. So why don't more people make dumplings at home? It's what Kenny Lao, who owned the popular (now-closed) NYC dumpling joint Rickshaw Dumplings for a decade, calls the "Lasagna Effect."
"People think there are too many steps," Lao says. "But with the proper setup, you can make literally hundreds in one sitting."
Lao recently stopped by the BA Test Kitchen to make us a batch of Japanese curry chicken dumplings from his book, Hey There, Dumpling!, and showed us how to set up a dumpling party for friends at home.
Meat-based fillings will keep in the fridge for up to two days. Photo: Christina Chaey
Prep Everything In Advance
At their most basic, dumplings are essentially wrappers, a meat and/or veggie filling, and a little water to seal it all together. Lao stocks up on storebought dumpling wrappers and stashes them in the freezer, then lets them thaw at room temperature at least a half-hour before he's ready to wrap. Not only can you make your dumpling filling up to two days in advance, it's actually better if you do—it's much easier to work with if it's well-chilled. Store your filling in airtight containers in the fridge, then set out just before you're ready to wrap.
