Today’s dish of the day is a delicious and well-known snack that are dumplings. There are many varieties of dumplings with various fillings. The fried version of the dumplings creates interesting textures for the diners to enjoy the dish.
Fried dumplings are a healthy snack with some unique textures involved. Fried dumplings are generally crispy on the outside and soft on the inside – just like curry puffs! Well, that is if you discount the fact that fried dumplings have a very thin wrapping layer in comparison.
What is Fried Dumpling?
There may be many different types of dumplings, differentiated by their fillings and preparation methods. However, as it is with other forms of snacks, fried food is the ultimate guilty pleasure.
Fried dumplings are a well-known Chinese snack. You would typically find this fried dumplings served with either minced pork or chicken along with several other ingredients inside it, which may include different types of vegetables or shrimps. The ingredients would blended to create a savoury taste that pairs well with noodle and rice dishes.
The fillings are wrapped in a thin dough and are served either pan-fried or deep-fried. Both types can often serve as a very filling snack due to all the meat fillings in it! You can read more about how these two different preparation methods are served below.
Types of Fried Dumpling
As mentioned above, deep-fried dumplings come in two main variations – deep-fried dumplings and pan-fried dumplings. Both can typically be found in dim sum shops, but it won’t be surprising to find them in any other Chinese restaurants either!
The deep-fried variant is often served alongside wonton mee or other Chinese noodle dishes. When you bite into the crispy wonton wrappers, you’ll amaze at the flavours of juicy minced meat (either pork or chicken) mixed with shrimp.
You might even find deep-fried dumplings in several different shapes! The easiest way to recognise deep-fried dumplings is by comparing it to a normal fried wonton. While fried wontons are usually wrapped with small square wonton wrappers, dumplings are usually bigger and can be eaten on its own.
The pan-fried variant meanwhile has a similar appearance to a boiled or steamed version. You may also know this one as potstickers or Guo Tie in Chinese, depending on which restaurant you go to. The wrappers would appear white or almost translucent, with only the bottom of the dumpling seared to a crispy golden brown.
Potstickers are usually dipped in soy-ginger sauce or vinegar to bring out the flavours, but this step is optional since the potstickers are flavourful just the way they are.
History of Fried Dumpling
It is said that deep-fried dumplings have a Cantonese origin in China, perhaps due to the way that the meat is prepared prior to wrapping and deep-frying. It is highly possible that these fried dumplings were created to add variety to the classical wontons.
Meanwhile, potstickers gain their rightful name just by the way it is prepared! In Chinese, ‘Guo Tie’ can be literally translated to ‘sticking to the pan/pot’. This would make sense if you’ve made them yourselves or seen them prepared – they are often made in a way that would cause the dumplings to stick to the pan.
Where to Find Fried Dumpling in Malaysia
You can find fried dumplings in most places that sell dim sums or wonton noodles. The most well-known eatery that sells this dish, however, would undoubtedly be Din Tai Fung, which specialises in dim sum dishes. They are available in many locations in Malaysia and Singapore!
