Asian dumplings – Twice as Tasty

Homemade steamed buns make you wait, but your first bite is worth it. Get dumpling recipes at TwiceasTasty.com.
In the realm of stuffed foods, Chinese steamed buns seem like the crown jewels. They’re made with a yeast dough, rather than the comparatively simpler flour-and-water wraps for Scratch-Made Pot Stickers, which means more waiting time. The steaming may require tools you don’t yet have in your kitchen—or some improvisation. And you’ll have the nicest buns if you master yet another rolling and pleating technique.

But the first time you bite into a homemade steamed bun, you’ll know it was worth it. The magic that happens with some basic ingredients, time, and care will keep you practicing until you’ve perfected your technique. As with all homemade dumplings, there are some shortcuts. But most of these stretch out the work rather than shortening the timeframe. It’s best to approach steamed yeast buns with a relaxed schedule and mindset.
Learn to make Scratch-Made Steamed Buns with homemade fillings

I fell for pot stickers as a kid. For special occasions, we’d meet my Uncle Sunny and Aunt Ginny in Portland, Oregon, at their favorite Chinese restaurant. My uncle was one of those people who made friends at his frequented haunts; he and the restaurant’s owners probably swapped their favorite spicy mustard recipes. As a kid, it amazed me that the staff knew to bring my sister a Shirley Temple, my mom fiery eggplant, and me vegetable pot stickers.

Vegetarian pot stickers can be hard to come by even in cities; the standard fillings lean toward pork. In northwest Montana, they’re nonexistent. Luckily, a local friend with Chinese roots loves to cook and share her creations, and I treasure invites to her kitchen. For a pot sticker gathering, we mix up batch after batch of dough and filling, just eyeballing the ratios, and many hands form it all into neat—or not so neat—edible packets. It’s a bit like making pie crust with Grandma Tiny: this recipe, which I make at home, is my best version of those recipe-free evenings with a practiced guide.
Learn to make Scratch-Made Pot Stickers with homemade fillings