I’ve had the acclaimed Asian Dumplings book since forever, but I haven’t exactly made anything from it until recently, when I finally managed to pick out which recipe I wanted to start with.
Every time I flip through this book, it gets more and more difficult for me to find just one recipe to do first. Everything looks amazing! And especially for a dimsum-lover like myself, it’s fairly difficult to resist the photos. If I’m not intending to make any dumplings, I try to avoid looking through this book because every time I do, I always end up holding a dimsum menu in a Chinese restaurant.
I have always wanted to make my own dimsum at home, however I think I’ve been hesitant mostly because I am afraid of failing with making the dumpling wrappers. Now if I really wanted to learn about dumplings, buying the wrappers ready-made pretty much defeats the purpose. I was afraid that I would roll them too thick, turning them into these inedible rubbery things that awfully cheap dimsum sometimes come in. I was also afraid that I would roll them too thin, to the point that they would break apart if I so much tried to pick them up or form them. Trauma stemming from bad dimsum experiences in restaurants, I think.
Or maybe I just had to wait until I ran out of excuses.
When I finally got around to making dimsum, I realised mostly three things:
1. It’s quite time-consuming.
2. I never expected the process itself to be this easy.
3. Homemade dumplings are freaking amazing!
But before I share with you which dumpling I decided to attempt (rather successfully!), I wanted to write first about how it was like making the dumpling wrappers.
And before that still, I just want to tell Ms. Andrea Nguyen three things:
1. You are my dimsum hero/goddess!
2. I am going to cook through every single recipe in this cookbook.
3. You are awesome for including yummy foods from the Philippines in your cookbook!
Let’s focus on point #1. Any cookbook author who gives me the necessary push to attempt things I have always wanted to gets an A in my book. And then when I am extremely pleased with the result, then that’s an instant A+ right there. Not only did I learn how to make dumpling wrappers and dumplings from this book, I also gained a whole lot of confidence when it comes to making them. This Basic Dumpling Dough is actually so easy I quickly memorized the process.
The second time I made this, I didn’t even need to look at the book anymore! I did not use any special equipment except for my hands, because I feel more comfortable with the instructions using this method. I have provided the instructions below for using the food processor, but I still prefer making the dough by hand.
The instructions may seem intimidating because of its length, but read it through carefully first and you’ll see that it is not difficult at all, only detailed and meticulous in explaining the how’s and why’s, as it should be. I’m sorry if the process photos aren’t very good though. It’s very difficult to photograph myself!
Basic Dumpling Dough
Makes 1 pound, enough for 32 medium or 24 large dumplings
Ingredients
- 2 cups 10 ounces unbleached all-purpose flour
- about 3/4 cup just-boiled water*, or more as necessary
Instructions
To prepare the dough by hand
- 1. Shape your kitchen towel into a circle and fit a bowl in the middle to prevent it from slipping while you work. Put the flour in the bowl and make a well in the centre.




To form the wrappers
- 8. Remove the dough from the bag. Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut in half. Put the half back in the bag, squeezing out the air and sealing it to prevent the dough from drying out.
- 9. Roll the dough into a 1-inch thick log and then cut into the number of pieces required by the recipe. To cut even pieces, quarter the log first; the tapered end pieces need to be cut a little longer than the rest. Weigh each piece of dough to be super precise.
- 10. If your dough pieces are oval-shaped, stand each one on a cut end and use your fingers to gently squeeze them it into a round. The resulting squat cylinder should resemble a scallop. This makes it easier to form a circle while rolling.
- 11. To prevent the dough from sticking on your work surface, take each piece of dough and press on side of the cut ends in flour, flattening the dough a bit. Then flip it over and do the same on the other end. You should end up with a disc roughly 1/4-inch thick. Set the floured disks to one side of your work area.
- 12. Flatten each floured round dough into a thin circle about 1/8-inch thick using a heavy, flat-bottomed object, or your flattened palm. You can flatten the dough between layers of plastic wrap to avoid sticking, and it will be necessary to press more than once to get the desired thickness. (You may also use a tortilla press if you have one-- lay a plastic plastic square on the bottom plate and press only once using moderate pressure.) Whichever method you choose, repeat with the remaining dough pieces, setting the finished wrappers into ones side of the work area as you finish them. It is okay to overlap the wrappers only slightly.
- 13. To finish, take a flattened wrapper and and place it on the work surface; flour the work surface only when needed to prevent the dough from sticking. Imagine a quarter-sized circle in the centre of the wrapper. This is called the "belly" of the wrapper and is the thickest part of the wrapper. The goal is to create a wrapper that is larger than its current size but retains a thick belly***.

2 Comments
frugalfeeding
Absolutely amazing. I NEVER bookmark recipes, but this is an exception. I’ve wanted to make my won spring rolls etc for ages and now I can. The recipe looks great. Thanks SO much for sharing – that’s as sincere as it gets.
Clarisse Shaina
Wow, glad to hear it! I’m happy to be of help. Can’t wait to see what you make! 😀