What’s On My Plate – The Dumpling Edition

Anyone who truly loves dumplings knows they’re a separate food group all of their own. True dumpling lovers know what it is to pop a xiao long bao in our mouth hoping even as we bite down on it that the porky soupy broth inside will be close-your-eyes-amazing as opposed to OMG-I’ve-just-burnt-my-tongue-off. As an aside, there’s a word from Ghana for that – when you pop food that’s too hot into your mouth and then have to move it around until it cools – it’s pelinti.

Anyways, it’s one thing (other than family and friends, the harbour on a sparkly winter’s day, and southerly busters) that we miss about Sydney. We just can’t get fabulous dumplings up here on the sunny coast.

Chatswood though, where my day-job office is and where I’ve been mostly staying while I’ve been in Sydney for day-job stuff on and off over the past month, is full of fabulous Asian food – and some of my favourite dumpling houses. Then there was that weekend in Melbourne with Sarah where she also had to catch up on her dumpling fix – it’s even harder to find a decent dumpling in Hervey Bay than it is on the Sunshine Coast.

Now, before any of you go and get all judgey, these pics were taken over the course of multiple visits during a month spent mostly away from home – and were shared with other people. And for those who are interested, I probably won’t eat another dumpling until…I’m back in Melbourne again next weekend!

The Dumpling House

Above the railway station in Chatswood, this was the perfect place for a Sunday evening catch-up with dumpling-loving friends. We ordered xiao long bao (above), Shanghai noodles with deep-fried green onion, steamed vegetable dumplings, pork & veggie wonton in chilli & peanut butter (pic above), and kai-lan in oyster sauce.

Din Tai Fung

No dumpling list is complete without Din Tai Fung – where these days your dumplings are delivered by robots. This is going to make me sound like a proper “been there bought the t-shirt” (insert appropriate word my parents wouldn’t like to read), but I’ve eaten Xiao Long Bao at Din Tai Fung in Sydney, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Taiwan and they are consistently good. The perfect size to pop in your mouth and the perfect dough texture – thick enough to hold in the soup when suspended in the air in a pair of chopsticks yet thin enough to pop easily.

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been twice: once In Chatswood with colleagues for a work lunch, and again in Melbourne CBD last weekend with Sarah – so she could see the robots (which she found a tad creepy). Aside from Xiao Long Bao, beans with pork mince, pan-fried chicken and mushroom pot stickers, prawn and pork shiu mai, hot sour soup and crispy chilli chicken are the winners.

LiLong by Taste of Shanghai

Another one that’s upstairs from the railway in Chatswood, I love LiLong. Somehow it feels a tad posher than the others and an excellent choice for an early dinner after work with friends. Aside from the xiao long bao, we ordered wontons in chilli oil, pan-fried pork buns, and drunken chicken which while not strictly a dumpling, is one of my favourite things to eat so makes it onto the list.

Hutong

This one is a Melbourne classic and a must-do for Sarah and me when in town. Tucked away in Market Lane between Bourke St and Little Bourke St, it gets busy – and rightly so. Over a couple of visits we ordered pork wontons in chilli oil (above), xiao long bao (I reckon the broth is porkier and deeper than at Din Tai Fung), beans with pork mince and chilli, pan-fried dumplings (below) and spring onion pancakes.

Taste of Shanghai

Last, but not least, is Taste of Shanghai. Our must-order here (again aside from xiao long bao) are the pan-fried pork buns (main pic) and the shui mai (below).

Linking up with Donna from Retirement Reflections and her co-host Deb The Widow Badass Blog in their #whatsonyourplateblogchallenge.