For the past few weeks, I've been in Jersey by New York City. I haven't gone into the city all that much, but I went yesterday and visited a few places. The picture aren't all that great (cell phone camera), but they do the job.
Dumpling Man is a little restaurant consisting of nothing but dumplings. Pork dumpling, shrimp dumplings, vegetable dumplings, sweet pumpkin dumplings. They are sold individually so you can mix and match, or by six or ten. You can also customize how they cook, either steamed or seared.
My mom and I first became aware of Dumpling Man years ago on an episode of Martha Stewart's show. I couldn't remember the name of the place since it had been so long, though luckily my friend did.
After I ordered, I took a few pictures of the building. When you enter, you face the right side to look at the menu and order. The building then extends into a narrow hall-like seating area with stools and chairs. If you sit on the chair side, you get to watch Dumpling Men and Women prepare dumplings.
This man was using the green spinach wrappers, which means the filling was vegetarian. He stuffed the filling and pinched the wrappers shut methodically, filling tray by tray. They make a ton of dumplings. Some of them are frozen because they also sell frozen, uncooked dumplings as well as the dumplings made as you order.
My order of six seared pork dumplings arrived, glossy and topped with sliced scallions. I like the seared dumplings because the bottom gets a little crispy and the dough gets chewy. They are still steamed, but only after the bottoms are seared, like I did in my potsticker recipe.
The pork filling was so flavorful and juicy that I didn't need any soy sauce.
As the dumplings cook, the filling, which hasn't been cooked, shrinks, creating a gap between the dough. While you're stuffing the dumplings, though, it can be a bit of a hassle to get the wrappers around all the filling without it tearing. There were a few tears in the dumplings I had, so that was cool to see. Back when I made potstickers, I was dealing with the same issue. It's not always preventable, especially if you stretch the wrappers too much.
If you're in the city and you need an inexpensive bite, check out the Dumpling Man at 100 st marks place, nyc.
Prices range from $3.95 on up for six dumplings, or a la carte for around .90¢ a dumpling. They also offer a selection of sauces, side dishes, and dessert dumplings.
If you're in your kitchen and are now craving dumplings, take a look at my recipe for potstickers.
Not sure if you've done reviews before, but still yay! :)
ReplyDeleteHow much was the food you ate, and where is this restaurant located?