Chinese dumplings are the ones I know the best. Growing up, my family made and ate dumplings frequently. They’re easy to make in bulk and then freeze for future snacks. In college and the first years post-college, my parents made sure to stock my freezer with homemade and store-bought packages of dumplings. As Austin’s Asian dumpling options have expanded, I crave dumplings, especially soup dumplings when there’s cold weather.

Many of the dumplings in this post are on Chinese menus, but they are similar in how they’re filled and cooked to other Asian cultures. Examples are Japanese gyoza and Korean mandu. I know there are many other Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese (to name a few Asian cultures) dumplings I have yet to try, which is why I didn’t label this post as Asian dumplings, though many will picture these anyways!

Types of Chinese Dumplings

While my family usually ate boiled dumplings, Chinese dumplings are typically steamed or pan-fried. When they’re pan-fried, you’ll get a crispy bottom. Chinese people also eat a lot of pork, so it’s the most used filling ingredient. But, these dumplings do differ, so keep reading about a few of the most popular types.

Jiaozi or Potstickers

Also known as guotie, these are the most common and general type of Chinese dumplings and you’ll typically order these pan-fried or steamed. The wrapper is made of flour and egg, and the fillings will vary, but the most common are pork and chive or pork and cabbage. Potstickers are usually served by themselves on a plate.

Xiao Long Bao or Soup Dumplings

These infamous steamed dumplings originated in Shanghai. There’s a delicate procedure to eating these dumplings because of the hot soup inside of them. Burning your mouth might be a rite of passage and a typical first experience! These dumplings are usually filled with pork and served in a bamboo steamer.

Wonton

My favorite dumpling, wontons, are made with a thin wrapper and stuffed with ground pork and shrimp. Wontons are typically in a bowl of soup with noodles, but sometimes they are served without soup in spicy chili oil.

Shumai (or Siu Mai)

Typically a dim sum dish, shumai are recognizable by their cylindrical shape and open tops with orange ingredients. These steamed dumplings are filled with ground pork and shrimp. The orange on top is dried goji berry, carrot, or roe.

Har Gow and Fun Guo

Typically a steamed dim sum dish, har gow has a translucent wrapper filled with shrimp inside. This is one of my must-haves at dim sum! Fun Guo are in the same translucent wrapper but don’t have to be shrimp. The filling could be pork or a vegetarian blend of mushrooms and cabbage.

Bao Dumplings / Sheng Jing Bao

This is a hybrid dish of bao and soup dumpling! While the bun is thicker than a dumpling wrapper and filled with soup, it isn’t soggy. The pan-fried bottom makes it crispy.

Where to Get Chinese Dumplings in Austin

Ready to eat dumplings?

First I want to note that you can find frozen dumplings at your grocery store! HEB has them in the international aisle and there are a few Asian grocery stores where you can find a larger variety: MT Supermarket, Hana World Market, 99 Ranch, and H-Mart. A few of the restaurants below also sell frozen dumplings to make at home. You should also be able to find ingredients (wrappers, ground meat, veggies, etc.) to make your own dumplings at the store. Check out this recipe from StreetSmart Kitchen or this recipe from The Woks of Life.

Ok, now for ready-to-eat dumplings! You’ll find wontons and potstickers in most Chinese restaurants, usually in the appetizer section, so this is not a list of ALL the places in Austin where you can eat Chinese dumplings but certainly some of the best. These are a few restaurants, listed alphabetically, with the widest selection of dumplings in Austin.

Chinatown

In normal times, Chinatown is a great option for dim sum, and now, you can get their dumpling selections to-go or dine-in. Pan-fried and steamed, shrimp and pork, they’ve got a lot of options to choose from here.
Locations: 

• North: 3407 Greystone Drive, Austin TX 78731
• Downtown: 107 West 5th Street, Austin TX 78701
• Westlake: 2712 Bee Caves Rd, Austin TX 78746

Website: https://www.austinchinatown.com/

Fat Dragon

This restaurant may be in far Northwest Austin, but the drive is worth it for their dumplings. They have a large variety of dumplings, including soup, siu mai, wontons, steamed, and fried. You also won’t find chocolate dumplings for dessert anywhere else in Austin! It sounds strange but they’re delicious.

Location: 8650 Spicewood Springs Rd #109, Austin, TX 78759
Website: https://www.fatdragonatx.com/

Julie’s Noodles

In addition to their homemade noodle specialties, you’ll find pork, shrimp, and chicken dumplings here. Their dumplings have a thick wrapper. Yes, they have soup dumplings!

Location: 8557 Research Blvd #110, Austin, TX 78758
Website: https://www.juliesnoodle.com/

Lin Asian Bar and Dim Sum

You’ll find all the typical dim sum dumplings here. They have the biggest har gow dumplings, packed with filling, I’ve had in Austin and they are delicious! (I have yet to try their sister restaurant Qi Austin, but they also have a dumpling selection. They’re located down the street.)

Location: 1203 W 6th St, Austin, TX 78703
Website: https://www.linasianbar.com/

Si Jie Special Noodle

This newer addition in town (from California) is a hit, and I especially like their pan-fried soup bao. They also have fresh-made pan-fried, soup, and steamed dumplings of different flavors.

Location: 13729 Research Blvd #695, Austin, TX 78750
Website: https://specialnoodle-austin.com/

Steamies Dumplings

If you’ve ever been to the weekend farmers market in Austin, you’ve probably spotted Steamies’ crowded booth. The Chee Family, Cindy and Leslie with their daughters, sell a variety of dumplings pan-fried fresh to eat or frozen to eat at home. They opened a retail shop last year where you can get dumplings throughout the week.

Location: 6939 Airport Blvd #148, Austin, Texas
Website: https://www.steamiesdumplings.com/

Taste of Home Handmade Dumplings

Having dumpling training and experience in multiple restaurants, Chefs Jessie and Jeffrey Li bring their love of dumplings to Austin to appreciate. Here you’ll find dumplings with non-typical fillings, like cuttlefish, along with classics like pork and chive.

Location: 10901 N Lamar Blvd B203, Austin, TX 78753
Website: https://www.tohhd.com/

Wu Chow

If you want an elevated Chinese restaurant experience, Wu Chow is the place. Chicken, pork, beef, and soup, this downtown restaurant has steamed dumplings and potstickers.

Location: 500 W. 5th, Austin, TX 78701
Website: https://wuchowaustin.com/

Want more dumpling options? These are a few Austin restaurants where you’ll find one or two dumpling dishes on their menu:

• First Chinese BBQ
• Xian Noodles

Conclusion

I hope this post makes you hungry and excited for dumplings! One day, I hope Austin’s Chinese dumpling options grow, but I’m glad we have some solid choices.

What’s your favorite kind of Chinese dumpling?

P.S. Want more food recommendations? Check out these posts:

• Where to Eat Noodles in Austin
• Why You Should Visit Texas Bakery, Chinese Bakery in Austin
• 10 Best Things to Do in North Austin
• The Ultimate Austin Foodie Bucket List
• Remember this dumpling party I threw a few years ago?

The post Where to Eat Chinese Dumplings in Austin appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

Hello, my little dumplings! Happy Lunar New Year and the Year of the Monkey! Take a look at how I celebrated with a dumpling party.

My mom consistently made dumplings in my childhood. They were packed for lunch, eaten as an after-school snack, and even eaten as a meal. Nostalgia aside, dumplings are very versatile and easy to make, and I’ve been craving them for months! Haha. Also, dumplings are eaten during Chinese New Year for good luck because they are shaped like ancient gold, symbolizing wealth. All of these reasons made a dumpling party timely and fun.

Most of my guests hadn’t made dumplings before so it was fun showing them the very easy process. My mom didn’t follow a recipe when making dumplings but the filling usually included pork and garlic chives. I used this Tasting Table recipe as a very loose guideline for our dumplings. I pre-made the filling about 10 minutes before guests arrived and together we stuffed and folded almost 40 dumplings!

All you need is a little dollop of filling in the middle of the dumpling wrapper, and a little water to seal the dumplings. Dumplings can be wrapped in a number of ways. As long as it is sealed so that the stuffing doesn’t spill out, you’re good. They can have a completely smooth edge, a pleated edge or a pleated edge with a re-shaping to make it look more like an ancient gold piece. You can see all three of these ways below.

We also enjoyed store-bought, pre-cooked dumplings, which can be found in the frozen aisle of an Asian supermarket or the international section of HEB. We devoured (and some guests took the rest to-go) about 90 dumplings!

Our homemade dumplings at the beginning of cooking.

The cooking process is fairly simple. Pan fry the dumplings with oil. When the bottom of the dumplings are browned, pour water in your pan to cover a fourth (height) of the dumplings. Cover and let them steam. They’ll be ready when all of the water is gone, but I always like to tear one open to double-check that the meat is cooked.

If you want, you can also cook them by boiling. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add your dumplings. When the water boils again, add a cup of cold water to the pot and wait for it to come back to a boil. Do this two more times and your dumplings should be ready to eat.

Dipped or topped with a mixture of soy sauce, chili oil and chives; dumplings are an easy, filling and tasty snack or meal.

I always enjoy trying foods from other cultures, so I made sure to gather some Asian snacks I loved as a child. Pocky of three flavors (chocolate, strawberry and matcha), baked shrimp-flavored chips, mandarin oranges, and coconut pastry rolls.

For dessert, we had mochi ice cream, a Japanese dessert. We tried vanilla, strawberry, mango and green tea flavors. If you’ve never had them, the outside is sticky rice dusted with cornstarch and inside is ice cream.

If you’re out and about and would like to try some other Asian dumplings, I recommend my favorites: xiao long bao (steamed soup dumplings), har gow (steamed shrimp dumplings found at dim sum), and wontons (pork and shrimp dumplings that usually come with noodles and soup). At the party we also talked about the dumpling equivalent in other cultures. If you’re curious, check out this Serious Eats article.

I hope you get your fill of dumplings and have a prosperous and lucky New Year! Comment below with your favorite kind of dumpling!

I’m on a mission to throw 12 celebrations in 2016. This is #2 of 12. See all of #Celebrations2016 here!

P.S. I threw a fun Lunar New Year potluck two years ago, and you can see it here.

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