Mar 23, 20226 min read

Water Dim Sum–Multi-Flavor Frozen Dumplings

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One of my favorite foods is dumplings. Other people choose to have pizza or burgers on cheat days, I choose dumplings and wontons. Recently, I got some frozen dumplings from Water Dim Sum. I was really looking forward to it because I saw that they use natural and fresh ingredients with no additives and preservatives.

Water Dim Sum Frozen Dumplings–Various Flavors

I never knew there were so many special dumpling flavors until I clicked on Water Dim Sum's website! There are 7 different flavors of totally different styles. Aside from the common cabbage and leek pork dumplings, there are also peeled chili pepper, Thai basil with spicy chicken, shrimp, cilantro, and vegetarian dumplings. Since I am allergic to seafood and am terrified of cilantro, plus I love spicy food, of course I went for the peeled chili pepper and spicy chicken dumplings. I also got the classics, cabbage and leek. So that's 4 flavors out of 3.

Water Dim Sum Frozen Dumplings–2 Ways to Cook Dumplings

I tried two of my favorite ways to cook dumplings with them. Both worked beautifully.

How to cook dumplings

The first one is, of course, just boiling them in water.

The package says to boil a big pot of water and cook for 7–8 minutes without adding water in between. That's not how anyone will be doing it in this household. Our way of cooking dumplings is a tradition that has been passed on since my grandpa: boil half a pot of water and throw in the frozen dumplings while lighting stirring. On high heat, bring the water back to a boil and add 1 rice cup (about 180ml) of water. On medium heat, bring the water back to a boil and repeat. Add cold water for 3 times in total. After adding cold water for the second time, the dumplings will start to float as the water starts boiling again. That's not ready yet though, do it once more and wait until it boils again so that the center would be fully cooked. When it's bubbling again and all the dumplings have floated to the surface, they are ready!

How to make potstickers

The second is to make them into potstickers.

Brush a thin layer of cooking oil on the bottom of a pan. I used beef tallow that I extracted on my own so I had to turn on the heat first to melt the solid fat and spread it evenly. If you are using regular cooking oil, do not turn on the heat first. Turn on the stove once you have lined the dumplings and fry it on medium heat for 1 minute without adding water. Then, add cold water so that you cover the dumplings about half way. Continue to cook covered on medium heat for 5–6 minutes. Remove the lid and cook on high heat until all the water evaporates, then cook for another additional 2 minutes to allow the bottom to golden.

Water Dim Sum Frozen Dumplings–'Q' and Full

In Chinese, we have a phrase 'Q'. Some say that it's similar to al dente in Italian but not really. Al dente pasta is a bit hard in the center while Q means that it's nice and chewy in a way that bounces against your teeth. A lot of frozen dumplings try to make the skin as thin as possible, but becomes mushy when cooked. Water Dim Sum's dumpling skin is not particularly thick, but very Q. I love nibbling of the skirts first because the firm and chewy texture is extremely satisfying. Compared with the long and flat dumplings I often see, these dumplings actually don't have that much of a skirt left, so the proportion is perfect when I eat it all in one bite as well.

The dumplings are quite filled to their full capacity, so they are a cute round shape, and very filling to. As a food monster, I can easily eat over 20 dumplings in a meal. But I can only eat about 8–10 dumplings from Water Dim Sum. My mom can eat way less than I can and exclaimed that she was really full after having 3. Another thing is that I did not find any tendon or fat in the filling. When eating frozen dumplings, I often come across lumps of fat that is almost impossible to swallow and end up needing to spit it out. Even some famous dumplings and potstickers chain stores have this. I didn't encounter this issue at all with Water Dim Sum's dumplings.

Water Dim Sum Frozen Dumplings–Cabbage & Pork

(NTD$235/pack of 30)

Cabbage dumplings are a classic, it's also the flavor that I go for the most often, which makes it easy for me to compare it with other brands. A lot of cabbage dumplings have this fishy meat stink. Or too much ginger in an attempt to remove the stink, leaving this stingy spice at my throat, not smooth at all. Such as the dumplings from a certain famous soup dumpling store. Their soup dumplings are great but the gingery taste and meat stink makes their dumplings virtually inedible in my book . With Water Dim Sum's dumplings, I can taste the sweetness of the cabbage without the stink of the meat or the heightened stimulation of ginger. I think it's a traditional and delicious option.

Water Dim Sum Frozen Dumplings–Thai Basil & Spicy Chicken

(NTD$345/pack of 30)

This is probably a new flavor. It was not included in the DM that came with the delivery. The nutrition label on the package was also added on with a sticker. So I guess I am one of the first to give it a try! It really is special.

When I shared the dumplings with my mom, I only told her that they were spicy chicken dumplings. She immediately said "these taste kind of like Thai basil stirred fried pork, or there's just something Thai about it." She was right, upon reading their brand story on the website, I learned that the owner has lived in multiple cities and countries in the past because of work. One of those that was mentioned is Thailand. And I could clearly see that in this dumpling!

The filling is full and fresh, with a heavy scent of Thai basil and slight sourness from the lemons. I could even see chicken pieces and carrots when I bit them open. Unlike most dumplings, the filling was not beat to a pulp so all the ingredients are still clearly recognizable. Though it's called numbing spicy chicken in Chinese, it's not numbing or spicy to me at all, I think people who can't tolerate spicy food can try this without fear.

Water Dim Sum Frozen Dumplings–Leek & Pork

(NTD$235/pack of 30)

They were not stingy with the leek, I could see the dark green coming through the skin even as I cook them. It's a very exciting feeling looking forward to the food in your pot. Though it is rife with the aroma of leeks, it wasn't too heavy. I'm not sure if you guys ever get this, but I am sometimes embarrassed when eating leek dumplings, for fear that the strong scent might affect the people around me. Or that I get leek breath after eating them. The leek to meat ratio of Water Dim Sum's leek dumplings is great, I could enjoy the color, smell, and taste of leeks while still being able to taste the texture and juiciness of the pork. The leeks were not overpowering at all.

Water Dim Sum Frozen Dumplings–Peeled Chili Pepper

(NTD$285/pack of 30)

Out of these four flavors, this is my favorite! Though there's peeled chili in there, all the seeds have been removed so it's not really spicy. I think anyone that can tolerate a small amount of spiciness can have this with no problem.

Aside from the pork and peeled chili, they are filled with various vegetables and spices, creating a layered flavor and special texture. I love how the aroma of spring onions and shallots complement the peeled chili and red chili. I like to say that shallots are basically onions on steroids. Anything that requires onions become exponentially more flavorful with shallots.

When we bit into the dumplings, my mom and I both found this slightly crispy texture coming from something. We studied it for a long time, even took them out of the dumplings and saw that there's a light green skin around it. Turns out it was bottled gourd! Do you know what that is? Cause this is literally the first time I looked up what it's called in English. I rarely ever come upon it because out of all these "melon-like" fruits (as we call them in Chinese) I only like water melons and cucumbers. Surprisingly, the bottled gourd created pleasantly unexpected texture. Compared with bamboos and water chestnuts, which are commonly found in dumpling fillings, bottled gourd has a softness in its crispiness, which combines perfectly with the other filling.