Asian Dumplings: Mastering Gyoza, Spring Rolls, Samosas, and More by Andrea Nguyen


Asian Dumplings: Mastering Gyoza, Spring Rolls, Samosas, and More
Title : Asian Dumplings: Mastering Gyoza, Spring Rolls, Samosas, and More
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 1580089755
ISBN-10 : 9781580089753
Language : English
Format Type : Hardcover
Number of Pages : 240
Publication : First published August 25, 2009

Is there anything more satisfying than a well-made Asian dumpling?

Plump pot stickers, spicy samosas, and tender bāo (stuffed buns) are enjoyed by the million every day in dim sum restaurants, streetside stands, and private homes worldwide. Wrapped, rolled, or filled; steamed, fried, or baked–Asian dumplings are also surprisingly easy to prepare, as Andrea Nguyen demonstrates in Asian Dumplings.

Nguyen is a celebrated food writer and teacher with a unique ability to interpret authentic Asian cooking styles for a Western audience. Her crystal-clear recipes for more than 75 of Asia’s most popular savory and sweet parcels, pockets, packages, and pastries range from Lumpia (the addictive fried spring rolls from the Philippines) to Shanghai Soup Dumplings (delicate thin-skinned dumplings filled with hot broth and succulent pork) to Gulab Jamun (India’s rich, syrupy sweets).

Organized according to type (wheat pastas, skins, buns, and pastries; translucent wheat and tapioca preparations; rice dumplings; legumes and tubers; sweet dumplings), Asian Dumplings encompasses Eastern, Southeastern, and Southern Asia, with recipes from China, Japan, Korea, Nepal, Tibet, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Throughout, Nguyen shares the best techniques for shaping, filling, cooking, and serving each kind of dumpling. And she makes it easy to incorporate dumplings into a contemporary lifestyle by giving a thorough introduction to essential equipment and ingredients and offering make-ahead and storage guidance, time-saving shortcuts that still yield delectable results, and tips on planning a dumpling dinner party.

More than 40 line drawings illustrate the finer points of shaping many kinds of dumplings, including gyōza/pot stickers, wontons, and samosas. Dozens of mouth-watering color photographs round out Asian Dumplings, making it the most definitive, inviting, inspiring book of its kind.


Asian Dumplings: Mastering Gyoza, Spring Rolls, Samosas, and More Reviews


  • Robert Beveridge

    Andrea Nguyen, Asian Dumplings: Mastering Gyoza, Spring Rolls, Samosas, and More (Ten Speed Press, 2009)

    Asian dumplings are almost a staple food for anyone who patronizes Chinese restaurants. In most places, you have a choice of one or two types (even at most buffets), but every once in a while you stumble across a dim sum restaurant, or a place where they've got a gifted dumpling maker in the kitchen, and you get a better survey of the available options. But I have yet to run across a restaurant of any kind that has the variety to be found in Andrea Nguyen's book, which is packed with recipes for just about every type of Asian dumpling you can think of (and some you probably didn't know had been assimilated by Asian cultures, such as empanadas).

    At its core, a cookbook is a thing of utility; it should tell you how to cook things. Rare is the cookbook (at least, the cookbook published by a traditional publisher) that doesn't meet this criterion. But on another level, that of reading for pleasure, a cookbook should have another function: the reading of it should make you hungry. And this one qualifies.

    The creation of dumplings is a long, intensive process, the kind of thing that Mario Batali likes to refer to as the zen of cooking. As a result, you may well end up preferring to go grab them at a restaurant, but this is good reads anyway. Check it out. *** ½

  • Gregsamsa

    I cannot recommend the spring rolls in this book fervently enough. I cannot recommend the recipe for samosa dough AT ALL. Do not use it. I don't care how neatly you seal them, how carefully you crimp them, or how hermetically fused they seem when they're raw, those suckers will split open when they hit the oil. Stick to the more basic flour/oil/salt/water/spice version and you'll be fine.

  • Pattie Tierney

    One of the most comprehensive guides to making Asian dumplings that I've ever read. Good background, detailed instructions, ample illustrations, lots of pictures, and a wide variety of recipes for all tastes and skill levels.

  • Jeannie

    WONDERFUL BOOK. Highly recommended! The kindle version comes with embedded instructional videos that demo inside secret tips and tricks. Tons of recipes to build upon...

  • Jessica Cao

    I would highly recommend this book to anyone starting out their adventure into the world of dumpling.

  • Nick

    I was never afraid of rolling an egg roll or lumpia and have steamed a few dumplings in my life, but this book seriously upped my game by urging homemade wrappers (quite easy) and nudging towards more complex folds (not so easy). Also fascinating is the classification of dumplings along with bao, pakoras, and other south Asian, SE Asian dishes. I only wish it had more photographs, and clearer illustrations on the more complex folds. But if you enjoy an hour and a half of kitchen “meditation” time this book will inspire. Recommended.

  • Kym

    A person can't just sit around during covid-19 making sourdough. Hankering for a dumpling? This book is very user friendly. Some scouting around for ingredients will be necessary, however, they are not impossible to find. There are detailed drawings for wrapping all of the wrappers into dim sum shapes. The fillings look tasty. The photos are tempting. Everything one needs to get started trying out these delicious morsels is in this book.

  • Fred Kohn

    I loved reading this book which was as much an adventure into Asian culture as it was a cookbook. The recipes are all labor-intensive, and I will likely try only a few of them. The one I tried so far was amazing!

  • Clivemichael

    Comprehensive guide to the process, excellent diagrams and photos.

  • Garrett McCord

    One word: Gyoza. This book is a bible for me, especially when it comes to freezing dumplings for Christmas gifts. This books gets a serious workout in my kitchen as do all of Nguyen's books.

  • Kristi

    I've made so many recipes from this book! YUM

  • Petri

    A book by the Queen of dumplings.. A must have in your Asian cooking books

  • Gabriel Rousseau

    A dumpling book? Yes!!
    We've cooked and devour’d so many
    Great morsels from it

  • Darren

    Who would have thought that the humble dumpling could have so many variants, be so different and yet relatively simple to make. When one eats a dumpling, whether Dim Sum, Samosa, Spring Roll or other Asian forms one can be forgiven for writing them off as simple fare, yet reality can be a lot different.
    In an explosion of mouth-watering colour the author has put the humble dumpling dish under the spotlight and makes the reader understand that a simple-looking foodstuff is, in fact, a collection of many quite intricate items that can showcase some of the best little things from their respective cuisines.
    One starts by looking at what, in fact, makes an “Asian dumpling” and to look at the myth, mystique and confusion behind them. Then it is straight into the kitchen with looking at how one makes them and the ingredients that typically can be found within them. Each ingredient can personalise and change the dumpling so that is really can be a fairly individualistic piece of work, made quite unique by the talents of the cook despite following a set-out recipe. Each key ingredient is placed under the magnifying glass so that the reader can understand and appreciate their importance and role as a dumpling building block.
    Cooking techniques are also important – you don’t just drop them in oil and fry the life out of them – and once you’ve got a handle on the basics it is straight to the recipes. Recipes themselves are split into key categories – filled pastas, thin skins, stuffed buns, rich pastries, translucent wheat and tapioca starches, transformation of rices, legumes and tubers, sweet treasures and sauces, seasonings, stocks and other basics.
    Each recipe is very clearly laid out, starting first with its English and native language equivalent name and followed by a good introduction or scene-setter to the dish. Ingredients are stated clearly (albeit only with imperial measurements) and cross-references to stock items such as a basic yeast dough as required. Each stage of preparation and cooking is clearly written and easy to understand and, at the end, some serving suggestions are also provided. Not every recipe is accompanied by a full-colour photograph but there is a good selection of images to give you much flavour for thought.
    This is overall a very engaging book that will encourage you to try a number of recipes from different Asiatic culinary groups. The book ends with a list of resources, select bibliography for further reading and a very comprehensive index. One could consider this book to be suitable for the beginner and more experienced cook alike who wishes to broaden their overall repertoire. Quite a good little gem in fact and something that will carve out a permanent spot on the bookshelf.

    Asian Dumplings: Mastering Gyoza, Spring Rolls, Pot Stickers and More, written by Andrea Nguyen and published by Ten Speed Press. ISBN 9781580089753, 240 pages. Typical price: GBP27.


    // This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //

  • Robert Durough, Jr.

    Andrea Ngyuen’s Asian Dumplings: Mastering Gyōza, Spring Rolls, Samosas, and More had me reminiscing of my time living in China, eating stuffed steam buns for breakfast and fried dumplings late at night from a street vendor that hung around when everyone else had cleared the roads outside my apartment. Nguyen does an excellent job describing different kinds of dumplings, buns, rolls/wraps, and pastries from East, Southeast, and South Asia. Actually, it made me a little homesick.

    There are some beautiful pictures here, but a whole lot of text. I hesitated in picking this one up because I wasn’t sure it would bridge the cookbook/coffee table book gap I enjoy, but I got it anyway. I’m glad I did! (After all, one can only have so many pictures of the same dumpling wrap—the camera doesn’t capture the varietal tastiness inside!) The number and variety of recipes reminded me of a dumpling house I used to frequent. The first time I went I was handed a six-page menu with scores of dumplings—only dumplings! The restaurant served nothing else—well, they did have water and tea. It took me back to times when my students were so excited to take me to a “dessert store” to try Chinese sweets, none of which qualified in my mind as “dessert.” (You can find a recipe for the famous red bean paste used in these “desserts” in this book, which I appreciate, but still won’t be preparing myself.) And then there are my favorite Vietnamese spring rolls, filling wonton soups, sesame seed balls, and…and… Seriously, there’s a lot here.

    Perhaps most important lessons found herein are the teachings of how to prepare the dough (wheat, rice, tapioca, legume, tuber, etc.) and foundation for each theme. (There are “Lazy Day Tips” provided for those who wish to use store-bought varieties, though it is strongly encouraged to work from scratch for best results.) With these, all one needs is a little imagination and inspiration and these can quickly become Italian, Mexican, Hungarian, Polish, or whatever ethnic flavor palate one desires. Of course, one can choose from the scores of amazing recipes herein, too!

    A small cherry on top of this dish is a final chapter on dips and sauces that are invaluable when looking for that final bit of authenticity with a number of these recipes, but you’ll likely find yourself wanting to use them well beyond these borders!

    Now I just need to figure out which to cook first!

    *I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

  • Crystal

    Excellent recipes!

  • Millicent

    I have no idea why this book gets the great reviews it gets on amazon and on goodreads. I tried out 6 recipes and all ranged between mediocre to catastrophe. I just finished making Indian sweet dumplings and they collapsed in the syrup for it. Seriously fuck this book. I love dumplings and I was looking forward to learning some great techniques on making various types of dumplings. I think the author should have given tips on how to use store bought square wonton sheets, because not all of us have the time to make our own. I mean if you are a book that is focused in this domain, you should cover all grounds. Anyways this book was an amazing waste of time. I am just happy I borrowed it, and not bought it.

  • Cindy

    I've made the wheat starch dough and 2 types of dumplings from this book so far, har gow and chiu chow. Delicious and the taste was spot on for both. The directions are excellent--good descriptions of how things should feel and look, and she offers clear techniques that are easy to follow. I am not left wondering how to achieve a certain fold. The tips are also very helpful. I can discern that Andrea Nguyen is a very accomplished, thoughtful, and thorough food writer who has tested her own recipes, which makes it so much easier on the home cook.

    Can't wait to try other doughs and dumpling recipes.

  • Christina

    I've made only a couple recipes so far for gyoza and dipping sauces, but am pleased overall. The gyoza turned out looking spectacularly with a delicious tender and crispy texture. The accompanying dipping sauce tasted spot-on. The only complaint so far is for the gyoza filling. The texture was good, but I will double the amount of seasoning next time since the flavor was rather bland. Nevertheless, the instructions for making and assembling the dumplings are very clear, and the photographs are extremely motivating. A beautiful book.

  • Barbara Morgenroth

    This is one of my favorite cookbooks. One to grab when the zombie apocalypse begins. Andrea Nguyen makes the process so simple, so understandable that it's very unlikely you'll go wrong. There are many beautiful photos, many step-by-step instructions. This is one instance where everything came together to produce a cookbook that really gets it right.

  • Kali

    This was fun to read, but making dumplings is a lot of work. I also bought it about a month before I gave up carbs, so until I figure out how to make a good steamed bun with coconut flour, I'm out of luck...

  • Shannon

    I thought the recipes were too wordy and could have been much more direct and succinct. I really appreciated the short cuts she included, like using refrigerated puff pastry instead of making your own. I made the samosa which turned out well.

  • Stepha

    solid directions on a variety of dumplings... but best of all, FOOD P*RN!

  • rachel

    dumpling recipe 1 DONE. and might i also add DELICIOUS.

    Very detailed descriptions of exactly how to make dumpling wrappers and their contents.

  • Patricia

    The best book on the subject I've seen. Techniques clearly demonstrated.