Dumplings in Beijing

BEIJING, CHINA - Dumplings (jiao zi/shui jiao) are typically meant to be a home-cooked affair, with families making them within the comforts of their own home and to their exact specifications. Recipes range from my mother's (pork, shiitake mushrooms, chives, dried shrimps, and sesame oil) to one taxi driver's (pork and yellow chives); combinations are infinite. There are, however, dumpling houses where one can sample atypical dumpling varieties, such as my favorite dumpling restaurant in Beijing.

This restaurant is located in an area of Beijing on the west side typically not frequented by foreigners, although there is an American Chinese-language school (CET) within walking distance. My first trip to this dumpling mecca was with students at CET, and to them I am grateful for introducing me to the deliciousness found here. The restaurant's ambiance is nothing special, your typical higher-end, Chinese homestyle restaurant, with tablecloths and waitstaff in uniform. When you receive the menu, which has pictures and some English, you have to flip to the back to get the dumpling menu. Unfortunately, this section is only in Chinese so you have to be able to read characters or have enough food vocabulary under your belt to ask the waitress. My personal favorite is an unusual combination of scrambled eggs and cucumber. To most, this may seem unappealing but you have to try this dumpling before ruling it out entirely. The cooked cucumber mixed with the scrambled egg works surprisingly, and there's a bit of crunch mingling with the softer texture of the egg.

Not only do you have to choose what filling you want in the dumpling, but you also have 2 other key decisions to make: boiled or steamed (I go steamed; it might just be in my head, but steamed seems to retain the flavor a bit better) and your dipping sauce. Now, the dipping sauce is customized to your personal taste, and surprisingly regional: in Beijing, the customary dipping sauce is the ubiquitous Shanxi vinegar with maybe a touch of chili sauce; in Taiwan, a mixture of soy sauce, white vinegar and chilis is popular; and in my family (or maybe just me), we mix soy sauce, rice vinegar, a touch of sesame oil and chili oil.

So many decisions to make, but oh so worth it.

Dumpling restaurant
CheGongZhuang Da Jie, just east of the XinDaDu Fandian by the pedestrian overpass
Beijing