Plump dumplings steaming in a pot of bubbling stew, sauerkraut or chicken soup can bring memories of old-fashioned, cozy winter meals.
In your microwave, dumplings cook in about five minutes. Theyre an easy-to-make “comfort food. And they stretch a stew to feed a few
Start out by making the main dish, usually a stew or thick soup. It can be cooked “from scratch in your microwave, like todays chili recipe. It can be reheated from yesterdays conventionally cooked stew, soup or similar dish. Or you can start with a can of storebought stew or a combination of your favorite condensed and readyto-eat canned soups.
Microwave this stew, covered, until its almost boiling or is very hot. If its not hot, the dumplings will cook slower on the bottom. Which means theyll probably be tough and dried out around the top edges! Use a deep, rather than shallow, casserole to speed cooking.
While the stew heats, stir up the dumplings. Have them ready to add as soon as the stew is hot. Drop the dumpling dough in small spoonfuls onto the hot stew. For the most even cooking, make the dumplings small (they get bigger as they cook), and leave a half-inch or so between them. Arrange the dough around the edges of the dish and leave the center open. Cover the dish with a lid or waxed paper.
Microwave on High (100 percent power, 650 to 700 watts) for four to five minutes. Cooking time may be longer in recipes where dumpling dough is thinner than todays recipes or when dumplings are cooked atop a very thin soup. Cooking time will also be longer in a lower-wattage microwave.
Check dumplings for doneness after 3 minutes. When done, the dumplings will no longer be doughy-looking. Try to separate them with a fork. If necessary, re-cover and continue microwaving for intervals of 30 seconds. If your microwave cooks unevenly, rotate the dish once during cooking. And, if one dumpling just wont get done, finish cooking it, with a little stew underneath, in a custard cup covered with waxed paper.
The easiest dumplings are made with biscuit mix. Ive included a basic recipe, which you can cook atop any of your favorite stews or thick soups. Todays other recipe includes a different kind of dumpling. These corn dumplings are delicious, too. They go well with the thick, spicy chili to make a comforting and cozy winter meal. Easy Microwave Dumplings
Stir biscuit mix and milk together until mixed. Do not beat. (Some small lumps should remain.) Drop by 8 small spoonfuls around edges of hot stew, thick soup or other main dish, leaving center open. Cover with lid or waxed paper. Microwave (High) 3 to 4 minutes or until dumplings no longer look doughy on top (and when pulled apart with fork, inside parts are cooked). Serve warm. Makes 8 small dumplings.
Hint: For fastest cooking: Microwave stew or soup in a deep casserole until almost boiling before adding dumplings; make small dumplings, as directed (not large); and set a glass upright in center of stew before cooking.
Variations: For chicken soup or stew, stir in teaspoon poultry seasoning to biscuit mix before adding milk. For beef stew or soup, add teaspoon dried basil leaves.
Each dumpling: 65 calories, 1g protein, 3g fat, 11g carbohydrate, 185mg sodium, 2mg cholesterol. Chili With Corn Dumplings
Crumble ground beef into a deep microwavable 2- to 3-quart casserole; add onion, green pepper and garlic. Cover casserole with waxed paper. Microwave (High) 6 to 7 minutes, stirring after each 2 minutes, until beef is barely cooked. Drain fat, if desired. (If using lean beef, there may be a very small amount of fat that adds flavor to the finished chili.) Stir in chili powder, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in tomato sauce, undrained tomatoes, drained kidney beans and Worcestershire sauce. Microwave (High), covered with lid or waxed paper, 9 to 11 minutes or until chili starts to boil, stirring once.
While chili cooks, mix Corn Dumplings (below). Set a small, glass drinking glass upright in center of chili. Drop dumplings by 8 small spoonfuls around edges of hot chili. Cover with lid or waxed paper. Microwave (High) 4 to 6 minutes or until dumplings no longer look doughy on top. When pulled apart with a fork, inside edges and bottoms are cooked. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Serve hot. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
To make ahead: Prepare chili as above. (Dumplings are best made right before serving, although small portions of chili with cooked dumplings reheat well.) Cover tightly and refrigerate until serving time. Then microwave (High), tightly covered, for 8 to 11 minutes or until hot, stirring once or twice. Add dumpling dough and continue as above.
Each serving — of recipe, with Corn Dumplings: 297 calories, 18g protein, 11g fat, 31g carbohydrate, 570mg sodium, 64mg cholesterol. Corn Dumplings
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl or measure, stir together milk, egg and oil; add to dry ingredients and mix well. (Do not beat.) Cook according to directions above. Makes 8 small dumplings. Questions for Joyce?
Do you have a question about microwave cooking? Send it to Microwave Minutes, % Extra Newspaper Features, P.O. Box 6118, Rochester, Minn. 55903. Please include a self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelope.
Recipes in this column are tested in 600- and 650-watt microwave ovens. With an oven of different wattage output, timings may need slight adjustment. Joyce Battcher is an independent home economist microwave special- ist. She is author of “Microwave Family Favorites and editor of “A Batch of Ideas newsletter. Share Share this article
Depends on the dumpling. For Chinese dumplings, dumplings meant for broths or noodle soups (wonton, shui jiao, etc.) I boil in plain old water. I transfer to soup later, if I have intend to eat with the soup. Pan fried dumplings, like guo tie, I sear and drop in some water for the steaming effect. For dumplings like XLB, i steam.
“Nothing fancy here. We usually steam them.” Same here, and it’s usually Asian-supermarket or Trader Joe’s dumplings. We don’t have them as often as we used to, but they’re usually a weekend breakfast item, served on a plate with scrambled eggs and some cobbled-together dipping sauce on the side. I have done the pan-fry/steam method and I like the dumplings, but it plays hell with the seasoning of my nice steel skillet.
The Fuchsia Dunlop technique is how we boil dumplings (shui jiao). I have been told that this method cooks the dumplings more evenly (i.e. no overcooked wrapper or undercooked filling) and keep the dumpling from bursting. Growing up, all of our saucepans had rounded lids and that’s what we used to add the water back in. My guess is we add about of 1/4 to 1/3 the original amount of water. Depending on the filling, size of the dumplings, and the thickness of the skins/wrappers, we sometimes have to add water twice (so it would be water boils, add dumplings, water boils, add cold/room temp water, water boils, add cold/room temp water, water boils, turn off heat). When you first put the dumplings in and before the second boil, it’s important to make sure you “move” the dumplings so they do not settle and stick to each other (or the bottom of the pan) as the wrapper softens. Also, we don’t put salt in the water. My little sister and I joke that the dumplings are ready to eat when they’re like witches… that is, when they float up to the top of the water.
That’s what my parents have always said too. As a child I never really questioned the method, it was just a “this is how you cook dumplings.” As a “wise” adult, I learned to heed the wisdom of my elders in the kitchen after ending up with a mess of broken/burst dumplings one time 
and these weirdly bloated dumplings another time 
because I did not do the “add more water” method, which is why I found it fascinating that others have successfully managed to “boil for 10-15 minutes” and end up with perfectly good dumplings!
So, the bottom line is that they’re done when they float, regardless of the cold water technique, or how many times you replenish with cold water? If that’s the case, is the multiple-boil technique done mostly to prevent the boiling water from tumbling the dumplings too harshly? If so, why not just keep it at a lower temperature the whole time and skip the cold water?
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl or measure, stir together milk, egg and oil; add to dry ingredients and mix well. (Do not beat.) Cook according to directions above. Makes 8 small dumplings. Questions for Joyce?
The easiest dumplings are made with biscuit mix. Ive included a basic recipe, which you can cook atop any of your favorite stews or thick soups. Todays other recipe includes a different kind of dumpling. These corn dumplings are delicious, too. They go well with the thick, spicy chili to make a comforting and cozy winter meal. Easy Microwave Dumplings
Check dumplings for doneness after 3 minutes. When done, the dumplings will no longer be doughy-looking. Try to separate them with a fork. If necessary, re-cover and continue microwaving for intervals of 30 seconds. If your microwave cooks unevenly, rotate the dish once during cooking. And, if one dumpling just wont get done, finish cooking it, with a little stew underneath, in a custard cup covered with waxed paper.
Microwave on High (100 percent power, 650 to 700 watts) for four to five minutes. Cooking time may be longer in recipes where dumpling dough is thinner than todays recipes or when dumplings are cooked atop a very thin soup. Cooking time will also be longer in a lower-wattage microwave.
Crumble ground beef into a deep microwavable 2- to 3-quart casserole; add onion, green pepper and garlic. Cover casserole with waxed paper. Microwave (High) 6 to 7 minutes, stirring after each 2 minutes, until beef is barely cooked. Drain fat, if desired. (If using lean beef, there may be a very small amount of fat that adds flavor to the finished chili.) Stir in chili powder, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in tomato sauce, undrained tomatoes, drained kidney beans and Worcestershire sauce. Microwave (High), covered with lid or waxed paper, 9 to 11 minutes or until chili starts to boil, stirring once.
The FLUFFIEST Dumplings For Stews! How To Make Dumplings!
FAQ
How do you steam dumplings quickly?
How do you cook frozen dumplings quickly?
Do you cook dumplings on low or high heat?
How do you cook dumplings on a stove?
First thing’s first, bring your water to a boil. Break out the biggest pot you have and fill it with water, making sure you leave enough room from the top so that it doesn’t overflow when you put the dumplings in. Place the pot on the stove on high heat and wait for it to boil. Once it boils, lower the heat a little bit, so it doesn’t boil over.
How to cook dumplings in water?
I love the softness (yet a little chewy) of the wrappers and its “clean” taste. Cooking dumplings in water is very straightforward as long as you know the concept of Dian Shui (点水) meaning “add water”. During the cooking process, you need to add cold water to the boiling water three times before the dumplings are fully cooked.
How to cook dumplings in a crock pot?
Use the traditional Dian Shui (点水) method: Once the water comes back to a full boil, add a little cold water to calm it down. Repeat the procedure another two times (Remember to cover the pot with a lid each time after you add water). Then your dumplings will be fully cooked!
How long do you boil dumplings in a crock pot?
Depending on the number of dumplings cooking, bring a medium to large pot of water to a boil. Drop in the dumplings, and stir immediately so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Bring back to a boil, and boil for 6-8 minutes, depending on their size. Ideally, anytime the water comes up to a vigorous boil, add 1/4 cup of cold water.