Help please with cooking dumplings for a large amount of people!

[Beanfeast 10]

Hi

I am planning on cooking a lot of dumplings (dim sum) for 45 people in a couple of weeks as part of a charity event and I need some advice please!

 

The wrappers I have tried seem a little thick. They are called dumpling wrappers, I tried steaming them but is boiling better? Is it possible to buy different thicknesses of wrappers?

Can you refreeze frozen wrappers once the dumplings are stuffed and prepared ready for cooking later?

Is it better to prepare and then freeze dumplings raw or cooked, ready for cooking again on the day?

Any hints and tips very welcome!

Thanks

[Mouserat 10]

It's actually really easy to make quite large quantities of dumpling dough - it's just flour and water. Then you don't have to worry about the issues of re-freezing them and you can have just the thickness you want. But the thinner they are, the more liable they are to tear / let out contents during cooking. Here's a very simple dough recipe.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/porkpotstickerdumpli_90878

 

(Having made about 150 dumplings, I found it was the stuffing and sealing that took way longer than making and cutting the dough).

 

Personally, I would freeze them uncooked and cook them from frozen in boiling water - I think boiling them rather than steaming them is a more effective way to make sure they're cooked all the way through (for that reason, don't overfill them either). And I'm not sure how you could reheat frozen cooked dumplings without them being soggy - steaming might work. It's also nice to finish them off by browning them briefly in a little sesame oil - but if you're cooking a lot, probably not worth the effort.

[Beanfeast 10]

Thanks for the tips Mouserat, it's a difficult one to get quite right but I'll give that a go.