looking for handmade frozen dumplings in chinatown

Hi all, i'm a student living in streeterville. since finals are coming up, i want to stock up on some frozen dumplings. i hate eating the frozen dumplings they sell in grocery stores, so i'm looking for some handmade frozen dumplings. unfortunately, katy's dumplings is too far for me to go (i have no car).

does anyone know of someplace in chicago chinatown that sells handmade frozen dumplings? even better, a place that might deliver handmade frozen dumplings (not necessary, but would be a plus)? thanks!

HI,

You may want to check Dim Sum House that sells freshly made dumplings. I am directing you to a link with a menu. If you look upthread there are comments from GWiv who did purchase their products.

If you want an interesting activity for an hour or so, then make your own dumplings and dipping sauces.

Regards,

thanks for the tip! i'll definitely check them out.

You may want to check out this thread as well.

Good luck on your exams.

iirc:
Gourmet Foods
210 W. 23rd Street
Chicago, IL, 60616
(312) 842-3366

has handmade frozen dumplings in big batches.. i personally think the wei chuan brand machine made frozen dumplings taste perfectly fine but... g'luck on your exams either way!

Hi Cathy2,

Just to make sure, the dim sum house ones arent cooked yet right? I can just take them home and throw them in my freezer and cook them over the next month as necessary? Thanks.


To everyone else who replied: Thanks for the great suggestions. I'll definitely check those out too.

TonyC wrote:iirc:
Gourmet Foods
210 W. 23rd Street
Chicago, IL, 60616
(312) 842-3366

has handmade frozen dumplings in big batches.. i personally think the wei chuan brand machine made frozen dumplings taste perfectly fine but... g'luck on your exams either way!

I think the problem i have with the pre-packaged store bought frozen dumplings is that the skins taste too rubbery. I'm from Southern California so I guess I've been a little spoiled by the plethora of restaurants that handmake their dumplings. However, i haven't tried the "3 cup boil method" posted by crush (and suggested to me by peterc) yet, so i'll give that a shot next time.

I'll probably check out dim sum house and gourmet foods this week. mmmMm...dumplings...

sleepyx637 wrote:Hi Cathy2,

Just to make sure, the dim sum house ones arent cooked yet right? I can just take them home and throw them in my freezer and cook them over the next month as necessary? Thanks.


To everyone else who replied: Thanks for the great suggestions. I'll definitely check those out too.

These are not cooked. They have them on display like a baked good. I only looked in, though I didn't buy. Gary bought them and seemed pleased by his report above.

Regards,

It's the ingredient listing and nutritional data which has scared us off of pre-packaged dumplings; Interestingly enough, the least scary ingredient list & nutritional data DOES come off of the Costco dumplings. The scariest come from the pre-made Japanese gyoza.

Therefore, we've taken to making our own as well. Growing up in an Asian household we'd often make our own, although the ingredients have evolved as time went on; We'd also purchase restaurant-made when I was growing up as well - typically from Shanghai-nese places. While making meat or seafood dumplings is easy, pure vegetable dumplings are more labor-intensive in my mind. Also as a kid, we'd fold our gyoza and wontons by hand, but recently I've taken to using the Japanese or Korean plastic gyoza makers of late - my obsessive compulsive personality disorder has driven me to appreciate uniform dumplings (the devices also allow me to "overfill" my dumplings).



I'm waiting for when I can afford this machine to upgrade:

HAHAHA, that's awesome.

I just picked up $60 worth of stuff from dim sum house. Just to update people on the menu, they have changed all prices ending in $0.45 to $0.50. So, the BBQ pork bun went from $3.45 --> $3.50, etc. Also, they have Mandarin dumplings and Potstickers available in 100 packs for $24.00.

sleepyx637 wrote:HAHAHA, that's awesome.

I just picked up $60 worth of stuff from dim sum house. Just to update people on the menu, they have changed all prices ending in $0.45 to $0.50. So, the BBQ pork bun went from $3.45 --> $3.50, etc. Also, they have Mandarin dumplings and Potstickers available in 100 packs for $24.00.

Please let us know what, if anything, you enjoy from your shopping trip.

Best,
Michael

so yesterday i bought the shrimp dumpling, sui mie, turnip cake, mandarin dumpling, pot sticker, mandarin bun, bbq pork bun and lotus seed paste bun. last night, i tried everything except the pot sticker and turnip cake.

Shrimp dumpling: Semi-clear wrapper with shrimp and ginger inside. Pretty good.

Sui Mie: Tastes like what it should.

Mandarin dumpling: Skin is just a little bit thicker than i'm used to. Inside, it seems like a mix of pork and onion. pretty good, although i cant get it so that the juice is retained inside the dumpling. Right now, i'm using a pot and a metal steam tray lined with lettuce. Then I steam it for about 15-20 min. I think i might be steaming it too long, so i'll try for a shorter time next time. Any suggestions on how i can get it so that the juice stays in the dumpling would be appreciated.

Mandarin bun: Also good. Same filling as the mandarin dumplin.

BBQ pork bun: Good too, just your typical bbq pork bun.

Lotus seed paste bun: Hmm, just okay. Not that much lotus seed paste filling (the filling size is a ball with the diameter of a quarter).