Dumplings and Noodles: Bao, Gyoza, Biang Biang, Ramen – and Everything in Between

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And it should go both ways, with opportunities given equally to authors of different backgrounds and ancestral origins. These sumptious bowls of goodness have been perfectly crafted to deliver an easy, tasty meal for 2, no hassle, no fuss, maximum enjoyment. Recently released Dumplings and Noodles by Pippa Middlehurst has been the subject of some controversy since it was published, and I can’t give a comprehensive review without touching on reasons for that. If you want to try your hand at making your own dumplings, check out my easy recipe for Pork and Ginger Dumplings. Photography is used really well throughout the book, in the simply styled and appealing food photos (which are provided for most—but not all—recipes), and particularly when it comes to Pippa’s very helpful step-by-step instructions for making the dumpling wrappers and noodles, and for filling and shaping individual dumplings.

There are cute little hand-drawn illustrations too; scattered through the Dumplings and Sides chapters are drawings of bao, dumplings and vegetables and in the Noodles chapter you’ll find colourful squiggly lines of noodles. Use tongs to serve up the dumplings into bowls, add the noodles and bok choy then ladle over the hot broth.

There is also an uncomfortable Othering of Asian cuisines in Pippa’s description of “ strange textures”; they may be unfamiliar but often need little more than a shift in context to make them more so—silken tofu is much like panna cotta in texture, gelatinous pork rind jelly is not unlike wibbly wobbly dessert jelly, and stinky tofu is no more whiffy than a pungent cheese.

Yes the way that food publishing is STILL so skewed against authors of colour is hugely disappointing. Other than that I appreciate deeply your sensitive approach to this topic – I think there has been enough white conquering of various cultures and it’s definitely time to step back a bit. This is now our new go to place and travel a fair distance just for the sole purpose of coming here. The recipes are really easy to pick up once you get the techniques down and they are really tasty as well! If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu.But I wanted more—more authenticity, more of those strange textures, more of those unusual ingredients. The rest of the book is divided into just three large chapters: Dumplings; Noodles; and Sides, Snacks and Sauces. Some of the dumpling and bun recipes in this chapter are char siu bao, Shengjian bao (mantou), Taiwanese peppery pork buns, sweet potato jiaozi, juicy Xinjiang lamb dumplings, crab XLB (soup dumplings), har gau, weeknight veggie gyoza, best Sichuan chilli oil wontons, and pork and prawn sui mai.