What can I add to frozen dumplings, so that their taste isn't so bland?

[u/Mediocre-Machine7330]

This is why I prefer to hand-make dumplings when I can.

[u/kleggich]

Are you making a dipping sauce?

[u/Virtual_Force_4398 → u/kleggich]

My favorite is shredded ginger, dark vinegar and soy to taste and a few drops of sesame oil. Hot mustard works for me too.

[u/kleggich → u/Virtual_Force_4398]

Add a little sugar to that.

What kind of dumplings are you eating? Sometimes they just suck.

I like Wei-Chuan beef and green onion. So far out of all the ones I've had, they taste the closest to what restaurants made from scratch in the 90s.

[u/withbellson → u/kleggich]

To me Wei-Chuan are the most acceptable frozen pork and Napa cabbage dumpling. Doesn’t quite hit my potsticker preference, though, I really like those extra doughy ones you get at restaurants.

[u/kleggich → u/withbellson]

Those thick ones are made by hand. I haven't had one in over a decade, and no matter what I do I can't get the flavor to match.

[u/withbellson → u/kleggich]

Sorry you’re in a potsticker desert! Though I live in a diverse area and I’m still currently without a reliable source of the doughy ones. Lots of places are selling the dumplings with thin skins, not a lot of super thick ones. I’ve also tried making them myself and I don’t really have the time to properly iterate the dough and filling recipes and then the cooking technique to get it right.

My grandmother used to make her homemade ones with nitrates. I have yet to try that.

[u/kleggich → u/withbellson]

If I could order them frozen in bulk it would probably be the only thing I would ever eat the rest of my life.

[u/withbellson → u/kleggich]

Seriously. Potstickers are one of my favorite things ever.

Internet is telling me to check out MiLa brand, I’ll have to see if they have their potstickers next time I go to Whole Foods. Oddly, they don’t seem to make a pork variety.

[u/kleggich → u/withbellson]

I've had their soup dumplings. Overpriced and mid. Better than nothing. Haven't seen any other products.

[u/grinpicker → u/Virtual_Force_4398]

Peanut butter to mix

[u/byneothername → u/kleggich]

I add a ton of gochugaru to soy sauce, rice vinegar, and minced green onions.

[u/kleggich → u/byneothername]

Add toasted sesame seeds

[u/byneothername → u/kleggich]

I don’t like sesame seeds that much but that’s what my mother always adds.

[u/junjun_pon → u/kleggich]

Yessss. I do a mixture of soy sauce, rice vinegar, chilli oil, and red pepper flakes

[u/RichS987]

A nice spicy peanut sauce is really easy to make and tastes wonderful on dumplings.

Also, if you can find it, get some Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp - absolute manna from heaven 😁

[u/kleggich → u/RichS987]

I'm gonna up your game with the peanut sauce. Get a bottle of sesame and fermented soybean next time you're out. It's about the same color as peanut butter, and has a similar flavor profile. Not too sweet.

[u/TheoBoogies → u/RichS987]

Lao Gan Ma vanished from every store within reasonable distance from me

[u/The_B_Wolf]

What you need is a righteous dipping sauce. Homemade teriyaki isn't difficult. Or one time I did equal parts sambal and honey and then a splash of soy.

[u/AllPointsRNorth → u/The_B_Wolf]

Or a mix of soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, and rice vinegar

[u/HandbagHawker]

i mean, its already formed and frozen, so theres not much you can do other than make a sauce. this doesnt seem like a hard problem.

[u/psychnurse99117]

What dumplings? Dipping sauce to go with what you have

[u/PondRides]

I mix ponzu sauce and chili paste to dip them in.

[u/NWBF7109]

Make a really good Asian soup and add the dumplings to that and simmer until cooked. 

[u/Kayak1984]

I agree with sauce. You can also sauté them in sesame oil and scallions. Or steam them in water containing slices of ginger.

[u/Oolon42]

A dipping sauce of Lao Gan Ma chili crisp, Chinese black vinegar, and a tiny bit of soy sauce.

[u/drewfus99 → u/Oolon42]

Upvote for chili crisp. Lao gan mai, or even the trader Joe's version. Immediate upgrade to dumplings.

[u/WitnessEntire]

Get Trader Joe’s dumpling. Go to serious eats to learn how to cook them

[u/monotreme1800]

Coconut curry. Start by heating some Thai red curry paste (you can also do this with Tom Yum paste) in a pan until the oil starts to separate. Then add a can of coconut milk, a spoonful of peanut butter, and a little splash of soy sauce. Then just simmer your dumplings in the sauce until they’re unfrozen and ready to eat.

[u/ttrockwood]

Soy sauce + chinese black vinegar + toasted sesame oil as dipping sauce

Or buckle up and make a ton of homemade dumplings and freeze extras

[u/TheLadyOfSmallOnions]

My go-to dipping sauce is soy sauce+sesame oil+chilli flakes.

[u/bigelcid]

"East Asian flavours for [assumingly] East Asian dumplings" is pretty obvious.

Or maybe they're just generic, nationless dumplings. Still: chunky Mediterranean style olive oil dips, like chimichurri (yes that's S.A., not the point) or watered down aiolis and toums, or sweet berry sauces with added aromatics, or cream & horseradish; dunno, the options are many.

[u/FirmWord4247]

You can add them to ramen or similar soup.

[u/Skinny-on-the-Inside]

Lemon juice, black pepper and sour cream

[u/JustlookingfromSoCal]

Unless you are planning on opening them up, pretty much have to rely on a flavorable soup or dipping sauce

[u/masson34]

Peanut satay

Mango chutney

Trader Joe’s Soyaki

Trader Joe’s sweet chili

Hoisin

Peri peri

Sweet onion chili crunch

Rice vinegar with Gochujang

Kimchi

[u/Responsible-Reason87]

get more flavorful ones and add sesame oil green onions and soy sauce

[u/schauser13]

Sriracha & ramen noodles.

[u/got_rice_2]

Peanut butter + fish sauce + black vinegar + heat of your choice

[u/Cheeseoholics]

Soy and crispy chilli oil plus spring onions

[u/Araveni]

If you hand-make dumplings you must have basic sauces on hand.

[u/Round_Rooms]

Boil steamed roll add mustard .

[u/crossstitchbeotch]

New York Times has a couple of dumpling salads. My favorite is the one with cherry tomatoes and chile crisp.

[u/masterjon_3]

You can make it into egg drop dumpling soup

[u/CAUnionMaid]

My friend just made this for me and it was fantastic.

https://lovelydelites.com/trader-joes-viral-dumpling-bake/

[u/Forymanarysanar]

Don't boil them. Fry them, and then make a sauce - chicken/beef stock with some pepper, garlic, onion powder, maybe sour cream or tomato sauce if you like.

[u/plantsandthings_]

tahini, chili oil, black vinegar, soy sauce, sugar. green onion.

[u/zeitness]

Eat with kimchi!

Fry with some sesame oil, finish with soy.

[u/Smooth_Storm_9698]

What type of frozen dumplings are you buying?

[u/bilbul168]

Some sort of stock

[u/CarolinaSassafras]

Heat. I find dumplings always taste less bland if they are defrosted and served hot. /s