Defining Dumplings

• In Western cuisine dumplings are defined as lumps of dough cooked in liquid. In Asian cuisine the term is more broadly applied to a variety of small parcels of food that may be steamed, boiled or fried. Many Asian dumplings could be considered stuffed pasta, with the filling encased in thin, unleavened dough. Others involve leaves, batter or pastry standing in for dough. Baked or steamed stuffed buns are also commonly lumped into the category of Asian dumplings.

Going Raw

• Some of the most well-known Asian dumplings, including Japanese Gyoza and Chinese Siu Mai, feature ground pork wrapped in thin dough. Dumplings of this genre are usually stuffed with a raw pork mixture so the meat cooks inside the dough. This allows the pork to form a tender, solid filling. Precooking ground meat results in a crumbly texture, which is more suitable to recipes that require a small amount of pork distributed throughout other prominent ingredients or sauces.

Incorporating Vegetables

• Even in dumplings using raw ground pork, not all of the filling ingredients should be raw. Produce with high water content -- such as cabbage or fresh mushrooms -- should be precooked until it has wilted down and the extra liquid has been squeezed out or evaporated. This step prevents the filling from becoming watery as it cooks inside the dumpling. Allow the cooked ingredients to cool before mixing them into the pork.

Bigger Bites

• Dumplings filled with larger pieces of pork require precooked meat. For example, Chinese Char Siu Bao -- also known as a “barbecued pork pun” -- is stuffed with chunks of pork that have been marinated and fully cooked. Meat fillings should always be precooked if the size of the meat or its encasement would prevent the filling from fully cooking inside. The recommended internal temperatures for cooked pork are 145 degrees Fahrenheit for whole cuts and 160 F for ground pork.