Eat The World in 10 Dumplings at Parramatta

The dumpling is one of the world’s simplest and oldest ideas: a piece of dough, shaped around a filling or prepared to be pinched at the table, then steamed, boiled, fried or baked.

Almost every culture made its own, each one passed down through generations and carried across borders, picking up new ideas as cultures collided. What’s remarkable is how differently each one turned out, and how many are now folded right here in Parramatta.

So we tracked down ten of the best dumplings in Parramatta, some familiar, some you might be yet to discover…

1. Mongolia: Buuz & Khuushuur

Fist-sized, meat-filled and steamed, buuz are the dumplings of Tsagaan Sar, the Mongolian Lunar New Year, when families fold them by the hundred. Come summer and the Naadam festival, the fried, flattened khuushuur takes over. Mongol Shop Café, Australia's first Mongolian shop, is the place to get them both here.

Try it: Mongol Shop Café, Shop 301/22 Footbridge Blvd, Wentworth Point.

"We cannot imagine food without dumplings; it's really important in family gatherings. In July we've got a big Mongol festival, Naadam and everyone eats them three days in a row." — Mongol Shop Café.

2. Indonesia: Batagor

Bandung's favourite street snack: fish-and-tofu dumplings deep-fried till crisp, then cut up and drowned in a rich peanut sauce with a squeeze of lime. Ria Ayam Penyet serves them, just so.

Try it: Ria Ayam Penyet, 312 Church St, Parramatta.

3. Nepal: Momo

The momo travelled along trade routes through the Himalayas, and Kathmandu made it its own. Order it buff (buffalo), the original filling and still the way it's eaten back home. Downtown MoMo serves them steamed or fried, in sadeko (a spicy, smoky marinade), but our pick is the Special Jhol Momo, served in a nutty spiced tomato broth.  

Try it: Downtown Momo, 12 Union St, Parramatta.

“It’s an anytime dish, breakfast, lunch and dinner” — Downtown MoMo

4 & 5. China: Jiaozi & Xiao Long Bao

Chinese dumplings go back some 1,800 years, and legend credits a Han-dynasty doctor who wrapped warming herbs in dough to treat frostbite. The classic jiaozi is crescent-shaped, pleated around pork, prawn, seafood or vegetables and then steamed, boiled or pan-fried. Miss Yuè’s dumpling lady master folds a full range fresh in-house every day. The soup dumpling (Xiao Long Bao) is the clever one: broth sealed inside as jelly, melted back to liquid in the steamer. At Miss Yuè, that's the Steamed Pork & Supreme Soup Dumplings.

Try it: Miss Yuè, The Epping Club, 45 Rawson St, Epping.

"The difference is everything is handmade here, fresh from scratch. Everyone starts early, six in the morning, works very hard, and makes sure everyone feels all the love from all of us." — Miss Yuè.

6. China: Wonton

A Cantonese staple served everywhere from tea houses to street stalls. At Fishboy Private Kitchen, the silky wrappers of prawn and pork are wrapped the moment you order and dropped into a clear chicken broth. The recipe is the chef's own, from more than 30 years in Hong Kong kitchens.

Try it: Fishboy Private Kitchen, 55 Adderton Rd, Telopea.

7. Japan: Gyoza

Japan's take on the Chinese jiaozi, made thinner and crispier and typically filled with minced pork, cabbage, garlic, ginger and garlic chives. The way most people know them cooked is yaki-gyoza (pan-fried) with a crispy bottom and silky steamed top. Kumiho has some of the best, and they also do a steamed and a vegetarian-friendly version.

Try it: Kumiho, 140 Marsden St, Parramatta (near Parramatta Square).

8. West Africa: Fufu

Fufu is a soft, stretchy dough pounded from cassava, plantain or yam until smooth and pillowy. You eat it with your hands, pinching off a piece and using it to scoop up a rich soup or stew. At Fusion Afro Caribbean Café, your options are Okra Soup or Egusi Soup (a popular West African dish made primarily from ground melon seeds), the fufu ready to dip into rich, savoury broth.

Try it: Fusion Afro Caribbean Café, 1/13 Berry St, Clyde.

9. Italy: Tortellini

Northern Italy's filled pasta is a dumpling by another name, once said to be modelled on the shape of Venus. Ruse Bar and Brasserie serves a pumpkin version with stracciatella and a mushroom broth.

Try it: Ruse Bar and Brasserie, Parramatta Square, 12 Darcy St, Parramatta. 

10. Lebanon: Sambousik

A close cousin of the samosa, and the pastry that traditionally breaks the fast during Ramadan, filled with minced meat, onion and pine nuts. At Sahra by the River, there are no shortcuts: each Sambousik is folded by hand daily by two women trained in Lebanon, keepers of a skill passed down through generations.

Try it: Sahra by the River, 2/76 Phillip St, Parramatta.

"A lot of places use a crimping machine, or seal the pastry with a fork, but the traditional way is all by hand. The women who fold ours learnt it from their mothers, the way young girls do across Lebanon and Syria. That expertise is passed down, and we're fortunate to have it." — Sahra by the River.