盘点中国各种各样的dumplings (下)

Purse-shaped dumplings are formed with a round of dough that is pleated and drawn towards the top of the fillings like a draw-string purse. In form and nomenclature, they're very similar to thick, bready, Chinese-style steamed buns, but for our purposes, we made a distinction between bready steamed buns and the decidedly dumpling-like versions made with thinner wrappers.

You can see the generous filling of peppery chives peeking through the skin of these rounded dumplings. They're pan-fried for a crisp, blistered crust.

A perfect pliable, juicy soup dumpling is something to be treasured. The pork-based (or pork-and-crab-based) filling is made with collagen-rich pork parts that yield a thick, sticky stock that solidifies as it cools. It's folded into a thin round of stretchy wheat dough, which is gathered up and pleated into a swirled bun. As the dumpling steams, the gelatin-rich broth in the filling melts. What you're left with is a plump bun brimming with a rich savory soup that must be carefully sucked out before digging into the tender, springy meatball within. That, or you can boldly down the whole thing in one go, letting it burst in your mouth like a savory Chinese Gusher. Just proceed quickly—these have one of the shortest dumpling shelf-lives, quickly turning sodden and mushy as that gelatinous broth congeals.

Sheng Jian Bao--fried soup dumplings--while a ubiquitous breakfast food or snack in Shanghai for at least the last century, live in the shadow of their far more famous steamed counterpart. This is unfortunate, because if anything. SJB are even tastier than XLB--at least when made right. Sheng Jian Bao start with a slightly thicker dough that, just like XLB, get pleated around a gelatin-rich filling. They're cooked in large, covered cast iron pans filled with just enough water to steam them through. As the water evaporates, the dumplings begin to fry on their bottom surface. You end up with a tender, steamed, juice-filled bun with a golden-brown, crisply fried bottom.

Another dim sum classic, these open-topped steamed pork and/or shrimp dumplings are made with a thin, wrinkled wheat flour wrapper. Often topped with fish roe or grated carrot, or even a single pea, they're fresh-tasting and juicy.

Other meat-inside-a-starchy-filling Chinese treats abound that don't fit neatly into our first two categories, but nonetheless deserve recognition.

Haam sui gok are made with a glutinous rice dough. Deep-fried, they come out blistered and crispy on the outside with a chewy, lightly doughy layer underneath. Fillings range from savory pork and sausage to coconut or sweet bean paste.

Frilly strands of fried purple taro make up the delicate exterior of these meaty pork dumplings. At once sweet and savory, crisp and tender, wu gok are a delightful study in contrasts.

With their distinctive square wrappers, supple-skinned won tons are a common sight in Chinese soups, bobbing alongside cabbage and noodles. Though typically filled with ground pork and/or shrimp, their proportions differ based on provenance, with some quite heavy and substantial, and others light and airy, more wispy skin than filling.

These sweet, sticky glutinous rice dumplings are often filled with rock candy, sesame paste, peanuts, or red bean paste. Boiled until soft and chewy, they can be served on their own or, more commonly, in a sweet bean, sesame, or ginger soup.