The Italians have their ravioli and the Poles have their pierogis, but for the best filled dumplings, it's necessary to travel east. There, in the land of gyoza, wontons and shumai, wait delicate dumplings, perfectly steamed and fried, ready to be dipped into sauces both vinegary and sweet. A dumpling is simply a boiled piece of dough, used in Western Europe and most frequently just dropped in soup. However, when filled, their bland, doughy taste can be transcended by succulent combinations of varied fillings.When making dumplings, the first thing to figure out is the type of wrappers to use. Wrappers aren't that hard to make from scratch, but for convenience's sake, buying them in a store will allow you to focus more on what goes inside. Many supermarkets now stock wonton wrappers in their produce section, but a trip to your nearest Asian grocery may be needed. Wonton wrappers are Chinese in origin and have egg in them, making them perfect for steaming, frying and boiling. In some stores you may also find gyoza wrappers, which are Japanese in origin. This variety lacks the egg; therefore, steaming will dry out the wrappers, but they will yield a lighter dumpling. Also, the thinner the wrappers, the better. If they are too thick, the dumplings will come out too doughy, which will overpower the taste of the filling.

In a large frying pan, heat the sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add the leeks, ginger and garlic, and continue to saute until the leeks begin to soften. Stir in the wine, sugar, cilantro and soy sauce, and cook for another minute. Add the mushrooms and tofu, and cook for another three minutes, or until the mushrooms have absorbed the liquid. Remove from heat, place in a colander and let cool. Press down on the mixture to drain as much moisture as possible. Place in a bowl and stir in the egg white.

To form the dumplings, place a tablespoon of the mixture in the center of the wrapper and wet the edges with water. If the wrappers are circle-shaped, simply fold over to form a half-crescent, and press down on the edges with a fork. For square wrappers, the easiest fold is to create a "bag" look: Just push up the edges together in the center.

To cook the dumplings, you can opt for deep frying, boiling, steaming or pan-frying. The "potsticker" approach, which is ideal for gyoza, is to first pan-fry the dumplings in a few tablespoons of oil for about two minutes. Add half a cup of boiling water, cover and cook until the water is absorbed-about three minutes, and then fry for another minute so they become crispy again. For wonton wrappers, the ideal method is to first steam them for five minutes, and then flash pan-fry them for about a minute on each side over medium-high heat. The least ideal method is boiling, as steaming will result in firmer dumplings, and often when boiling the filling will lose flavor and become watery.

For the dipping sauce, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and vinegar, and sprinkle the sesame seeds on top. Serve the dumplings accompanied with the dipping sauce.



Dumplings
1 egg white
1 medium leek, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 tbsp minced ginger
1/3 cup sherry or rice wine
8-10 shitake mushrooms, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
2 tbsp sesame oil
1/4 cup firm tofu, finely diced
about 25 dumpling wrappers
oil for frying (optional)


Dipping Sauce
(Makes 16)
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp sesame seeds