ep 03: “It just tastes better with friends.”

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The impact of sound on our tastebuds

I worked in audio advertising for a summer and a coworker taught me how sound affects our tastebuds: Pandora (the music company, not to be confused with the jewelry brand) worked with Propel, an electrolyte water brand, to develop a Sound Booth activation which “included a variety of custom audio soundscapes meant to maximize the flavor experience of each fruit blend variety of Propel Vitamin Boost – Strawberry Raspberry, Peach Mango and Apple Pear – while underscoring the presence of electrolytes and vitamins.”

Participants were invited to listen to different soundscapes while drinking Propel and experience how the sounds manipulated what they could taste: “Participants at the event couldn’t believe their taste buds as they moved the fader from ‘electrolyte’ to ‘fruit’ and noted the fluctuation in flavor.”

I am no scientist, nor am I a particularly avid purchaser of fitness waters outside of the occasional Gatorade after a night out, but I believe it. I have experienced the phenomenon in my own way.

For three years, I have hosted a dumpling dinner to celebrate the Lunar New Year and I’m tellin’ you, this recipe for pork-cabbage dumplings tastes better when wrapped with a group of friends. Perhaps sound has something to do with it—the chatter of friends old and new, throwback tunes in the background, someone singing softly along to a song they didn’t realize they still remembered all the lyrics to. Perhaps touch has something to do with it—knowing hands guiding those for whom it is their first time wrapping dumplings. Perhaps it is the sight of the scene—a room of loved ones around a table. Perhaps it is the smell and taste of a meal made together. Most likely it is all these things combined. Either way, hearts and bellies end the night full.

a diverse range of lovely dumpling shapes made at last year’s dumpling party

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The Recipe: 白菜猪肉饺子, Pork-Cabbage Dumplings

Time: Requires 2 minutes of prep the night before; the filling takes an hour (?); I once tried to wrap this amount of filling solo and it took me 3 hours, I suggest employing a friend or two.

Serves: A solid 10. Unless you are feeding a group of college boys, then 5.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground pork

• 2 lb napa cabbage, finely minced

  • You can reduce the amount of cabbage to 1 lb depending on your preference.

• 3-4 green scallions, minced

• 1 thumb of ginger, minced

• 1.5 - 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine

• 8-10 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked the night before

• 1 egg

• 1 tbsp neutral oil (canola)

• 1/2 - 1 tsp white pepper powder

• Salt to taste (1-2 tsp)

• 2 packages of dumpling wrappers (70-100 wrappers)

Cooking Pt. 1: Making the filling

1. The night before soak the dried shiitakes mushrooms (or quick soak in warm water if you are short on time)

2. Shred/mince the cabbage then toss with 2 tsp salt in a mesh basket/strainer. Set aside for 15-30 minutes. This will help draw out the cabbage’s water.

3. Meanwhile, mince green scallions and ginger and mix with Shaoxing wine in a small bowl. Set aside.

4. Finely mince the soaked shiitake mushrooms and fry in a wok for a few minutes until fragrant. Set aside in a bowl.

5. In a large bowl, mix the ground pork with the Shaoxing wine/scallion/ginger mixture. Stir in one direction with chopsticks or a fork until the pork becomes tacky/sticky.

6. Add in the sautéed shiitake mushrooms.

7. Transfer cabbage to the center of a clean dish towel and gather up the edges. Twist the towel to squeeze the cabbage, wringing out as much excess moisture as possible. Discard the liquid.

8. Add the cabbage to the pork and mushroom mixture and stir to combine.

9. Crack in an egg and stir until combined.

10. Season with white pepper powder and salt to taste. If you want to taste the mixture, you can microwave it or put it in a wok and fry it for a few minutes.

11. Add in 1 tbsp of neutral oil to the pork mixture and stir to combine.

12. Set up a workstation with a small bowl of water, a clean dish towel for wiping your fingers, a bowl with the dumpling filling, a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet for the finished dumplings, and a stack of dumpling wrappers covered in plastic wrap.

13. Wrap! Here are 24 different ways you could do this.

14. Once wrapped, dumplings may be frozen by placing the baking sheet in the freezer. Freeze dumplings for at least 30 minutes then transfer them to a zipper-lock freezer bag for long-term storage. Dumplings can be frozen for up to 2 months and cooked directly from the freezer.

Cooking Pt. 2: Boil or fry

To boil dumplings:

1. Bring water to boil in a pot. Add dumplings, stir gently so that they don’t stick together, then cook until they float.

2. Add roughly one cup of cold water then wait for water to boil again.

3. The dumplings are ready when they float on the surface of the boiling water. Plate and serve!

To pan fry dumplings:

1. Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add oil, then add dumplings. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the bottoms are brown.

2. Add 1/3-1/2 cup of water, cover, lower the heat a little and let the dumplings cook for ~ 7-10 minutes (depending on the size of your dumplings).

3. Plate and serve!

For the dipping sauce, combine soy sauce with black vinegar. Optional: add in sliced ginger.