When it comes to snacking, there are few things as appealing as dumplings. Quality dumplings, made the right way, are known for their soft texture and flavor. Also, there are many delicious fillings you can pick from to suit your taste preferences.
And luckily, it’s quite easy to make dumplings at home! However, many people end up making more dough than they really need for one meal.
But that doesn’t mean anything has to go to waste! If you have leftover dumpling dough and don’t know what to do with it, we are sharing some ideas with you!
What is Dumpling Dough Made of?
The term ‘dumpling’ covers a large range of dishes. Dumplings relevant to Asian cuisine are the menu items that are often trending these days. However, there are dishes that are popular in cultures from Asia, Africa, Europe and other areas around the globe—all viewed as ‘dumplings’.
However, in most cases the dough of the dumplings will contain some sort of starch. Usually the dough is wrapped around a filling and then the whole ensemble is cooked, whether fried, boiled, baked or steamed.
Because of the variety of fillings you can choose to put inside, the final result can serve as a snack, a savoury meal or even a dessert. A very common recipe for dumpling dough is taking flour and combining it with eggs and water.
What to Do With Leftover Dumpling Dough
If you think the thin form of dumpling dough is only suitable for dumplings, you’re not the only one. But this is actually a complete misconception!
Dumpling dough—or dumpling wrappers as many people call them when rolled out into circles—is actually one of the most versatile items to use in cooking.
You can use the dough, when rolled out thinly, in place of chips, taco shells, pasta, and many other common menu items. So, let’s help you get creative on using your leftover dumpling dough, by sharing some innovative ideas.
- Italian Ravioli
There is no denying that Italian ravioli is considered to be the most delicate—and very difficult—recipe to take on. But it can be remarkably easy, if you have leftover dumpling dough to work with. For making ravioli, you need to roll out the dumpling dough and layer it up with:
- Tomato sauce
- Pesto
- Your favorite toppings
Suggestion: you can add ricotta cheese, ham, and mushrooms for a very tasty mix, but the toppings are really up to personal preference.
If ravioli isn’t your ‘thing’, simply make Italian pasta with the dough. You’ll need to roll out the dough to its thinnest form. Then slice and cook it as you would do with other forms of fresh pasta.
The leftover dumpling dough is a helpful resource to make chicken pot pies. For this purpose, follow these easy steps:
- Place the dumpling dough in the casserole dish
- Add the vegetables and chicken
- On top of these ingredients, add some cream
- Bake it until the dough is crispy and golden brown
Helpful tip: if you want to enhance the flavor, you can use the fresh dumplings on the crust rather than using the rolled-out dough. It all depends on what you have left over to work with.
- Borek
For those who don’t know, borek is one of the most delicious dishes in Turkish cuisine, and it is made from pastry dough. It requires thin dough, which is why leftover dumpling dough is a smart option to use.
For making borek, you need to lay down the dough in thin sheets. Then stuff it with:
- Onions
- Feta cheese
- Garlic-flavored ground beef
On the top, drizzle some olive oil and bake everything until it is golden brown. See? You can start off with dumpling dough for an Asian dish and then add to the taste experience by trying some borek with true Turkish flavors.
That’s why it’s so exciting to work with dumpling dough, and why it’s never a problem to have some left over.
- Potstickers
Perhaps you simply want a different approach to dumplings when you plan on how to use that last bit of dough? Then potstickers are worth a try! Potstickers are basically dumplings that are made by pan-frying the dumpling dough after it’s steamed.
This gives you a crispier exterior compared to traditional steamed or boiled dumplings. Once again, it’s up to you to choose a filling for potstickers.
No matter the filling, make sure to cook them until they are brown on both sides, as this will make them look as great as they taste. After all, the aesthetics of dishes do matter—it’s what makes your mouth water even before you’ve tasted something!
- Sweet Dumplings
More often than not, your leftover dumpling dough will be after preparing a main meal of savory dumplings. But don’t forget the very same dumpling dough can be utilized for making sweet dumplings.
That means you can take care of dessert by using leftover ingredients, making your dinner preparations much easier and ensuring you don’t waste any food items.
For instance, you can use leftover dumpling dough to make fluffy pastries and add fruit fillings and cream to turn it into sweet treats. For this purpose, you need to roll the dough in thin layers.
To get delectable flavors you can add sugar, cinnamon, and fruits. Then bake them to make your crispy yet sweet snack.
- Dumpling Soup
Another way of using the leftover dumpling dough is to make dumpling soup. It’s easy to create a tasty dish this way:
- Add a few portions of the dough to chicken broth
- Add some fresh vegetables
- Similar to any other soup, you need to cook all of these ingredients together for a while
Serve this as a scrumptious version of traditional soup that will be flavorsome AND filling thanks to the added pieces of dough that becomes part of the mixture.
- Samosas
A samosa is an Indian snack, and you can make something very similar with your leftover dumpling dough. These pastries that hail from Asia are often triangular in shape, but can be other shapes too.
To make your samosa, roll the dough in thin circles and put the filling on one end. Then, fold the other side over it. You can use a bit of water to wet the dough where the two layers meet each other. Then press down hard to seal it. Simply fry these until they’re golden brown.
As far as the filling is concerned, samosas can be vegetarian, but meat versions are common too. Use minced meat or mashed potatoes with spices and herbs you love.
- Gnocchi
Here’s another Italian meal idea! Gnocchi is known as part of Italian dining and as a type of pasta. But actually, they’re a type of dumpling, so why not use your leftover dumpling dough to try your hand at this Italian cuisine?
Traditionally, gnocchi’s small lumps of dough contain flour, eggs, salt and potato. So, depending on what is already in your dumpling dough, you can just add an ingredient or two? Then cut it into tiny portions, boil so they’re well cooked and strain them.
Then you can either just add your pasta sauce, or cook them further in a pan with some flavorsome olive oil, so they acquire a light brown color.
Can You Refrigerate Your Leftover Dumpling Dough?
If you really don’t have the time—or creativity—to incorporate dumpling dough in another recipe, you may consider freezing it. How successful this will be does depend on the ingredients of your dough.
However, a basic dumpling dough that contains flour should freeze well, even for as long as three months. Ideally, enclose the dough in plastic wrap so all air and moisture is contained. This can help prevent the dough becoming soggy.
Once you’re ready to make more dumplings or try one of our creative recipes above, remember to take out the dough at least 30 minutes before you’ll start. The dough needs to thaw before you start using it again.
Leftover Dumpling Filling Tips
Of course, it may not only be your dumpling dough that you have a lot of once everyone’s had their fill. What if you have dumpling filling left over too? Here are some ideas, so nothing in your kitchen goes to waste:
- Fillings with meat or vegetables can be turned into flavorsome stir fry meals, or become part of your meat ball mixture.
- Make omelets the next morning, using the filling for unique flavoring and texture.
- When you run out of dough, cut open some peppers, put the leftover filling inside each pepper, along with some cheese. Then pop it in the oven to cook—an instant scrumptious treat.
- Certain dumpling fillings can serve as sandwich toppings.
- Fillings pair well with ramen noodles.
Final Thought
Remember, these are only suggestions of what you can do with your leftover dumpling dough. Consider its versatility and after making some dumplings, discover more ways you can satisfy your palate by using the dough. Don’t forget to share your ideas with the rest of us, so we can try it out too.