Dumpling salad season is here

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The season has arrived.

Judging from my Instagram stories feed, tomato dumpling salad season is officially here. This recipe demonstrates the power of using one seasonal vegetable well to create a truly more-ish* weeknight meal.

(*‘More-ish’ is an Australian saying; it means exactly what you think it means - you want more of something, or it’s addictive).

In the summer, I tend to eat same meal over and over again. With such excellent fresh produce at our fingertips, lazy cooking will still reward us. Savory stonefruit salads with fresh mozzarella and basil, watermelon with olives and feta, smacked cukes with garlic and a vinegary dressing, cold silken tofu with soy sauce dressing and pi dan (thousand year egg). And lots of dumpling salads.

People in our industry will often say, there are no new recipes in the world, everything has been done before. I wholeheartedly disagree. Case in point, dumpling salad. I am confident in saying, no dumpling salad existed before me.

That particular dish was the sum of my culinary DNA. My start in food was a fairly singular experience. I am a Chinese woman who started a salad business and routinely used Chinese ingredients, techniques and flavour profiles in untraditional ways to make hearty, multicultural vegetarian salads. That is my professional culinary foundation.

The more that we, as recipe developers – and I’m talking about ‘we’ as an industry – keep subscribing to the line ‘there are no new recipes in the world’ – the more we undersell creativity and originality in the world of food, the more we will fail to keep challenging the narrative, the more we will stifle real, needle-moving growth. I say this because, even though not all of my recipes fall into the ‘didn’t already exist in some way’ category, that ideology of newness and inventiveness is what I am constantly striving for in my recipes. As I say, not all of my recipes are completely original, but I will never accept that there are no new recipes in the world; saying that is like saying there are no new stories in the world. That can never be true. That is what separates humans from artificially-generated slop. I will never be the slop.

Another thing that is not slop? Dumpling salads. Today, I have a new one, with marinated cukes, creamy avo, and a tart vinegary dressing.

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I am constantly asked: what is your favourite brand of frozen dumplings?! Today, I will finally share my top three, ranked!

What am a looking for in a frozen dumpling?

1. Flavourful filling – no surprises here. Because I am usually using them in salads or stir-fries, I want one that is well-seasoned, but not too salty. I also want the filling to be juicy. No dry filling please.

2. Recognizable ingredients – the filling should not look like mush! I want to be able to taste the vegetables and herbs.

3. A sturdy but thin skin – some brands have a very thick, chewy skin. They are not for me. I prefer a thin-skin that is still robust enough that it won’t break and can withstand pan-frying and tossing in salads, but I want to taste the filling and not just have a mouthful of dough

4. Filling to dough ratio – if a dumpling has a thick wrapper, it often has less filling, which throws off the balance. A good dumpling always has more filling than dough, a plump ‘belly’ with a well-sealed edge.

The world of frozen dumplings is vast and diverse. I have only tried a handful of brands. The ones I eat most are the ones that are most accessible to me. I live near several Japanese supermarkets, so that is where I usually buy my veg dumplings. Chinatown supermarkets have endless varieties but I haven’t included them here because they are very specialized and less accessible from city to city.

Here are my three faves:

Number 3: Ajinomoto Vegetable Gyoza Dumplings
Available at Japanese supermarkets, H Mart, Kroger, Weee!, Midoriya, Food Bazaar and more.

These come in a big package, with about 35 dumplings, so this is a great option when feeding many. This dumpling is a wonderful all-rounder, well-seasoned but not overly so. I love that they have lots of vegetables – I’m tasting cabbage, tofu, edamame, carrots, onions. They are also labeled as ‘no oil required’ for cooking.

Number 2: Shirakiku Gluten Free Plant-Based Gyoza Dumplings
Available at H Mart, Sunrise Mart, Midoriya, Weee! and more

For all my gluten-free, and gluten intolerant readers! This is my number 2, not because it is GF and vegan (though a huge bonus!), but because it’s a fantastic dumpling. The rice flour-based skin is very hardy and not at all fragile or gummy. The filling is less savoury than the Trader Joes ones, and is more cabbage forward. Nevertheless, they are still very good and the fact they are less salty is great for things like dumpling salads where the dressing is well seasoned.

Number 1: Trader Joes Thai Vegetable Gyoza

These are my favourite store-bought frozen veg dumplings, by a long shot. To be honest, I don’t like that they are my favorites because the practices of Trader Joes (in stealing the ideas and appropriating the products of smaller brands) is frequently shady. But these are honestly the most delicious frozen veg dumplings I’ve tried. They are super well-seasoned, with an interesting, non-generic filling that is very chive-forward. I strive to always have a packet in my freezer.

MORE DUMPLING SALADS RECIPES TO TRY:

© Recipe copyright Hetty Lui McKinnon for To Vegetables, With Love, 2026

Pan-fried dumplings, with their golden bottom and puffed body, carry bold dressings well. Here, they are tossed with crisp cucumbers, creamy avocado and a tangy, vinegary dressing for an easy Summery dinner.

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