Discover the Best Dumpling Making Classes in Los Angeles
While world cuisines often vary drastically when it comes to traditional dishes, virtually every culture in the world has developed some sort of dumpling. The idea of the dumpling is simple: fill a bit of dough with a delicious mixture of seasoned meats, vegetables, and/or cheeses. This simplicity makes it easy for even novice chefs to learn how to make dumplings, and also provides a base to play with and produce dumplings of varying sizes, textures, and flavors.
The simple formula for any dumpling is the same. Everything starts with the dough, which is partitioned into smaller pockets or wrappers. The dough is packed with a filling of meats, vegetables, and/or cheeses, and then folded and sealed shut with a twist or a crimp. The prepared dumplings can then be cooked by steaming, boiling, or frying them, or by combining multiple of those cooking methods at various stages.
Why You Should Learn Dumpling Making in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is home to a vibrant food scene. Kogi Korean BBQ’s fleet of Korean-Mexican food trucks, for example, has been an LA phenomenon since opening in 2008. And with the strong Asian community in LA (which boasts the largest Asian population of any city in the United States), It’s no surprise that dumplings are at the heart of the food scene’s effort to redefine the way people think about culture.
Whether you’re looking for a simple handmade dish that is both easy and versatile or looking to tap into a larger cultural scene, dumplings are a great way that even novice cooks can get active in the kitchen.
In-Person Dumpling Making Classes in Los Angeles
The best way to learn how to make dumplings is to get hands-on experience with the techniques for filling, folding, and sealing. Many local organizations schedule classes where you can learn from experienced instructors who can demonstrate the techniques and give specific feedback and troubleshooting advice.
CocuSocial is one of the largest marketplaces for culinary experiences in the US. Though headquartered in NYC, CocuSocial partners with local chefs, restaurants, and hotels in 13 major cities, including LA, to organize a range of social cooking classes at local businesses. These classes are designed to connect individuals with their local food scenes, and to provide fun, accessible cooking classes suitable for novices. Dumpling making represents a segment of the quality cooking classes that CocuSocial provides on the West Coast.
Los Angeles’ Eagle Rock neighborhood hosts a Handmade Dumpling Party for those looking to discover the flavorful world of Asian dumplings. This hands-on class provides plenty of opportunities to practice dumpling making methods, covering multiple wrapping techniques for making dumplings in various different shapes, as well as two recipes for fillings, namely a traditional pork filling and a vegetable option.
If you’re looking to get involved professionally in LA’s vibrant food scene, Chef Eric’s Culinary Classroom can help you develop the skills you need to succeed in business. The Master Chef Program is an intensive, 12-week program designed to develop the skills necessary to be a professional chef. Based on the French methods of culinary instruction, this masterclass covers an exhaustive list of topics, including introductory knife skills, sauces, stocks, cooking methods, and dishes grouped by type. While there is not a class focused solely on dumplings, they are included as part of a larger lesson on pasta, rice, and dumplings. This class is an option for those looking for much more than simple dumpling folding.
Virtual Dumpling Making Classes
Even with a vibrant food scene, it isn’t always easy to find the perfect dumpling making class. Fortunately, there are plenty of online dumpling making classes to supplement the options available in the local scene. Whether you’re looking for the flexibility to work from home on your own schedule or have a specific type of dumpling in mind, these online classes are a great option suited to your specific needs.
LA isn’t the only place where food is a fundamental aspect of how we think about culture. In New York City, another city with a diverse population, organizations like The League of Kitchens are using food as a means of forming cross-cultural connections. The League of Kitchens is a team of immigrant women who invite participants into their own homes to share family recipes, form personal connections, and build cultural understanding. In addition to their in-person offerings, The League of Kitchens also organizes many online gatherings; just because you can’t physically join your host in her home doesn’t mean you can’t be invited into her personal space.
League of Kitchens veteran Damira opens up her home to virtual guests in Uzbek Cooking Online with Damira. The centerpiece of the menu of traditional Uzbek cuisine is called barak, a beef-and-onion dumpling that can be either boiled or fried. You’ll get plenty of advice on the techniques for making these dumplings, but this course also emphasizes the process as a social event; you’re spending as much time socializing and enjoying the food as you are making the food.
Private Group Dumpling Making Classes in Los Angeles
Cooking doesn’t have to be a solitary activity. Instead of slaving over a stove by yourself, it’s easy to turn food preparation into a fun social event. Dumplings are especially suited to this purpose; in many cultures, it is common to host a dumpling making party as a means of spending quality time with friends and family. To bond over food with a hands-on activity, check out CourseHorse’s dumpling making classes for private groups in Los Angeles.
A group Virtual Dumpling Making can teach your party how to make Chinese dumplings completely from scratch. Start with a simple two-ingredient dough, which you’ll learn how to make and knead by hand. Fill the dough with a delicious pork or veggie filling that you’ve made by hand, and then get hands-on practice shaping and sealing the dumplings with a traditional folding technique. These assembled dumplings can then be cooked by steaming, frying, or boiling.
It’s easy to book a private class with CourseHorse. Even if you don’t have a concrete headcount, you can book with the minimum number and CourseHorse will reserve the date for you. If your group size changes, you can easily change your booking, and CourseHorse won’t finalize billing until you have a finalized headcount. Once you book a date, you’ll receive a confirmation within 24 hours, and your event host will reach out with a personal introduction and provide additional information pertaining to your event. Virtual classes are hosted over Zoom, but for your convenience CourseHorse can accommodate alternate meeting platforms like Microsoft Teams and Google Meets.
