Dumplings, Laughter, and Learning Something New

Last Saturday my mom and I spent the afternoon doing something I love deeply: learning something new with my hands.

Thanks to Partners in Island Education (P.I.E.), we joined a dumpling-making class taught by Ger Liang Tysk, the owner of Red Kettle Kimchi. The room quickly filled with that particular kind of energy that happens when people gather around food and curiosity at the same time.

And this wasn’t a “just assemble the dumplings” kind of class.

We made everything.

We started with the dough, mixing and kneading it until it came together into smooth, soft balls that would become the wrappers. After a short rest, we rolled the dough into long ropes and cut them into small pieces. Each piece was rolled into a thin circle using mini rolling pins made from simple wooden dowels. As the wrappers began to stack up, we dusted them lightly with cornstarch so they wouldn’t stick together. There was a rhythm to it that slowly revealed itself as our hands got the feel for the process.

Next came the filling.

We chopped and diced cabbage, scallions, garlic, and fresh ginger, adding them to a mixture of pork and turkey. As the bowls filled and the ingredients came together, the room took on that wonderful aroma of fresh garlic and ginger.

Then came the folding.

Ger showed us how to shape the dumplings, pleating the wrappers so they would hold the filling securely. Our early dumplings had plenty of personality. Some were elegant, some a little lopsided, and a few looked like they were determined to invent their own dumpling traditions.

But with each one we made, our hands learned a little more.

That’s the quiet magic of learning a craft. At first it feels unfamiliar, maybe a little clumsy, and then gradually your hands begin to understand.

Doing it with my mom made the afternoon even better. There’s something special about learning something new together as adults. We laughed at our early dumplings, compared shapes, and admired the ones that finally looked like the real thing.

When it was time to cook, Ger prepared the dumplings two different ways: some were steamed, soft and delicate, and others were pan-fried and then steamed, which gave them beautifully crisp bottoms while keeping the tops tender.

Both versions were absolutely delicious.

By the end of the class the table was filled with trays of dumplings made entirely by our own hands, from dough to filling to pleats.

My mom and I left with flour on our sleeves, a new skill, and each with a small container of dumplings we had made to cook later.

One of the things I appreciate most about living on Vinalhaven is how experiences like this appear. Organizations like P.I.E. bring people together to learn, experiment, and try something new.

Sometimes it’s glass.
Sometimes it’s dumplings.
And sometimes it’s simply the joy of making something with your hands.

Yes… they were delicious.