Do you love nothing more than a trip to yum Cha, all those different flavors, the dipping sauces, as many dumplings as you can eat, delivered right to your table. I love yon Cha. There is a wide and growing range of Asian cuisines available at the supermarket, which means it is very easy to recreate your own yum jar at home. But are all dumplings created equally? Today we take a closer look at a few of the options you can pick up in the supermarket for your weekly shop hip.
I'm Leanne Maude and I'm Sissie Burrow, and as two of us rays leading dietsians who specialize in evidence faced nutrition, we bring you the nutrition Couch product with you a weekly chat on new products and old favorites that you can find in the supermarkets. So, Susie, are you a dumpling fan?
I am? I am particularly I've got a bit older because my husband lived in China when he was much younger, so he's really introduced me to a lot more Asian cuisine than I probably ever traditionally had. So I certainly have a few of my sort of supermarket favorites, and he's slowly introducing the twins to more of that cuisine. One of my little boys has got a pro analogy. So I've always been a little bit nervous about going to young child places just because of the rampant use
of fish sauce. But I'm getting better with them as I get older, and I think it is good for them to be exposed to different cuisines. But let's be honestly, and I am not the person in this podcast who should be talking about real dumplings, because I believe that your very skilled mum is an expert dumpling maker. Is that that's right?
She is, Yeah, And just hear us reviewing dumplings on the podcast, she'd probably be like, Lee, make your own, tell them to make your own. It's so much so Mum, we know that you know fresh is best, but we will review a few dumplings today. But Mum is very skilled. She's you know, she's Malaysian. She's very skilled in her cooking. You will never find a better spring roll or curR pup out there in my personal opinion. And she also
makes delicious dumplings as well. So if Mum was to homemad dumpling, she'd get the little dumpling or wanton wrappers that you can find with the supermarkets. Then she'd probably use something like a little bit of pork mints to use a little bit of oyster sauce. Maybe she'd do
some grated carrot, she chop up some mushrooms. She'd use a base of onion, ginger, garlic, and her secret sauce in something like a nice dumpling or a nice little wanton would be something like water chestnuts, just because you get that beautiful crunch and texture so you bite into the dumpling. Oh, it's just delicious. My mouth was watering thinking about it. So some homemade dumplings. Absolutely, And I put a photo up of I was like Moms the other day and she could to sit her and she
did this like spice rice and the rice cook. It was beautiful and people were going crazy for it. So I think they love to hear of Sophie's homemade sort of recipes. So I might see if I can get a recipe off her for some dumplings and we can put it up on the Nutrition Couch page. Yeah.
Absolutely, So have you eaten dumplings like your whole life?
Yeah? Always, always, But it's funny because everyone thinks that we have this beautiful because Mom used to host a big Chinese New Year party every year when we were growing up, and she still does, but maybe not on a yearly basis every few years these days, and people would say, oh my god, your Mum's spring rolls, the curry pups of fried rice, the noodles, everything is delicious.
You is so lucky you get this every day. And it's so funny because that would just be on special occasions, like she'll bring out the spring rolls and the curry poff. She hand makes them hand rolls and then puts them in the freezer so we have guests over, then she'll serve them as spring roll and a curry puff. So people used to think we ate that every day growing up,
but it was more of that like occasional treat. Like it was very you know, we'd have a roast on a Sunday and she'd make spaghetti ballonets, so a lot of sort of Western style food because that's what my dad prefers. So we didn't have it all of the time, but we've definitely had it from a very young age and very lucky. When if it was a social occasional someone's birthday or something. Mom would always do a beautiful Chinese cuisine for us.
That sounds amazing. So I've got more questions now, So you said pork, Was she do different ones? Was she do still praul All?
Yeah, sometimes she'll do a prawn one. Yeah, definitely, but I think just due to the cost of that, you know, prawn mince is a lot higher. One of her famous other dishes is a nice prawn toast. So she'll use a straine green prawns. She'll mass them up, dip the you know a little bit of stale bread and something like some egg, and then do that and cover it in sesame seeds and then she'll put that either you know, she'll just sort of shallow fried in the pan. Delicious.
And what oil does She always extra version olive oil. She knows better.
So even even back then she was using that, she was way ahead of her time.
She's quite good that perhaps maybe not to do if she was cooking for a huge dinner party and there was a lot of people, that would be a lot of oil to fry, and so yeah, she was doing She will normally bake things like curra puffs and spring roll.
She'll bake them in the oven, but then the wrapper from the spring roll tends to come undone a little bit, and the filling can sometimes burst through in the heat of the oven, so she gets She used to get a bit embarrassed about that if she was catering, so she'd definitely do that, like she'd sort of fry it. So she would probably just used her I don't know, growing up, probably like a standard canola oil or something. I think if she was about frying for a lot
of people. But these days, I think when she's just cooking for the family, she knows to use, you know, the good quality stuff, and she'll always bake if you can over you know, something like frying. And if she's doing dumplings, you know how you can just crispen the
bottom in a non sick pan. Then you can pour a little bit of water in, put the little on, and you can steam the rest of them, so you get that nice crispy bottom and the top of it's like a steam dumpling how they normally serve you at Yamja. That's how you can do it at home in a lot sort of healthier way.
You know, she's really missed her calling. I think you need an insta for her cooking. It could be an influencer. She should be making some coin from all these tips. It sounds amazing. You reminded me. Actually, I grew up out Western Sydney in chester Hill, which has had a really high Vietnamese population back in the eighties, and when we would have school fates, the Vietnamese families would come and make like homemade spring rolls and sell them, and
they were amazing at the time. So you've reminded me of that. But I think you've got to get your mum on instaff. Yeah, she's just going to make some coin from all their little cooking tips and trips.
I used to tell them, Mom, you've got to go on Master Chef. Yes, she could go on. No, she gets too it would be so bad. I get too nervous. Yeah, and she doesn't do well under pressure, So if someone put a time liment on her, I think she she'd get a little bit too nervous with them.
You come from some good dumpling stock. Then we've chosen the right topic for you today.
Absolutely, So let's go with the first one. Susie. It's the Hong Kong dim Sum, pork, and child dumpling. So they sound delicious. It's a three hundred grand packet, and a serving size is one hundred gram so a third of the packets, it was not just one dumpling, it's a third of the placket is basically considered a serving size. So what we're going to do today because of the three dumplings that we've chosen one serving sizes one hundred grams,
one's twenty six grams, and one's twenty grams. So so that we're comparing like to like, or what I say, apples to apples, or dumplings to dumplings, so that we're comparing the same thing. We're going to compare via the one hundred gram column today just so that we're getting a more accurate representation of which one is sort of
the better option when it comes to dumplings. So per one hundred grams, we've got eight hundred and thirty four kilo jewels in terms of energy, so just over sort of two hundred calories, we've got ten point two grams of protein, seven grams of fat with two point four of that being saturated fat, twenty one point nine grams of carbohydrate, so sort of just over the one rough serve of carbohydrate a slice and a bit of bread.
We'd say three point three grams of sugar, so quite low as you would expect in a dumpling, and three hundred and thirty milligrams of sodium, so not hugely enormous, but there is a little bit of a little bit of sodium in there. And when we look at the ingredients, the first ingredient is wheat flour, so that's obviously because of the dumpling sort of wrapper. The next ingredient is pork, and that's twenty one percent, and this brand has been
very careful to say that it's austrain based pork. Next we have onion escallions or spring onions I think what a lot of people call them chives. There's a little bit of sugar in there, some sesame oil, garlic, soy sauce, modify a tapiocre starch, corn flour, some flavor enhances A six to two one, so we know that is our MSG, and glengale powder I'm actually not sure what that is, and some pepper. So a very what you call quote
unquote clean ingredient list. If you take out the must though, so we don't love the addition of the added monosudium glueten made. But overall the ingredients aren't too bad. And I think, you know, very standard for some dumplings, some wheat flour to make up the wrappers, and then the pork and the vegetables and some of the flavor profile which is assessment or the sugar, the garlic, the soy sauce. So I don't think too bad overall for a third
of the packet around two hundred calories. I don't think that's I think energy density why, it's fairly okay. But I do think the problem is that people tend to eat dumplings as more of an entree versus sort of a main meal. If you were to eat just dumplings as your main meal, I could probably eat close to the entire packet. I really do think we have to add some vegetables to that to sort of round that out and make it a little bit more of a balanced meal.
True, I think, I tell you I don't like these products, and this was just random. I went through and chose these today, and again I just sort of looked for brands that were familiar to me when I look at the supermarket, but the things that I look at actually when i'm selecting a dumpling because I don't have Sophie to make my own, I don't like the pork, Like twenty one percent is quite low. When you look at some of the comparisons, you can get a lot higher.
So if I'm paying for a product like this, I want the more protein in the more pork. So even though it's relatively low fad and it doesn't have that much in it, I think it's pretty low when it comes to the pork content, and I don't like the msgry in it. I think most many of the options around and there is a really good pork dumpling at Audi I didn't have time to put. I should have put that on actually, but it doesn't have any of
the flavor and hearts are on it. So I personally wouldn't buy this just because I think the pork's too low and I don't like the MSG in it, and it is sort of a very common brand that you do see in the mainstream supermarket, so I think there are better ones out there. No, I'm like you, it's not the Ende of the world, but it wouldn't be a one that I would suggest or recommend just based on those two facts.
Definitely, Yeah, But I've looked at what that.
Stuff is, the langele powder. It's similar to ginger. It's in the same family as ginger and turmeric, and it's just a flavor, but it's from that family, which You're right. I've never heard of that before either. This it's basically a spice that they're using to give a little bit of flavor through. These dumplings taste great. I've eaten them before. They're really nice. It's just that if we're looking specifically
at quality, I think you can do better. And as I said, I'm not a big fan of MSG in processed food.
And then the next one we've got, Susie is Diana Chang's dumplings. So qurectly if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure she was on Master Chef, so I'm pretty excited to review her dumplings today. I mustn't better. I haven't tried them. Have you tasted hers before?
No, But she's got heaps of different ones, like it's in the section of dumplings, and they're a little bit more expensive because you only get two hundred and thirty grams for seven fifty, and the other packets you get three hundred, so they're sort of positioned as more of that boutique brand. But she's got sesh one and she's got pork and prawn and chicken. There's a whole range
of them. They're all colorful boxes and we do like to support Australian entrepreneurs around it, and I just chose like for like, So I picked the sess one pork in this category. But I haven't eaten these ones. And I'll tell you in a second if you read out the nutritionals, All right.
Well let's go so again. We're going to compare per one hundred grams, so we're serving size as per the packet is twenty six grams. We're going to give you the nutritional analysis on one hundred grams just so that we can compare similarly across the three dumpling. So we've got one thousand and seventy kilodules. When it comes to energy, we've got eight point three grams of protein, sixteen point five grams of fat. That's quite high fat with six
grams of saturated fat. That's quite a lot of saturated fat. As well. We've got eighteen grams of carbohydrates, which to me, you know, seems fairly normally in something like a dumpling, one point four grams of sugar again fairy standard, and three hundred and seventy eight milligrams of sodium, so not insignificant, but nothing that I'd be overly concerned about either. So
that's a nutritional analysis. When we look at the ingredient list, we've got pork thirty nine percent, so that's a lot higher than the previous product, which is twenty one percent. I must say that this is the Diana Chang's Seschuan pork dumplings as well, so pork thirty nine percent. The next ingredient SUSI, which is interesting, is pastry, so that's thirty one percent, and the pastry is made up of wheatflour, water,
vital wheat, gluten, and salt. And then she's got cabbage, onion, and soy sauce, cheese, sorry not cheese, chimes, ginger and some coffee, chives, ginger, canola oil, tapiocre starch, sugar, sweet peprika powder, chili oil, black vinegar, chili powder, garlic, and chesh one pepper so a lot of it sounds like a lot of ingredients, but they're all whole food based ingredients, just basically herbs and spices, and to make up that
flavor profile. The two big ingredients in there are the pork thirty nine percent and the pastry for thirty one percent. So I'm not loving the pastry in here, Susie. And that's why the fat content and the saturated fat content is so high in these in these dumplings, isn't it.
Because most sort of steam dumplings are very reasonably low in fat. So when I had a look at this, I was like, why is it so high in fat for these range? And when it said pastry but the other thing I wanted to ask you about, but there's no normally pastry. A true pastry will be made with butter. Butter that's why I'm so high. But I'm not seeing that. So is it just based on that? I can't even see where the fat at that percentage is coming from unless it's just all canola oil.
I think it's a mistake. I think because canola is quite low down there with the list. There's no way that there's sixteen point five grams of fat with canola being about the tenth ingredients, So I think that that is an error.
I think that they need to have butter on there.
I've never seen pastry made without butter. Yeah, I think there's absolutely butter in there, which would also explain the high saturated content.
That's what I thought too, So I agree. I think there's a mistake on this label because thirty one percent pastry is high. It is the amount of pork than in the first dumplings, which is a good thing, you know, if we look at the but I guess the protein doesn't really translate there as much as you perhaps would like it too. I guess eight point three per hundred, it's only two per dumpling, so we'll perserve. We're assuming that's a few dumplings. So yeah, I am a little
bit confused by the labels on this. Again, I wouldn't recommend this because it's high fat and dumpling steam dumplings should never really be high fat. They're quite a light food in general to enjoy, particularly if you can get ones that have got more veggies in them, more lean protein like prawns or pork. So yeah, I just found it an interesting product more than anything. One, why are
they using pastry? Two? Is that then have butter which it doesn't list, And yeah, so I just thought it was kind of interesting.
Overall, my brain automatically went, oh, allergy, just be wary if you do have children with something like a cow's milk protein and tolerance. If there is some butter which hasn't been disclosed in there, the company should really do something about that. And if there's no butter in there, then I would just get them to recheck their nutrition panel analysis because it just doesn't It doesn't really add up, does it really? No, there's something not quite right there.
No, No, it doesn't add up for me at all. It's odd to have high fat, kind of raw dumplings like that. It's odd for me to use pastry in them. And then if it is pastry, where's the butter? So I am a bit suss on that panel as well. So I think, yeah, just if anyone listening from that company, it's worth having a look at it. And I've just sort of flagged that as unusual as a mix as
an ingredient in general. So again, it wouldn't be my go to dumplings if I was buying some and I haven't previously bought them, probably because when I did have a quick look at the label, which I would have done, I wouldn't have liked that it's so high in fat for a product that should not be all right.
So sadly Diana Chang's doesn't get the big thumbs up from the nutrition cout today. But let's check out mister Chang's a barbecue pork dumpling. So one of the best flavors I think when it comes to dumplings is barbecue pork flavor. So mister Chang's barbecue pork dumplings are seven dollars fifty for three hundred grams, and serving size for
this packet is twenty gram so very small. But again we're going to compare via the one hundred gram So we've got seven hundred and twenty six kilodels, so under two hundred calories for a serve, nine point two grams of protein five grams of total fat, so quite significantly lower than the Diana Chang's brand, which had what was that Suzi sixteen point five so only is five grams of fat for one hundred grams here one point four grams of saturated fats are a lot lower, twenty one
point six grams of carbohydrate fairly standard, one point five grams of sugar, and two hundred and ninety two milligrams of sodium. So when we look at the ingredient panel here, the filling is sixty percent. So that's interesting just how they've laid that out. They've got the filling of sixty percent.
The pork in that sixty percent is pork forty six percent, which includes cabbage, onion, chassius sauce, color one point fifty a modified corn starch, acidity regulators, more color, soy sauce, sugar, chicken powder, salt, sesame or tapioca starch, pepper. And then they've got pastry which is forty percent, so that's wheat, flour, water, vegetable,
all salt, and tapioga stup. So the filling is sixty percent, the pastry is forty percent, and the filling it's mostly just pork, cabbage, and onion with a little bit of chastis sauce and some extra flavors. Isn't it too much going on?
I really like these. I've actually got these in my freezer at home because they taste really nice. And again I probably did look at the label. I love how it's laid out to say, sixty percent is the filling, forty you know, almost fifty is the pork, which I love, much higher than the ones we've seen in both cases. So the Diana there was twenty percent for the first forty, and so this is almost fifty percent pork, which is great.
There's no added MSG in it, and they're referring to it as pastry, but obviously that's just how they're referring to the wrapper the wrapper. And it's not a high fat because it's it's you know, almost a low fat product of just five grams per hundred, which isn't overly high for the volume of sort of wrapping you get. So I really like this. I think they're quite low in sodium for a product that is traditionally quite salty, admittedly leanne We will add loads of soy sauce, so
it's not a low salt meal. The sugars are the low of the three of those skewes that we've compared, So that's one point five per hundred was similar to sorry, the Diana ones, which are one point four, but compared to the others, which was double that at the same price point. You know, these are only seven fifty for three hundred grams, so you're getting a much better quality dumpling.
The taste is great and for the same price. So this is my standout of this section just by chance, as I sort of include the more in our diet. But yeah, I really like it. I think it's one of the best ones I've seen. I should have mentioned there is a really good Audi pork dumpling which again is pretty clean ingredient wise likely I think. I think it sells for five dollars for that bag, so that's definitely worth a look and a try, and we will
include that at a future date. But yeah, I think they're sort of my winners in this space as I become more familiar with the dumpling in the supermarket trolley.
Yeah, I think it's a good one. I think it's the green light from the Nutrition Couch today in terms of the three dumplings that we recommended or that we reviewed. Exactly perfect, hoodiful, and I must say that although it's got more than double the pork, the price hasn't changed.
It's seven fifty for three hundred gram so it's actually quite affordable when you think about it compared to you're paying the same price for just a lot more flour in the other type of dumplings versus you're actually getting some lean protein in this one, which is probably a lot better than just paying for a little bit of flour and water in the other product.
So true. And you know, as a meal, I would just do some out of ami with this, you know, for a quick and easy Sunday night dinner for the kids. You know, that's relatively cost effective. It's a great choice.
I throw some veggies and I throw some steam broccolini on the side, or something with a little garlic ginger, a little splash of soy on there. Get your veggies up. Maybe some bock choi or something as well. Some steam bock choy in brocolini could be. Some mushrooms could be a really wonderful side dish to this with the attamamae beans, and I think, as you said, you've got a complete, easy, easy Sunday meal which is probably ready in about ten
minutes flat, which is awesome, perfect, wonderful sous. That brings us to the end of the nutrition catch product review and dumpling week for another week, if you haven't done so already, don't forget to subscribe to us. We will be automatically delivered into your inbox. You don't even have to go and download us. If you subscribe to the Pops, you will automatically see us in your podcast app every
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Have a great week.