No West Indian meal for the holidays is complete without dumplings. Having dumplings as a side with my Thanksgiving entree speaks to the warm nostalgia of my childhood. Caribbean dumplings can be made for any holiday occasion, as it’s a simple yet delicious staple for cuisine.
They are soft, so flavorful, and oh so delicious! With just some water, flour, some baking powder, and optional butter, you can create a simple and accessible side for your festivities. Eat dumplings with your favorite stew and soups, or maybe accompany them with some rice to elevate any meal and create a nest of happiness that needs to be shared.
The beauty of this dish is that it can be tailored to your liking to make it as hearty or as humble as you prefer. The shape and size, as well as the flavor and texture, are reflective of the different islands that make it, as well as who is eating them and who makes them. All in all, this comforting staple brings warmth to the Thanksgiving table, so why not make some of your own?
Here’s what you need to know before you get started.
Ingredients
The fabulous part about this recipe is it includes staples that you already have in your home. You will need:
- Flour (You can use gluten-free flour, if you’d like, or any flour of choice)
- Baking powder
- Water (You cannot make dumplings without water!)
- Salt
- Butter (optional)
Fun fact about this recipe? A lot of Caribbeans will not use the plural “s” form to describe certain foods. For example, we will call it “plantain” instead of “plantains.” Or “dumpling” instead of “dumplings.”
So let’s start on our dumpling!
Steps
- First, you will bring a saucepan or some sort of stockpot to boil (you can use oil or water).
- Then, in a bowl, you will add your flour, salt, and, if wanted, your butter.
- The next step is to slowly add the water into the bowl as you knead the dough. Knead the dough until you create a ball. Try not to make it too sticky, and if it feels sticky, add some more flour. If it seems too dry, add more water.
- Leave the dough covered with either a kitchen towel or a paper towel for about 10 minutes. This helps the dough to set.
- You are then going to add flour to your hands (my favorite part) and start on your dough balls. With dumpling, you can make it into a sphere shape or more of a flattened circular shape. I like my dumpling in spheres. You are going to break off the dough into a golf ball size and set them on the side until you are finished with all of the dough. Then, the magic happens.
- Going back to your saucepan or pot, heat it up until it’s about 170°C (or, honestly, until you put a fleck of salt into the oil and it sizzles.) The dumplings are ready to cook! Drop your balls of dumpling into the pan, and be very careful not to overcook them.
- Fry the dumpling for approximately 4-6 minutes, making sure you turn them halfway so the inside is cooked through. Place them onto a kitchen towel to get rid of any excess oil.
- Boom. Delicious and ready to eat or serve with your choice of stew or entree. Enjoy!
