Local Gem: Prepare for a Peaceful Year Ahead with a Plate of Dumplings from Sister Man's

Local Gem is an exploration of Beijing’s diverse palate. Get out of your comfort zone and try something new! To share your own neighborhood pride, please contact us via editor@thebeijinger.com

From winter solstice to Spring Festival, there's one dish that you'll find on the dining table of many a Northern Chinese family: dumplings. It's an irreplaceable part of Chinese cuisine the world over, and decidedly more so than popular dishes abroad like General Tso's Chicken.

This humble homestyle dish might seem simple to make, but it's truly a meal that's greater than the sum of its parts. Making the filling, preparing the dough, and then wrapping up the delicate, thin package and boiling it leaves little room for error. Perhaps most importantly, however, it's a dish that embodies the teamwork that can only be found during a family reunion.

Unfortunately, for the many workers and laborers who migrate to a big strange city like Beijing, gathering with loved ones to enjoy this age-old tradition can be difficult. And in no uncertain terms, going through a winter without dumplings is quite possibly the saddest thing for a Northern Chinese second only to having central heating turned off while winter is still raging.

Of course, it isn't difficult to find a dumpling restaurant in Beijing, but it can be difficult to find one that isn't disappointing and entirely unable to cure the stinge of nostalgia. Because oftentimes, instead of the savory juice you'd be hoping for, the dumplings served at these places are usually packed with salt, leaving you parched and begging for water before you've consumed the first dozen.

Luckily, just in time for Spring Festival, there's a place called 满姐饺子 mǎn jiě jiǎozi Sister Man's Dumplings, a restaurant that offers up truly homestyle dumplings: hearty filling tucked within a thin wrapper that locks all the juices inside, their flavors lingering on the tongue without any worry of the mouth drying out.

Despite being a chain, Sister Man's Dumplings manages to maintain a consistently solid reputation across all its branches. The one I visited is located on B1 of Jin Bao Hui Shopping Mall and, without fail, every time I go it's the busiest restaurant on that level. Devoid of any fancy decor or sales gimmicks, the humble dumplings served here are the restaurant's ace in the hole, keeping customers returning again and again.

If frozen dumplings sold at the supermarket are a Mini Cooper, then these are luxury sedans – not only bigger in size but also packed with much more filling. Veritable pouches of beautifully unified skin that carry diverse fillings such as pork, lamb, shrimp, beef, egg, sea cucumber, green onion, chives, fennel, beans and carrots.

What's more, like an experienced matchmaker, Sister Man pairs each dumpling to offer diners both a timeless and new experiences. And for truly adventurous souls or those with a hopeless sweet tooth, the brand also boasts durian dumplings. 

The mere thought of this whimsical combination is enough to set some folks running, but stands as a delicacy for those who embrace the temptation of this king of the fruit. Personally, I think the durian dumpling is a spontaneous and fun attempt that opens up the possibilities for sweet dumplings. These dumplings look like a pile of golden pillows, and their unique scent and creamy texture fill up your mouth once you sink your teeth into the durian wonderland. To pair with its rich flavor and refresh the palate, the dipping sauce is an innovative mix of peppercorn powder, grapefruit zest, and salt.

If dumplings aren't your thing, Sister Man’s Dumplings has plenty of other authentic Beijing dishes to satisfy your curiosity or scratch that nostalgic itch.

A couple of choice options include 红烧带鱼 hóngshāo dàiyú red braised hairtail chops, an iconic seafood dish that most Beijingers remember fondly from their childhood. Given that the city is far removed from the ocean, seafood has always been rather limited in Beijing, with hairtail being one of the only options, so local chefs have perfected cooking this ingredient. 芥末墩儿 jièmò dūn er Mustard pile is another dish worth trying, not necessarily for its taste but simply as a personal challenge.

As a local Beijinger, I've found this humble dish made from napa cabbage leaves and mustard paste even more challenging than the notorious 豆汁儿 dòuzhī er fermented soy milk. Served on Spring Festival Eve dining tables, it helps to break down the grease found in other recipes and has even been known to induce a tear or two if the chef is particularly heavy-handed with the mustard paste.

And last but not the least, my favorite hometown treat that is relatively unknown, 麻豆腐 má dòufu, nope, not 麻婆豆腐 má pó dòufu, which, since I couldn’t find an official name, I will simply call leftover tofu. This dish is made with the starch residue that comes from grinding beans for soy milk. During the fermentation process, the liquid becomes the fermented soy milk while the grainy, dense sediment becomes the key ingredient of this dish. Sounds pretty unappealing, right?

However, once you stir fry it with chili peppers, beans, Beijing pickles, and most importantly lamb fat, these cheap ingredients burst with an irresistible earthy and hearty fragrance that combines the essence of both the beans and lamb. True soul food for the working class and those who can't be bothered about how much starch and fat they eat in a meal.

So with Lunar New Year just around the corner, and a continued inability to travel home for migrant laborers and expats alike, perhaps order some dumplings from Sister Man. And may the Year of the Tiger be just as fulfilling and flavorful as your dumplings.  

Sister Man‘s Dumplings 满姐饺子
B1-221, 222, Jin Bao Hui Shopping Mall, No. 88 Jinbao Street, Dongcheng District
东城区金宝街88号金宝汇购物中心B1-221, 222号
Daily. 10:30am-9pm

READ: Craving Butterbeer? Skip the Lines (and Prices) at Universal and Head to Yoshinoya Instead

Images: Zeus Zou, 小高姐的 Magic Ingredients