Choripdong Frozen Dumplings

These Choripdong frozen dumplings are generically named, but not generically flavored. The filling is a little bit of green stuff, very small noodle bits, and finely minced mushroom, and has a distinctly mushroomy but not too strong flavor. They are a sort of odd shape, like a flattened gyoza shape. They're sort of floppy when cooked. The dumpling skin is on the thicker side, and the dumplings are not stuffed full, but that's reasonable considering the good flavor of the filling. These were good steamed, but I think they would also be great lightly fried!

Score: 4.5/5 - These were good. The mushroom flavor of the filling stands out and the wrapper is chewy. Maybe my we favorite dumplings from H Mart.

Gong De Lin Steamed Bun with Shiitake Mushrooms

These Gong De Lin mushroom buns are pretty good! They are on the large side, with fluffy dough. The filling proportion is reasonable, and the filling does escape a bit but it's not bad considering that the filling is chopped veggies. The title is a little misleading, as the dominant part of the filling is greens, spinach-y cabbage-y greens, with a little bit of mushroom thrown in. It's all cooked relatively evenly with no hard weird bits, unlike some of the other greens buns. The flavor is good overall, but it's simple. I cooked these in the steamer, but they are big enough that they touch the bottom of the lid!

Score: 4/5 - These are a great example of the typical "greens" dumplings, which is not a super exciting thing, but a tasty solid choice none the less.

NanXiang Vegetable Mushroom Bun

These NanXiang Vegetable Mushroom Buns are from Kam Man. I bought these because I don't think I had seen the brand before. Kam Man's frozen goods selection kinda works that way, you find something you like and then it goes away and there's new stuff in it's place, and maybe eventually the old stuff comes back. You can never be sure in the frozen aisle. (The rest of the store is a little like that, but it's the most noticable in the freezer case!) These buns are a medium size, with a good filling to dough ratio. The filling has greens and actually noticeable pieces of mushroom, the flavor is good but plain. I had trouble keeping everything inside the bun, as these are larger chopped pieces without binder. I thought these were just OK, but Ross thought they were pretty good. I would consider buying them again, to fill that greens-tasting bun slot.

Score: 3.5/5 - Good but not amazing. Nice to have something that says "mushroom" on the package and has noticeable mushroom bites.

Haioreum Mushroom Dumpling

Another selection from H Mart! These are Haioreum brand dumplings, which seems to be a common Korean brand. As you can see in the second picture, I steamed these dumplings. These dumplings are larger than most of the dumplings I buy, except maybe the circular ones. The skin is thicker than on some of the other dumplings I've bought, but seems in proportion to the size! The thick skin does help when steaming, since it's less likely to rip when you are pulling these out of the steamer. (Side note, I should really start buying the pre-punched steamer liner papers instead of cutting little squares for each dumpling, which is tedious. Gotta find those...) As the dumplings cool post-steaming, the skin toughens up but I actually like the bit of added chewiness. As for the filling, it's OK. It's not very mushroom-y for a mushroom dumpling. There are noodle bits, small pieces of scallion or leek, and some vegetable protein crumbles as well. The texture was OK, the dumplings weren't over-filled so it didn't try to escape too much. I wasn't that impressed with the filling flavor or texture, really. I did like the skins, so I would try these dumplings in another flavor for sure.

Again, look at how huge these things are!

Score: 3.5/5 - Awesomely huge with good dumpling wrapper, wish the flavor were more exciting.

Shanghai Garden Spring Rolls

Are these Shanghai Garden Spring Rolls the same as these? I don't have the package from that previous batch of spring rolls, but the descriptions seem the same on the box versus the the plastic bag. I do think they're the same, but I liked them a lot better this second time around. I again put them in the toaster oven, but I think I let them bake less so they were less dried out. I tasted the mushroom bits more. So, I guess I am upgrading my grade!

Score: 3.5/5 - I liked them better than last time. Baking them less leaves everything more tender.

Shanghai Kitchen Crispy Gourmet Mini Spring Rolls

I'm not sure exactly of the name of the product here, there's a lot of writing on the box! But, these are pretty traditional veggie spring rolls with noodle bits and cabbage. They have mushrooms, but only little pieces, which add only occasional flavor. I baked these in the toaster oven, and they attained crispiness, but I think they might have been better deep fried or something. The shells were a little too tough. At least the rolls worked well with the assorted sauces. Anyway, these did not stand out, but were alright.

Score: 2.5/5 - Simple, plain veggie spring rolls. Acceptable but not worth buying again.

Wei-Chuan Vegetable Mushroom Bun

These Vegetable Mushroom Buns are confusingly similar to the Mushroom & Chinese Spinach Buns from the same brand. However, these are not quite as good. The filling is in a similar vein, with green vegetable and mushroom bits, but here the vegetable greens are more like scallions or chard stems. The green bits are a little on the tough side, but on the plus side, the filling isn't too soggy, which can be a problem with green bits fillings. These are OK, but the vegetable mushroom ones are better!

Score: 3/5 - Doable, but not especially exciting. Another one I enjoyed more than Ross.

Wei-Chuan Mushroom & Chinese Spinach Bun

Wei-Chuan has turned out to be a pretty good brand on the whole. (These are from H Mart, but I think I have also bought the brand at Kam Man.) These Mushroom & Chinese Spinach Buns are pretty good. The greens are pretty spinach-y, the mushroom bits are not particularly impressive but not a problem. There's a good helping of filling in proportion to the dough. The filling isn't too damp, considering it's a frozen spinach filling, and the the pieces are chopped finely. The dough is on the lighter side, but not more notable than that.

Score: 4/5 - Good, some of the better "spinach" buns I've had. Ross isn't into them, but I am!

Prime Food Vegetable Dumpling with Cabbage and Mushroom

These froze dumplings from Kam Man were really good. Though, what struck me about them first is how they do not match the picture on the bag... The ones on the bag look like gyoza type dumplings, long, with thin skins, like the Day-Lee ones. The actual dumplings have a thick, chewy skin and are squatter. After the initial doubt played out, I decided that these were pretty good. The way we made them, was to boil them first for five minutes or so, then to pan fry them. The original instructions just said to boil, but I like the extra texture afforded by pan frying. These guys are a little tougher than the gyoza style ones usually are, so they are able to take it. Even little rips don't necessitate a loss of filling. And on the topic of filling, I have to give these good marks. The little bit of mushroom in the dumplings is tastable, and the filling sticks together without being pasty.

Score: 4/5 - Chewy, satisfying skin, and simple, well-textured filling. These have hit the top of the list for veggie dumplings so far.

Vegetable Delight Buns

These Kimbo Vegetable Delight Buns are another Kam Man score, from the frozen aisle. I served these during a dim sum brunch at my house, and they were universally liked. These buns are big, with a good soft dough. The praise-filled descriptions included phrases like "pleasant earthy aroma" and "delicate mushroom flavor", which are pretty accurate to me. The filling didn't have much crunch, but there was a little texture. Overall, these were pleasant buns, with a pretty unique but gentle flavor. (Most mixed vegetable buns are cabbagy, which is not bad, but they are very similar to each other...)

Score: 4/5 - Dug'em! Wish there were more than three in a pack!