Going loco for local: Dimplin’s dumplings are quickly becoming a freezer staple

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a very interesting looking box in my freezer — frozen vegetable dumplings from Dimplin, a local company with some very cute packaging. The box was pale blue with a picture of some very tasty looking dumplings on it.

We went through the whole box, and I reordered them from Dimplin’s own website — the first box was purchased from Springs. Alas, ordering them made me realise that I am quite a fool. I purchased a deal of four boxes for Rs3,500 — two vegetable, one chicken shittake and one Nepali momos — but I didn’t do the math properly before purchasing it. In fact, I just did the math while writing this story and realised I would have been better off buying the boxes separately, because the deal means each box is for Rs875 per box. The vegetable dumplings cost Rs750 for a box.

I can’t do anything but laugh at my own stupidity, because this was entirely my own fault. Lesson learned, next time, buy them separately or order more of the momos and chicken shittake dumplings, because those cost more than Rs875 per box.

On to the review.

There are two methods to make the dumplings — steaming or pan frying. I’ve tried both and I much prefer the steamed version, but that requires a steamer, so if you don’t have one, you’ll have to make do with pan frying them.

I unearthed a metal steamer from the back of my kitchen cupboard that hasn’t been used for years — my dad once hopped on the steamed vegetables train for a couple of months — and using it was so easy. Following the instructions on the box is also very easy, though I steamed them for less than the specified 10 to 15 minutes and they turned out fine.

Making them was so easy in fact that I kept poking them because it seemed too easy and my mind kept telling me to poke the dumplings to check what was going on. I didn’t need to do that at all and ended up poking a hole in one of them, so another lesson learned.

My adventure with pan frying the dumplings was not as smooth. The method to pan fry dumplings written on the box, I have since been informed, is correct. You fry the dumplings in oil, then add water to the pan and cook till it evaporates. I think I used too big a pan to make the dumplings and therefore put too much water in my attempt to submerge 1/3 of the dumplings, as instructed by the box. I ended up having to pour out the water.

Overall, it was easier to just steam the dumplings. I now have visions of heading to the Chinese store in Bukhari Commercial and picking up a bamboo steamer to try making the dumplings in. Perhaps that will make them even better?

I haven’t tried the other flavours yet, but the vegetable ones had a great filling. It was very flavourful, despite literally being just vegetables. The box comes with a packet of chilli oil, but you can totally have the dumplings without it.

The quantity of chilli oil is quite a bit but since it comes in a plastic packet, I wasn’t too keen on refreezing it. The packet defrosted very fast — in the eight or so minutes I took to steam the dumplings, it was ready to eat. It’s not my favourite chilli oil on the market, but it pairs well with the dumplings.

The arguments I have heard since I said I was reviewing frozen dumplings are that they’re so easy to make them at home and that spending money on frozen dumplings is wasteful. My answer to that is yes, they may be but so is everything else.

I am a person who values convenience over all else. My frugal ancestors must roll in their graves every time I buy frozen fries or kababs because I should be making them myself. But, convenience is king. I can pop two dumplings into the steamer and have them ready for a single bowl of ramen, and that, my friends, is real convenience. I’m happy to pay money to have yummy dumplings at hand to spice up my ramen whenever I make it — lunch, dinner or even a very late night snack.

I’ve purchased all three flavours and plan to try them out. So far, I’m on the second box of vegetable dumplings and I know when these boxes finish, I’ll be stocking up on some more.

Price-wise, I’m on the fence. I’m sure you can get cheaper dumplings (as mentioned earlier, the vegetable ones are Rs750 for a box of 12) but till I find ones that are both cheaper and as delicious, I’m going to be buying Dimplin. The dumplings are decently sized — the same as what you’d get at any restaurant — but I don’t think many restuarants have this many for this price.

They’re available at Springs in Karachi’s Bukhari Commercial, and online for a delivery fee of Rs400. They appear to only deliver in Karachi, but I’d suggest contacting them directly for shipping options to other cities.

I’m giving Dimplin four out of five stars.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

This article is part of an ongoing series on supporting local products. All the products are independently evaluated and reviewed by a member of the Images team and reflect their personal opinions. If you’re a local business and would like to be featured, reach out to us at imagesdawndotcom@gmail.com.