Basic Recipe: Suet Dumplings (2024)

Posted in Basic recipe | Tagged cooking, food, recipe | 12 Comments

12 Responses

1. on 19th June 2010 at 1:58 pm | Reply Alanna

   Can you tell me the best way to steam these dumplings? (will be filling with bacon and onion, not adding to a stew)
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   Welcome Alanna: I’m afraid that I have very little experience on steaming dumplings separately to stew, but I would put them in a steamer basket over a pan of gently simmering water, carefully turning them after a while if necessary, until they are cooked. I like the idea of filling them rather than putting them in with meat so I think I will experient with the idea when winter comes again. I do hope this works out for you and would be pleased to hear (via these comments) any information you have to pass back. Thanks!
   h/e

   
   

2. on 10th March 2012 at 11:07 pm | Reply Sue Schroter

   Try steaming dumplings in a bamboo Chinese steamer basket. This is how the Asian cooks steam their pork buns
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   Thank you Sue: Using a steamer basket, bamboo or metal, is definitely an option for cooking dumplings if you do not want them cooked in with the stew. Chinese dumplings are delicious!
   h/e

   
   

3. on 14th May 2012 at 2:02 pm | Reply Theresa Danderson

   See Also

   Standard Muffin Recipe - The Wholesome Dish

   My mother used to make large suet dumpling laying it out on cheese cloth fill the middle with sauted onion slices, sauteed chopped baby beef liver, fully chopped fried bacon (put what ever items to try for your own taste). Using butchers twine wrapping in a ladder pattern. Wrap firmly in the dumpling. Using a spaghetti pot, once boiling place the packet in so it can move around. I never got the recipe from my mom but I know what it tasted like. Your suet dumplings sound about what I remember.
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   Thanks for your comment and memories Theresa.
   Suet pastry can be rolled out and filled with either sweet or savoury filling: as a ‘jam roly-poly’ for example, which is a traditional British dish.
   As is usual, I am assuming your suet roll is wrapped in a couple of layers of greaseproof paper before tying with string. The liver, bacon and onion filling sounds good to me!
   I am sure the recipe I have outlined can be used to make a similar suet roll, with either beef or vegetarian suet. I hope you get a chance to try your family recipe.
   hopeeternal

   
   

4. on 13th April 2013 at 2:20 pm | Reply simon

   Hi just came across your site as I’m looking to try and make suet dumplings for the first time. When I was a child I loved them especially with mince. Don’t know if they’ll turn out like I remember but one can only try.
   I just have one comment to make and that’s on a previous post, why wait for winter personally I would eat stews and casseroles any time of year.
   —–
   Welcome Simon
   Of course you can eat dumplings whenever you want and they are not just for the winter but I can think of nothing more warming when the weather is cold. They are really simple to make so you are bound to be successful. Enjoy!
   h/e

   
   

5. on 14th July 2013 at 8:10 pm | Reply djpixc

   just about to try my mint dumplings, with a beef and koppaberg pear cider stew, just kind of improvised, i’ll let people know how they go, used dried mint and 2 teaspoons of mint sauce
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   Sounds interesting – will wait to hear how this turns out. Herby dumplings are lovely.
   h/e

   
   

6. on 17th July 2013 at 12:38 pm | Reply Jo Former Brighton girl

   Made plain dumplings last night with a chicken and veg stew despite the 36 degree heat, was in the mood for comfort food. They were so lovely.
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Glad you enjoyed them. Not sure I would have been so brave. I have been sticking to salads and staying out of the kitchen as much as possible!
h/e

   
   

7. on 17th November 2013 at 1:00 pm | Reply Uni student

   My dad always makes cheese dumplings, exactly the same as the recipe above but use grated cheese instead of suet. They’re delicious but I can never get them to taste as nice as his.
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   Thank you Rachel
   Grated cheese does make a very good and tasty substitute for suet. It’s one of the variations which I have not got round to posting. I wonder if your dad uses a particular type or brand of cheese to get the flavour you are trying to copy – or even just an extra mature type. A little mustard adds good flavour too (English for heat or, my favourite, Dijon) as does paprika or even some cayenne pepper. Thank you for the reminder – must make these again!
   h/e

   
   

8. on 7th May 2014 at 3:37 am | Reply Isabel Durkin

   My mother used a similar recipe but sometimes added 2oz of sugar and cooked them over stewed apples as a fantastic winter dessert. Brings back great memories.
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   Suet is lovely used for sweet desserts too. Just not good for the waistline! This post was concentrating on savouries hence no mention of Jam Roly Poly etc. Your mother’s method seems a useful and easy version and especially good for the cold weather.
   Thank you for getting in touch.
   h/e

   
   

9. on 17th December 2015 at 5:12 am | Reply wendy large

   Mine seem to use up all of the gravy in the stew and are sometimes stodgy. What am I doing wrong?!
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   Hello Wendy
   Dumplings are rather stodgy anyway – I often serve them in place of potatoes. The only suggestion I could make is that you use even more liquid in your dish so you have some gravy left. Hope this is helpful.
   h/e

   
   

10. on 15th October 2018 at 4:30 am | Reply Chris Lees

    Thank you for all the information here, much appreciated. I usually make homemade chicken stock the day before (chicken wings, carrots, celery, onion, other vegies in the fridge, garlic, salt etc.). So the base for the dumplings is nice and rich. Then on the day I make the dumplings (here it important to take a light hand – if you ‘overwork’ them they become tough).

    But even so I wanted to see if I could steam the dumplings and then just drop them into bowls of warm chicken soup (this leaves the original stock nice and clear, and obviously, makes the stock go further).

    My husband considers this a whole meal and really it is so easy to make.

    I am going to try the bamboo steamer method tonight. I might even mix the suet/flour with cold chicken stock instead of water. Anyway here goes…

    
    

11. on 11th October 2023 at 2:00 pm | Reply Su Woodco*ck

    We like Cheesey Dumplings. Could I add a handful of plain mashed potato to dumpling mix, do you think?
    Su from Not-So-Sunny Scarborough!

    
    

    • on 11th October 2023 at 2:52 pm | Reply hopeeternal

      Afraid I haven’t tried that. I’d suggest you experiment.