A dumpling craving

Thank God the weather cooled down. Up until yesterday, the city was blanketed by steamy, stagnate, oppressive heat. Temperatures topped 42 degrees with humidex. I turned the air conditioner on for the first time on Tuesday. And I tried to think cool thoughts (ice cubes, meat lockers, January). Most of my meals these days are coming from the vegetable crisper in the fridge. Or from ordering off a menu.

But then I started thinking about pork dumplings in the middle of the heat wave. Not sure why. Maybe my body was tired of salad and ice cream. I'm not one to question a craving. I usually keep pork dumplings sitting in the back of the freezer. I like to fold a few dozen of them and then stuff them into freezer bags for slow consumption. (Walk into my apartment on a dumpling folding day and it’s a dumpling explosion -- trays of the little guys cover my kitchen counter, coffee table and desk.) So I rooted around my freezer and found I still had a bag and a half left.

The key to cooking dumplings during a heat wave is to make them when it’s least hot outside. I decided on six o’clock in the morning. So I turned on my stove for the first time in a week and a half. I love waiting for the dumplings to bob to the top of the pot. And when scooping them out, watching the dough wrinkle around the filling. A dab of chili sauce and a splash of vinegar -- they were delicious.