Life List: 2025 in 15 lifestyle objects
Dumplings: Back in trend with a fresh wrap of regional flavours
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The Quan Jia Fu (All In One) dumpling bowl at Chuxin Wonton comprises 15 wonton.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
- Dumplings are trending in Singapore due to handmade preparation, visible cooking, and good value.
- Yuen Kee Dumpling plans rapid expansion, aiming for 50 outlets in three years, with 9 by the end of 2025.
- Other dumpling brands like Chuxin Wonton and Jiao Tai Yuan plan new outlets by 2026, showcasing regional Chinese styles.
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SINGAPORE – As diners gravitate towards food which offers good value and is handmade before their eyes, dumplings have become one of 2025’s trending eats.
The everyman staple drew renewed interest as new brands showcased their founders’ home-town traditions, giving diners a taste of the many varied facets of China’s dumpling culture.
At these new concepts, glass-panelled open kitchens offered views of dumplings being wrapped to order – a clear display of freshness and kitchen hygiene.
One of them is Guangzhou-based Yuen Kee Dumpling, which offers Cantonese-style dumplings, such as its popular Shrimp & Vegetable Pork Dumplings ($9.80 for 10).
The brand is on a rapid expansion track. Its first Singapore outlet opened at Fortune Centre in late 2024. It is on course to open nine outlets by the end of 2025, from Nex and VivoCity to 313@Somerset and Funan, with two more – at Rivervale and Suntec City – arriving in December. It aims for up to 50 outlets in three years, with 30 slated to open by the end of 2026.
Yuen Kee Dumpling outlet at Food Republic at 313@Somerset. The Guangzhou-based chain, which offers Cantonese-style dumplings, aims for up to 50 outlets in three years, with 30 slated to open by the end of 2026.
PHOTO: YUEN KEE DUMPLING
Chuxin Wonton in Joo Chiat, which highlights Qingdao-style fillings such as its Spanish Mackerel, Pork And Chives Wonton ($11.90 for 12), plans to open another outlet in the east by end-2026.
Chuxin Wonton in Joo Chiat, which highlights Qingdao-style fillings such as its Spanish Mackerel, Pork And Chives Wonton, plans to open another outlet in the east by end-2026.
ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO
Jiao Tai Yuan Handmade Dumplings, specialising in northern Chinese dumplings featuring ingredients such as matsutake mushrooms, is planning four new outlets in 2026.
Its signature dish is Pickled Mustard Shoots with Pork Pan-fried Dumpling ($8.80 for 10). Sichuan-sourced Ya Cai Gan is soaked for three hours, rinsed several times, then fried in chicken fat and pork lard – yielding a savoury filling that sets it apart from the usual chive-and-pork versions elsewhere.
Also from northern China is Zhang Ji Yun Jiao, which offers Shandong-style xiao long bao made with fermented dough. The Pork & Scallion Xiao Long Bao ($7.80 for six) features a lightly seasoned pork filling, while the Shandong-style Marinated Pork Xiao Long Bao ($7.80 for six) uses the northern-style filling of minced pork fried with fermented bean paste for a savoury depth.
The chain started with one eatery at Grantral Mall @ Clementi in January and a second one in Holland Village in August. It then moved into foodcourts with an outlet at Food Junction at Junction 8 in September. It will open another food court stall at Westgate by the end of December.
What can we say? It’s a wrap.
