Get your chopsticks ready for juicy dumplings with various fillings at Sri Petaling’s Fu Man Yuan Dumpling City

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 5 — Dumplings hold a special place in my heart, purely because it’s linked to happy memories. 

It’s a tale I probably told before but when I nibble on these pouches stuffed with meat, it brings back days in Hong Kong with my uncle. 

His wife is from Northern China, specifically Harbin, where it’s tradition to serve homemade boiled dumplings or shui jiao during Chinese New Year.

Today, the food scene has seen more dumpling joints popping up but sadly the few I tried are just not up to the mark. 

Perhaps the dumpling gods knew I just needed a push from a friend to seek out this Sri Petaling place for this type of dumplings.

In this area, it’s a sea of eateries of all kinds, competing fiercely for your precious stomach space. 

Dumplings with juicy fillings  like minced pork and Chinese chives (left) or the mutton with leeks (right). — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

Apparently Fu Man Yuan Dumpling City is relatively new with five years under its belt, versus its original shop in Puchong that has been in business for 20 years!

It’s truly a dumpling wonderland – 12 different types of dumplings fashioned from pork, shrimp, mutton, chicken and even fish – served boiled or pan fried. 

Pork and Chinese Chives (RM13) is my favourite and for good measure, I threw in Mutton and Leek (RM16) too. 

Each order has 10 pretty large dumplings, making them a complete meal on its own, just like how they are eaten in Northern China.  

The wheat flour skin may look rough and just a wee thicker than the homemade ones I am used to but once boiled, it’s tender and easy to bite through to get to the juicy filling with just a little broth.  

The cold Qiang Ban Gan Dou Fu uses compressed beancurd cut into strips and tossed with cucumber and carrots. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

The pork filling is moist and packed with loads of chopped Chinese chives, giving it a subtle garlic taste. 

In contrast, the mutton filling has a meatier flavour that overpowers any subtle flavour of leeks used, while the meat has random chewy bits. 

Both my choices were boiled but it’s also nice pan fried for a caramelised brown bottom. 

While I would have liked another plate of dumplings since that’s all I am happy with, I did add a cold dish and noodles.

Various noodles can be ordered like this Rou Sui Ban Mian with chewy noodles drenched in a meat sauce with cucumber and carrots. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

Qiang Ban Gan Dou Fu (RM18) may look like a cold noodle dish but those “strands” are actually compressed tofu cut into thin strips, giving a chewier, meat-like texture when combined with the refreshing cucumber and carrots. 

Among all the noodle choices, I selected the Rou Sui Ban Mian (RM9.90), a combination of flat, wide and most importantly bouncy noodles drenched in a savoury meat sauce, lightened up with shredded cucumber and carrots. 

The menu stretches beyond dumplings with cold dishes, various noodles with soup or fried, and cooked dishes like their version of sweet and sour pork known as guo bao rou with crispy textures.

It’s clearly evident from all the photos of dumplings (left) that this is the signature item for Fu Man Yuan Dumpling City (right) which is located at the heart of Sri Petaling’s busy restaurant scene. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

Fu Man Yuan Dumpling City

12A, Jalan Radin Bagus 1, 

Bandar Baru Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur.

Open: 10am to 10pm. Closed on Tuesday.

Tel: 012-9219613

* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.

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