Dip inside for delicious dumplings this winter

Beef momos from Sikkim Hut in Thornwood. Amy Sowder photos

Above and below, khinkali dumplings from Badageoni Georgian in Mount Kisco.

By AMY SOWDER

When the bitter winter winds chill your bones, it’s comforting to turn to those steaming-hot culinary cushions we call dumplings. 

Spiced ground meats, seafood and vegetables nestle in thin sheets of dough twisted up top or pinched at the seams for something soft, warm, filling and oh-so savory. Get them fried, steamed or boiled, but don’t cut them: Eat a dumpling in one bite as originally intended centuries ago.

Well, except for the large soup dumpling variety, so comforting that it even seals some broth safely within its folds like a nurturing grandmother keeping the soup warm on the stove for you. Take a nibble off the top, just enough to slurp the soup out before eating the rest, whole. Otherwise, the inside meat and broth will spill out. And that’s no fun.

Almost every region worldwide has its own version of a dumpling — ravioli, pierogi, madombi, and even empanadas.

“I like the platter where you get a variety, which is helpful if you’re not familiar. I go for the spicy sauce with it,” said Nancy Boone, who sampled a momo platter at Sikkim Hut when it opened Jan. 2 in Thornwood, just south of Pleasantville.

In northern Westchester and its neighboring towns, villages and hamlets, these eateries offer a variety of Asian-style dumplings.

Himalaya Yorktown

Well known for its dumplings, this jewel of northern Westchester is a haven for those seeking something different in these parts. Expect options from Nepal, Tibet, India and more. These Nepali-style dumplings have more spice — not necessarily the hot kind — mixed into the meaty filling than the Tibetan and Sikkim kind. Order the vegetable, chicken or beef and choose whether you want the six pillowy pockets deep-fried or steamed. They come with a specialty spicy-hot tomato sauce. We suggest the momo set, like a variety pack of two each for a total of six. Previously called Jewel of Himalaya, this restaurant has consistently earned good reviews from local and regional media the last 15 years.

Himalaya Yorktown is located at 34 Triangle Center, Yorktown Heights.

Tzen Asian Bistro 

This place encompasses a lot of Asian cuisines, from Vietnam and Thailand to China and Japan, to Mongolia and Malaysia. The dumplings are in the menu’s dim sum section, a category of small dishes traditionally served in Chinese tea houses. While all the Shanghai-style dumplings come with a balsamic ginger sauce, this place has a plethora of dumpling choices: a six-piece gyoza option of Japanese seafood potstickers; shumai, steamed Japanese shrimp dumplings, come in sixes; a cantonese shumai filled with shrimp, pork and mushrooms, and more. 

Tzen Asian Bistro is located at 20 North Salem Road, Cross River.

Sikkim Hut

After the couple met in Queens, chef-owner Dendup Sherpa and wife Dawa Tsamchut started testing the market for momos at the Pleasantville Farmers Market and Ramsey Farmers Market in New Jersey. 

Results showed that the public wants these momos — the dumpling of the Himalayan region between China to the north and India in the south. Unlike dim sum dumplings, momos are more rustic and opaque, using dough made from all-purpose flour.

So the couple opened Sikkim Hut on Jan. 2 in the old D Thai Kitchen, expanding the menu to nearly 100 Himalayan, Indian and Indo-Chinese dishes in addition to momos.

Sherpa hails from Sikkim, a small northernmost section of India sandwiched between Bhutan on the east side and Nepal on the west side, where Tsamchut grew up. Momos originated in Tibet just north of Sikkim, so Sherpa’s style is similar. “Mine tries to allow you to taste the meat,” Sherpa said, “When you bite, you feel ginger, onion, and meat flavor. The spicy sauce comes on the side if you want it.”

You can order momos steamed, pan-fried, or deep-fried with mild, medium or hot sauce on the side. Filling choices range from chicken, vegetable, chicken and cheese, beef, and beef and chives.

But go for the momo platter, which includes eight momos cooked each way, plus momo chillis, which has Sherpa’s chutney-like sauce atop it.

Sikkim Hut is located at  677 Commerce St., Thornwood.

Tengda Asian Bistro

This sushi bar and pan-Asian restaurant pumps out cold and hot dishes from its two kitchens. Keep an eye out for four types of well-crafted dumplings: homemade pork and vegetable dumplings with balsamic vinegar sauce and shiitake mushrooms; pan-fried Gyoza, a Japanese-style dumpling with pork and vegetables; steamed vegetable dumplings; and shrimp shumai, a steamed shrimp dumpling.

Tengda Asian Bistro is located at 286 Katonah Ave., Katonah.

Peking City

At this Chinese-American go-to when the craving hits, get an order of six spicy fried pork dumplings with garlic sauce. Or go for the boiled or fried pork dumplings or the boiled or fried vegetable dumplings.

Peking City is located at 138 Bedford Road, Katonah.

Badageoni Georgian Restaurant

Georgia, a country that straddles Eastern Europe and West Asia, is in the South Caucasus mountain region. The cuisine’s diversity is reflected in its many borders: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, Russia, and the Black Sea. The khinkali dumpling is Georgia’s version, made of thick, twisted knobs of dough stuffed with meat, fish or vegetables and spices.

The authentic Georgian way to eat the country’s soup dumplings is with your bare hands: Grab the twisted knob, turn it upside down, take a tiny bite to slurp out the soup and then eat the rest, in a few bites if necessary, as they’re often built to the size of a fist.

An order comes with five meaty khinkali. Some may see it as an appetizer, while others make it a meal. 

Badageoni Georgian Restaurant is located at 26 East Main St., Mount Kisco.

North Star Restaurant

Elevated comfort food without any particular country or region in mind, North Star’s executive chef, Matt Riha, and his kitchen staff just creates what they like, what guests want and what works. Riha’s recent take on dumplings is a starter dish that’s small but intensely rich. These elegant crescents are much smaller than the large Chinese bao-style dumplings, and it’s a good thing, too, because it’s so decadent. Filled with duck confit, the dumplings luxuriate in an apple-rosemary puree, a sauce that adds an herbal brightness to balance the deep umami of the poultry cooked in its own fat.

North Star Restaurant is located at 85 Westchester Ave., Pound Ridge.

Fatt Root

Inspired by boldly flavored Asian street food, this eatery’s dumplings are not so traditional — nor are they trying to be. The restaurant has three kinds of dumplings on its menu’s snack section: kale, tahini, furikake and scallions; chicken, crispy shallots and spicy peanut chili oil; and shrimp, scallions and sambal aioli. Flavorful and fun, the portion size is less meal-sized and more appetizer or small plate sized, as its category suggests.

Fatt Root is located at 11 Wheeler Ave., Pleasantville.

Miyabi Asian Bistro

Miyabi serves Japanese and Southeast Asian cuisine plus sushi. Part of the appetizers from the kitchen are several kinds of dumplings, starting with shumai, steamed shrimp dumplings. Then there’s the popular gyoza, including a pan-fried pork dumpling and a pan-fried vegetable dumpling.

Miyabi Asian Bistro is located at 25 Wheeler Ave., Pleasantville.