Ram & Rooster Dumplings, hot of the griddle
This next installment is from MMM’s Seattle bureau, reported by my intrepid sister, Maureen. It’s about hot Asian dumplings at a farmers market near you, if you happen to live in Seattle.
Thomasin Levin and Jen Lim, two restaurant veterans (pictured far right below, Thomasin on the left), decided to go it alone with handmade Chinese dumplings. They’re calling their fledgling business Ram & Rooster, after their respective Chinese astrological signs.
Turns out, according to an (authoritative?) Chinese astrology website, this is a “very difficult!” partnership, requiring a lot of work to make it work. This makes sense. Dumplings are a lot of work to make.
But Maureen tells me things are going just fine. Last Sunday was the first official public trial at the Meadowbrook Farmer’s Market on Seattle’s north side. She lent a hand at the booth (pictured above wearing the black cap), but not for long. The dumplings sold out in an hour and a half.
What are these dumplings? Pork or vegan (now I understand the Ram/Rooster division), accented with a couple of condiments. The pork was augmented with ginger, cabbage, and green onions while the vegan comprised finely chopped mushrooms, carrots, and vermicelli noodles. Glasses of lychee lemonade were on hand as a post-dumpling refresher.
They’re all smiles about hitting the market this Sunday as well, armed with more dumplings. See, I knew this whole dumpling business was a lot of work. Once you get people hooked, they’ll be after you until you make more…
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Today was a hit yet again for Ram and Rooster Dumplings. Despite the Seattle rain we had our regulars eager for their favorites (two weeks in and we recognize who wants ‘em more!) Our customers were in for a treat as this week Jen came up with a recipe for chicken dumplings with ground chicken, ginger and other goodies – some told us these were a new favorite.
The other vendors of Meadowbrook Farmers Market are very welcome to the new food booth and we have arranged dumpling trade for produce, sauces or other farmers market treats. One keen customer and neighbor vendor provided Jen and Thomasin produce for next week’s dumplings – fresh carrots, green onion, cilantro and more.
It is so much fun to be a part of this Seattle community of small businesses and local food suppliers. Hooray to the slow food movement!
Wow thanks for the great article!
Nice looking dumplings!
lm