Celebrate Lunar New Year With These Take-Home Dumpling Kits

Chef Kenneth Wan and his wife, Doris Yuen, have big plans for 2023. The owners of Meta Asian Kitchen at Avanti (3200 Pecos Street) are behind one of the most anticipated openings of the year as they prepare to move their food-hall stall into a stand-alone brick-and-mortar at 39 West First Avenue by late summer or early fall.

But first, the duo has cooked up something special to commemorate the Lunar New Year on January 22, which will usher in the Year of the Rabbit. Now through January 19 (or until they're sold out), you can order three varieties of take-home dumpling kits: chicken and chive dumplings, chicken and shrimp wontons, and pork and shiitake mushroom dim sum-style shumai. Orders can be picked up from noon to 5 p.m. January 20 to January 22.

Each kit includes twenty frozen dumplings and an instruction card for $38. The preparation is simple: The dumplings and wontons are dropped into boiling water for a few minutes and can be pan fried as well if you prefer a crispy bottom, while the shumai, Meta's newest frozen offering, just needs to be steamed for about fifteen minutes.
What really sets this at-home dim sum experience apart, though, are Meta's sauces, available in eight-ounce jars: Uncle Tony's Chili Oil ($10), a soy- and vinegar-heavy dumpling sauce ($8) and MAK’s XO Chili Sauce ($12).

While the chili oil packs the most heat, the XO sauce combines a milder punch with a whole lot of umami flavor. The recipe for the XO sauce was inspired by Yuen's father and includes fresh shallots, fried garlic, fried shallots, dried scallops, dried shrimp, chiles and cured pork. It gives the shumai a big boost, but it would also be a stellar addition to stir-fry, fried rice or even just some scrambled eggs in the morning.

The XO sauce is available at Meta's Avanti stall as well, as is a new menu item for winter: chicken and shrimp wonton soup.