Five of a kind: International dumplings

Northern Chinese

Paul Hu insists the best dumplings come from northern China. He hails from Dongbei in the chilly north-east, and his signature vegetarian dumplings are bursting with nutrition and flavour. Home-made, al dente dumpling dough is delicately folded around a tasty filling of cooked bok choy, dried black mushroom and minced bean curd. The result, whether eaten nude or dunked in black vinegar, is excellent. As well as fare from his native Dongbei, Hu offers regional dishes from across China. Try the Sichuanese double-cooked pork, with pork belly slices stir-fried with bean sauce and green garlic sprouts.
Hu's Pie and Dumpling, 93 Glenferrie Road, Malvern, 9509 8789.

Nepalese

Good things come in small packages. At Momo Station, the adage is true not only for its itsy-bitsy arcade shop front, but for its brilliant chicken momos. Chicken mince is spiked with spring onion and a hint of Indian spices such as cumin and coriander, before being tucked into house-made dough to make little moneybags not unlike xiao long bao. Nip them with your teeth, suck out the juice and then swipe through the supplied ''tomato chutney'' - a smooth dipping sauce of tomato, onion, garlic and nutty sesame seed. Owner Usha Gurung says momo shops are everywhere in Nepal, ''like McDonald's''. If the dumplings in Kathmandu are half as good as hers, it's not surprising at all.
Momo Station, Shop 25, Tivoli Arcade, 235-251 Bourke Street, city, 0431 052 014.

Afghan

The name might translate to ''rose garden'', but at Gulistan Take-Away, it's not flowers you'll smell but the irresistible aroma of meat on charcoal. This humble shop in Box Hill North has been turning out Afghan fare since 2008. Don't miss the mantu - fat steamed dumplings loosely filled with lamb mince and onion and doused with smooth, spicy tomato sauce, yoghurt and a dusting of dried mint. Mop up the juices with a basket of Afghan bread, made on the premises. Dough is spread thinly on a fat, charcoal-blackened bolster that is quickly inserted into a long, tandoor-like oven, applying the loaf to the wall, similar to the method for cooking naan bread. The result is crisp, chewy and delicious.
Gulistan Take-Away, 768 Station Street, Box Hill North, 9890 8808.

Hungarian

The reclusive owner of Richmond's The Hungarian began his career as a banker. He's now a keen cook but a squiz at his menu reveals his lost calling as a comedian. His bill of fare is a hoot, from the liner note that ''vegetarian'' is ancient Latin for ''bad hunter'', to the sweet cabbage salad that's ''the latest craze in Hungary … for the last 900 years''. Step into this tiny, homely caf for nourishing liver dumpling soup. Chicken livers are mixed with flour, breadcrumbs and parsley. The wet dough is formed into round dumplings, gently simmered and served in soothing beef broth. Or wrap your mouth around sztrapacska - Slovakian gnocchi dumplings sprinkled with sheep's milk cheese and lashings of bacon.
The Hungarian, 362 Bridge Road, Richmond, 0421 993 132; thehungarian.com.au

Pizza

Do you like your pizza with a stuffed crust, or are you ''thin'n'crispy'' all the way? Have it both ways with Golden Chef's dumpling pizza. Chef Binh Lu makes her own southern Chinese-style pot-stickers before fanning them out neatly in a sizzling pan. A touch of flour mixes with the pan juices to create a feathery ''base'', connecting all the dumplings together. The circle is then flipped and served in a pizza box. Fillings include pork and prawn, chicken and chive or a vegetarian version with carrot, celery and vermicelli. Golden Chef also runs cooking classes from its Moonee Ponds premises. The dumpling pizza is mainly takeaway but you can eat in for a few dollars extra.
Golden Chef Cooking, 266-268 Maribyrnong Road, Moonee Ponds, 9370 1816; goldenchefcooking.com