It’s an exciting time for Yumcha Heroes, which is one of the places where Berlin’s dumpling scene first began to take shape. Last year, Mirsad Mujanovic and Anjelo Nguyen, who started out as waiters at Yumcha, took over the iconic restaurant. One of the new owners’ first moves was to put the women at the heart of what makes Yumcha Heroes special firmly in the spotlight. Chen June, Bing Wu and Su Jun have been working behind the scenes in the restaurant’s dumpling kitchen for years – in some cases, almost decades. They make the restaurant’s speciality: dumplings.
All three women are from China’s Zhejiang province. They helped develop some of the dumplings themselves, using ingredients that are typical of their home province. Take the Mrs Chen’s blue pearl dumplings: blue rice-flour dumplings filled with shrimp and inspired by the Cantonese style har gow. There’s also their traditional shou mai dumplings, open-faced dumplings with different fillings.
Chen brought the recipes with her from her aunt in Zhejiang. What makes the dumplings particularly special is their colour: each one has its own hue, created not with food colouring, but with natural ingredients like fresh carrot juice or the vivid blue of butterfly pea tea. Every dumpling is carefully rolled, filled and delicately folded by hand. Now, their craftsmanship is being brought out from behind the scenes and showcased for guests. Large photographs of the three women are now displayed prominently in the dining room, plus Chen, Bing and Su will receive a share of future profits.
The highlight of the new menu is dedicated to the three women, too. The ladies’ platter is a huge 46-centimetre dumpling platter designed for sharing. Alongside a selection of delicious dumplings, the large wooden serving dish also features favourites that aren’t Chinese, such as spare ribs with a honey glaze, pak choi and ginger-soy sauce. Vegetarian and vegan versions of the ladies’ platter are in the works. It’s an easy-going, social, filling meal, designed to bring Berliners together around the table.
Visit Yumcha Heroes at Weinbergsweg 8 in Mitte.
