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Photography by Michael Wiltbank

Foodie or not, it’s so fun to find a new favorite restaurant. We certainly found one in Kings County Imperial in Brooklyn, NY. Serving sumptuous Chinese cuisine and truly creative craft cocktails, the space certainly offers more than enough to get you in the door. But what about when you go home? We thought you might want to take a little of your delicious evening home with you, so we talked to (and videotaped, FYI) Josh Grinker who, together with Tracy Jane Young, is co-chef and owner at Kings County Imperial. Here he shares the resto’s recipe for dumplings in a way that allows even beginner home chefs to create something delicious. (And stay tuned for next week’s part 2 of this story for another recipe video)!

Photography by Michael Wiltbank

WHAT INSPIRED KINGS COUNTY IMPERIAL? We have always been inspired by Chinese culture, cuisine, and cooking techniques and methods. Ever since meeting in Vermont where we worked for a very seasoned Chinese chef at a restaurant called A Single Pebble, we knew that we wanted to learn and absorb everything we could about this country’s food, ingredients and traditions so we could someday open our own restaurant. For years, we traveled back and forth to China, eating meals everywhere from train cars to family homes and some of the best restaurants. We’re inspired by the traditional, but also love to combine our own perspectives with these techniques.

Photography by Michael Wiltbank

WHAT IS THE BEST REACTION YOU’VE SEEN TO THE RESTAURANT SO FAR? The best reactions we’ve seen so far are diners’ enthusiasm to home cooked, authentic Chinese cuisine.

WHAT IS THE IDEAL OCCASION TO MAKE THESE DUMPLINGS? With evening cocktails for a big group of friends!

WHAT IS A PROTEIN VARIATION THAT WOULD WORK WELL HERE? We love using ground chicken with scallion and soy, maybe adding some Szechuan peppercorn for heat.

FOR OUR VEGETARIAN READERS, IS THERE AN ALTERNATIVE FILLING THAT WOULD WORK WELL? We love to use bok choy and scallion as our vegetarian dumpling filling.

Photography by Michael Wiltbank