Frozen Shumais & Gyozas

I'm sure true dim sum fanatics will have my head for this, but I've taken a liking to Ajinomoto's frozen Shumai (the "gourmet" variety, $2.99 for a 15-pack at Mitsuwa Marketplace) & Osaka-style gyoza ($4.99 for 30-pack). Of course, I had other brands too -- which tends to be a hit or miss -- this one is pretty consistent. Their frozen donburi aren't bad too, albeit a bit overpriced for my preference (unless it's on sale)-- I can easily have larger portions at around the same price in the neighborhood.



I wouldn't say they taste worse than the "real" shu mais and Asian dumplings at Chinese/Japanese restaurants, just different. But for something that's fairly cheap & without the hassle of waiting in a long line, they're good. I usually steam/microwave a couple of those up some veggies and drop them together in a bowl of brothy soup or ramen - juicy, meaty, slightly oniony jiaozi for whenever I feel like it (and without having to make a colossal batch from scratch, something I'll save for potlucks and entertaining.)

Of course, that delicious meaty taste could be just MSG (according to wiki, Ajinomoto produces about a third of the world's supply and literal translation of the company name is "taste essence" -- umami I presume?) as a sidenote, "taste essence" is the literal common name Chinese use for MSG - but I digress.

Their English commercials are also pretty funny (in a corny kind of way.)