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What's Cooking on 1060: The Dumpling Academy

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Chinese New Year is a superstitious holiday and, as folklore states, the food you eat could determine your luck for the year. A special cooking demonstration taking place throughout the weekend in Chinatown that could help you have a prosperous year:

"Shin-nyen kwhy-ler"

That's Chinese for Happy New Year! And Yin Yang of Chinatown's Dumpling Academy points out the Chinese New Year is this weekend.

"I'm the dumpling queen!"

Yin Yang, founder of The Dumpling Academy
Yin Yang, founder of The Dumpling Academy. Credit CBSPhilly

And dumplings are a staple food of this holiday.

"Dumpling represents fortune because the shape of the dumpling looks like the old currency in China in the old times, so if you eat a lot of dumplings, that means you can make a lot of money during the new year."

So what's the secret to an amazing dumpling?"

"The filling! It's very important."

Yang says dumplings are generally filled with pork or vegetables. She's hosting dumpling parties all weekend long where folks learn to make them and fold them.

"I grew up with my grandma, so she's the one who taught me how to fold it, but in reality there are ten plus ways of folding dumplings."

Once dumplings are filled and folded it's time to finish them off.

"A quick fry and then there's a secret as well, because we are going to actually steam it first. We put water first, make it cooked and then fry it. That's the secret."

To learn more about Yang's dumpling parties, subscribe to the What's Cooking podcast on the radio.com app.

Hear the full podcast (runs 6:53)…

And for this week, that's "What's Cooking on 1060!"

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