The best dumplings in Milan are back, and not discriminated against any more

From New York to Milan, the scene was very similar. Chinatowns used to be bustling neighborhoods where patrons went looking for bowls of warm Cantonese fried rice or sticky spicy chicken. In Manhattan, you could dine and leave the restaurant feeling stuffed and satisfied for only $20, in Milan with €10 to €15. Chinatown, downtown Manhattan, had become a common destination for me since I’d moved to New York. I’d tried a number of the most notable restaurants in the area from Nom Wah Tea Parlor to Jing Fong. Little did I know that that night of late January would be the last for a while. The same happened in Milan, and it intensified throughout February and early March when the first cases started appearing locally. In New York, CNN reported a 6900% increase in unemployment filings by Asian Americans workers, compared to white workers 1,840%, Black workers 1,260%, and 2,100% for Hispanic and Latino workers.

Across the world, Chinatowns were feeling the weighty impact of the news of the SARS-CoV-2 virus spreading in Wuhan. With many Chinese having traveled to and from their home countries to celebrate the Lunar New Year, people feared that the virus had left the borders of the Asian country and was dispersing overseas. Many felt that it was better to avoid asian food and locations. A prejudiced unease was growing, also due to what some prominent state leaders referred to as the “China virus”. Little did anyone know that the virus had already spread to the UK, Europe and Western US States, where most of the later identified New York City cases were traced back to.    

Fast forward nine months, a couple of quarantines and COVID-19 swabs later, I had to travel from New York where I was living, back to my beloved Milano, in my home country of Italy. After the first few traumatic months, Italy was trying to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic. In early September, the number of positive cases was still stable, and the complete lockdown and gradual reopening was a seemingly effective strategy. On a sunny Saturday morning, I decided to head to Paolo Sarpi, the local Chinatown. I was craving dumplings and in particular those from Ravioleria Sarpi, a street food joint I’d heard many great things about but where I’d never been to.

A man carrying bags filled with goods on a cart crosses Via Paolo Sarpi in September 2020.

Walking down Via Paolo Sarpi I noticed the street was back to its usual liveliness, with merchants crossing the streets with heavy loads and passersby enjoying their weekend. As always, missing Ravioleria Sarpi is nearly impossible. You just have to be on the lookout for the queue. Headless of the pandemic that had deserted the street a couple of months before, people stood patiently waiting in line for their lunch. Here you can only have take-away or order from home, but many take their plastic containers and sit on the small wooden stools that have been carefully placed along the sidewalk. You order at the cashier, a glass shop window flaunts the hardworking cooks inside as they roll the dough and fold the dumplings. They have neatly closed off the window, where through a slit steamy ravioli are served.

Ravioleria Sarpi’s story is a story of innovation and integration. Founder Hujian Zouh Agie immigrated to Milan in 1996 at the age of 16, he graduated from the most prestigious university in the city, Università Bocconi, which might have contributed to his managerial inclinations. In 2015 he opened this street food restaurant with the aim of attracting Italians back to eating Chinese food and he’s had queues since then. His secret lies in the manual skills of the cooks he chose and in his selection of the best ingredients for his recipes. 

Agie’s recipes were developed with a process of thorough research conducted with his next-door neighbor - the veteran butcher’s shop Macelleria Sirtori. They’ve collaborated together since the beginning to blend Chinese traditional dumpling recipes with Italian culture and ingredients, laboriously identifying where to source the ingredients from. Since the 1950s this butchery has opened its doors to Milanese residents, today they accurately select the best cuts of meat from biodynamic farms in the Langhe region and supply it to Ravioleria Sarpi. Agie also uses type “0” flour from Mulino Sobrino, free-range eggs from Cascina Moneta, and the fragrant leeks from the town of Cervere. 

The transparency he uses in selecting locally sourced ingredients, in cooking everything freshly, at the moment, and through a glass definitely attracts the demanding tastes of his Italian clientele. This has allowed him to open a couple of other restaurants around Milano, Nove Scodelle, and Wonton, maintaining as a staple his stripped-down menu, high-quality ingredients, and traditional recipes.

A woman waits for her order outside Ravioleria Sarpi.

With all this talk of the tastiest dumplings I’ve ever had in Italy, I just booked myself a table at one Agie’s other restaurants for tomorrow. More dumplings await! The succinct menu offers a choice between three types of Jiaozi dumplings - beef with ginger and leek, pork with cabbage, or vegetarian with thinly chopped spinach, carrots, cabbage, ginger, tofu, and noodles. For a more hearty choice, Chinese crepes are an interesting option. It is offered either with beef and pork or in a vegetarian option, both replenished with egg, leek, coriander, and youtiao (a Chinese salty churro). The last item on the menu are raw dumplings, easy to boil, or pan-fry at home - their Facebook page also provides how-to videos. 

These dumplings distinguish themselves in texture and taste. The thick dough is pleasant to bite into, and the filling sits in its place, without gushing out disastrously as often happens and making it easy to eat when standing, sitting, or on-the-go. The yellow dough encloses a warm filling of beef. The savory meat is well marinated and is balanced out by the zesty taste of ginger. The fatty pork is leveled with the sweet and crunchy taste of cooked cabbage in the alternative meat option. Lastly, the paler dough wraps the vegetarian filling, which, with its nicely minced mixture of plant-based ingredients, was remarkably good enough to compete with the meat-based alternatives. The drier texture of the dumplings easily soaks in soy sauce, to add that saltier and juicer finish to the dish. Try them all.

A selection of Ravioleria Sarpi’s dumplings in their to-go box.