New Year’s Dumplings
Every New Year’s Eve when I was a kid my mom would order Chinese food. And by Chinese food, I mean the pan-Asian/Polynesian food that is fried, slathered in sticky sauces, and is oh so delicious. You know that you love it, even if you won’t admit it. We always had a Pu-Pu platter with all of the appetizers, fried rice, noodles, and crab Rangoon. I loved crab Rangoon (this was obviously my pre-plant based diet days). Crab Rangoon were my first “dumpling” experience. I loved the crispy edges, the burst of flavor as I bit into the filling, and all of this in a neat little finger food. As I started to explore foods from all over the world, I discovered many kinds of dumplings…and I loved them all. They are easily in my top 3 favorite foods and I am always excited to find a vegan version or two on a menu.
I recently decided that I wanted to try to make dumplings on my own and came up with the version that I am going to share with you today. The first time I made these, I took them with me tailgating at a Patriot’s game. Before you judge me, they were a huge hit. And yes, I cooked them on a grill. You may have seen them on my Instagram stories if you follow me. When I decided to make them again for New Year’s Eve I figured it was time to share the recipe. Let’s take a look at these little bites of happiness:
Don’t even ask me what kind of dumplings these are…because I don’t know. I think that they are somewhat similar to Korean mandoo because the tofu, scallions, and mushrooms, but I used Chinese wonton wrappers, and cook them like Japanese gyoza. So whatever, they are my version of a dumpling, they are delicious, just make them.
BTW these freeze well so make a whole bunch of them.
Here is the recipe!
Happy eating (and New Year) and best health,
Dr. G
Ingredients
- 1 block of extra firm tofu, drained and pressed to get rid of any excess water, then crumbled
- 10 scallions, chopped
- 8 oz shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 2 inch knob of ginger, chopped
- 2 Tbsp light soy sauce, to taste
- 2 Tbsp Siracha sauce, to taste
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil, to taste
- 1 tsp rice vinegar, to taste
- Store bought wonton wrappers (check ingredient list to make sure they are egg free)
Instructions
To Make The Filling:
- In a pan over medium/high heat saute the garlic, ginger and mushrooms until all of the liquid has evaporated.
- In a large mixing bowl add all of the ingredients (except for the wrappers) and combine well. I usually do this with my hands so I can continue to crumble the tofu.
- Taste the filling and add more soy sauce, Siracha, rice vinegar, or sesame oil as needed.
- !Folding The Dumplings:
- Take one wonton wrapper and turn it so that is looks like a diamond shape.
- Spoon about a tablespoon of the filling into the center of the wrapper, careful not to overfill.
- Dip your finger in water (having a little bowl of water near you is handy) and wet the edges of the wrapper.
- Fold the bottom corner up to meet the top corner, now you have a triangle. Press together the edges.
- Fold each of the side corners in towards the middle and connect the 2 points together.
- Place on wax paper in a single layer.
- Repeat this process until you have used all of your wrappers or filling.
- !Cooking The Dumplings:
- Place a large non-stick pan with a lid over medium/high heat.
- Spray pan with cooking spray.
- Place the dumplings in the pan in a single layer.
- Add 1/2 cup of water to the pan.
- Put the lid on the pan and let steam until all of the liquid has evaporated.
- The dough should be cooked through and the bottom of each dumpling should be browned.
- Serve with dipping sauce of your choice.
- Enjoy!
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