Vegetarian Dumplings for any (Large) Occasion

 

Happy uber belated year of the rabbit! I 'hop' this year is a fur-uitful one for you. Punny greetings like these are all the rage in Chinese, but clearly don't translate very well in English. Luckily, the appreciation for dumplings is more universal and translates well across most palates. 

I'm sharing the recipe I use for vegetarian dumps, which I like because it's not only packed with savory umami but is also a complete meal with a good balance of protein and veg. Dumplings freeze well and are super handy as a quick meal on busy days. Folding them is less intimidating than you'd think (perhaps even less so than folding in the cheese), not to mention how quickly it all comes together when you've got an army of friends and family folding alongside you. To date, there has not been a single person who couldn't learn how to fold dumplings, though to be fair it is slightly more technical than pierogies. 

Lastly, in terms of how to prepare them, I like them best pan-fried with a crispy skirt. I first tried this version at Ding Tai Fung and it was life-changing. You essentially get twice the crispy surface area per dumpling, not to mention a pretty presentation. An added bonus is this hides any unbecoming folding since the dumplings are served upside down. Instructions are below-- enjoy!

||Vegetarian Dumplings||

Makes ~40-60 dumplings 

Ingredients

• 1-2 packs dumpling wrappers, or a batch of homemade dumpling wrappers
• 1.5 lb garlic chives
• 15-16oz firm tofu, drained/lightly pressed to remove excess liquid
• 8oz pack of five-spice tofu (dofu gan aka 'dry tofu')
• 6-8 fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 2 bunches rice vermicelli
• 1-inch piece peeled ginger, finely chopped
• 5 large eggs
• 1 Tb sesame oil
• 1 Tb neutral cooking oil
• 1.5 tsp ground white pepper
• 1/2 tsp five spice powder
• 1.5 Tb cornstarch

Directions

1. Start by prepping the garlic chives. Rinse thoroughly and remove any dead leaves before finely chopping into ~1/4" pieces. Transfer to colander and sprinkle over 1/2 Tb fine sea salt and toss to combine. Let this sit over a bowl for ~ 1hr while you prep the rest of the filling
2. Let the vermicelli soak fully submerged in a bowl of warm water, set aside
3. Use a food processor to mince the following ingredients: firm tofu, spiced tofu and shiitake mushrooms. The pieces should be ~1/4-1/2" for some texture. Drain the vermicelli and squeeze off some excess liquid before processing as well. It can help to cut the vermicelli half with scissors before processing. If you don't have a food processor, no worries! Just chop up the ingredients to size with your handy veggie cleaver or other knife of choice.
4. Scramble 4 of the 5 eggs, seasoning with some garlic powder if desired. Use your spatula to break up the eggs into small pieces similar to the size of the other filling ingredients
5. Finally, drain the garlic chives and use your hands to squeeze out any extra liquid. You'll probably end up with ~1-2 cups of soggy-looking chives, but that's exactly what you want.
6. Combine the chives with the tofus, mushrooms, vermicelli, cooked eggs, and other seasonings (oils, white pepper, five-spice). At this point, taste the filling and add salt and/or five-spice, white pepper to taste. I find that the salted garlic chives are salty enough for the entire filling so usually don't need to add more.
7. Add the last egg and cornstarch to the filling and stir well to combine.
8. Cover and let rest in the fridge for at least 30 min before using.

For folding, there are plenty of well-illustrated manuals out there, such as The Woks of Life, as well as my personal fave by Frankie Gaw aka 'Little Fat Boy'

Lastly, and most importantly-- cooking and getting that perfect crispy skirt. This is the holy grail, the Chinese tahdig.

Ingredients

• 1 Tb neutral cooking oil
• 1 Tb cornstarch mixed in 1 cup of water

Directions

1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange dumplings in concentric pattern/fanning outwards/whatever your heart pleases.
2. Check the bottom periodically--once they become golden, give the cornstarch slurry a good stir then pour ~1/2 cup onto the pan. Be prepared for the oil to splatter a bit. This should be enough liquid to cover the entire pan with ~ 1/2" liquid.
3. Cover the skillet preferably with a clear lid and let the dumplings steam.
4. After about 5-8 min, the skin will become translucent and the water will have mostly evaporated. At this point, remove the lid and let the remainder of the water cook off. You should start to see the skirt. Be patient and let all the water cook off, and the edges of the skirt start to raise off the pan.
5. Check the bottom of the skirt for doneness--it should appear golden and slide easily in the pan. Turn off the heat and place a large plate over the pan before *confidently* turning it upside down to catch the dumps, crispy skirt and all.
6. Serve immediately with dumpling dipping sauce (a DIY combo of soy sauce, vinegar, chili oil, fresh minced scallions, garlic and sesame oil).