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Close up of a plate of boiled dumplings drizzled in chilli oil dipping sauce

Vegan dumplings (with dipping sauce)

The key to delicious and flavourful vegan dumplings is getting the filling just right and keeping it simple. Oh, and a good dipping sauce on the side is a must! Up your veg intake and make these healthy, juicy and tasty dumplings, you're going to love them.
5 from 8 votes
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Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Soak Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 30 dumplings
Calories: 48kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 pack dumpling wrapper 30 sheets, or make your own (note 1)

Vegan dumpling filling

  • cup frozen spinach ~250g/9oz
  • 1 cup tofu ~250g/9oz
  • 1 carrot grated
  • 2 dried shiitake mushrooms
  • ½ onion finely diced
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • ½ tablespoon soy sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoon oil neutral tasting, such as canola or sunflower
  • salt and pepper

Chili oil dipping sauce

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • ½ tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon Chinese crispy chilli oil see (note 2) for store-bought

If pan-frying (for pot-stickers)

  • 1 tablespoon oil neutral-tasting, such as canola or sunflower

Instructions

Making the vegan dumpling filling

  • Soak shiitake mushrooms in hot water for 20 minutes, covered.
  • Meanwhile, cut and grate the rest of the filling ingredients.
  • Once shiitake mushrooms have softened and almost doubled in size, gently squeeze out excess liquids (note 3). Cut off and discard the stems and finely dice.
  • Cook shiitake mushrooms on medium-low heat in a pan with 1 tablespoon of oil until golden and fragrant. About 2 minutes.
  • Add onions and garlic, stir fry for 2 minutes then add carrots. Turn the heat up to high and stir fry for 2 minutes.
  • Push ingredients to the rims of the pan, add remaining oil into the middle of the pan then spinach. Continue to cook on high, stir-frying for 4 minutes or until excess liquids have evaporated and you can start to hear the pan sizzle.
  • Combine cooked vegetables into a large bowl with fresh tofu, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Mix well until tofu is about the same size as the rest of the vegetables. Taste filling and adjust for salt and pepper to taste.

Wrapping dumplings

  • Watch my video in the post on how to wrap dumplings.
  • To wrap a dumpling, place 1 dumpling sheet onto the palm of one hand and with the other, spoon 1 teaspoon of filling in the centre of the sheet then pinch and seal the top and bottom. Fold a small portion of top dumpling skin slightly towards the centre, pinch and seal to the bottom sheet. Repeat until both sides of the dumpling are pleated and sealed.
  • If using store-bought dumpling wrappers, lightly dab the rims of the wrapper with a little water so that it sticks well.

Cooking method A: boiling

  • Bring a large pot of water up to boil, add half of the dumplings in and boil for about 3 minutes or until dumplings are all floating on the top. (note 4)
  • Use a slotted spoon to transfer dumplings onto a serving plate. Repeat for the other half of the dumplings.

Cooking method B: pan-frying

  • Add oil into a non-stick pan with a lid on medium-high heat. Neatly place dumplings into the pan without overlapping. Pour ½ cup of water into the pan and immediately close the lid. Cook for about 5 minutes.
  • Remove the lid and allow the liquids to evaporate. Dumplings are done when the bottoms are golden crispy.
  • Depending on the size of your pan, most likely will have to do this twice to cook all 30 dumplings.

To make the chili oil dipping sauce

  • Combine all ingredients and mix with a small spoon until the sugar has dissolved.

Notes

Note 1. Dumplings wrappers can be found at Asian supermarkets in the fridge section.
Note 2. Store-bought chili oil can be found at most major supermarkets in the Asian aisle otherwise all Asian grocers will stock them. If you're a sriracha lover, use that instead! Can't have spicy? Leave it out and the sauce will still taste fantastic!
Note 3. Shiitake mushrooms soaking water. Don't throw this out! It has a tone of flavour so use it as a form of stock. 
Note 4. If boiling dumplings, make sure that the water is boiling vigorously before adding dumplings into the pot. Otherwise, the dumplings will sink to the bottom of the pot and stick. No matter what you use to get the dumplings unstuck (spatula, chopsticks, spoon) the dumplings will break!
Making ahead/freezing. Bulk make and freeze! To freeze wrapped dumplings, first, lay dumplings out in a single layer on a large, lightly floured tray(s) and place them in the freezer. Make sure the dumplings are not touching each other otherwise they will stick. Once the dumplings are frozen, they will come right off the tray easily.
Now the dumplings can be packed in airtight containers (stacked on top of each other, they won't stick anymore) and stored in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Frozen dumplings do not need to be thawed before cooking. Simple follow the cooking instructions in the recipe card below but add 2 extra minutes to the cooking time. 
Serving suggestions. Serve with a side of vegetables such as a dim sum (yum cha) favourite Chinese broccoli (gai lan). For a more filling pairing, try my Chicken Noodle Stir Fry (swap chicken with firm tofu for a vegetarian alternative) or this flavour-packed Chinese Sausage Fried Rice
Nutritional value below is for 1 dumpling. This recipe makes 30 dumplings.
Tried this recipe?Mention @Casuallypeckish or tag #casuallypeckish!

Nutrition

Calories: 48kcal | Carbohydrates: 6.9g | Protein: 1.6g | Fat: 1.8g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Fiber: 0.6g | Sugar: 0.6g | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg