The meat-free version of Chinese san choy bow. You never knew vegetarian lettuce wraps could be so delicious! Crumbled tofu makes the filling meaty while vegetables add lovely texture, smothered in a glossy, savoury sauce. Healthy food was never so delicious. And interesting. And easy. {Just 245 cal for a generous serving} Vegetarian lettuce wraps... Get the Recipe
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]]>The meat-free version of Chinese san choy bow. You never knew vegetarian lettuce wraps could be so delicious! Crumbled tofu makes the filling meaty while vegetables add lovely texture, smothered in a glossy, savoury sauce. Healthy food was never so delicious. And interesting. And easy. {Just 245 cal for a generous serving}
Vegetarian lettuce wraps (san choy bow)
Today’s recipe is a meat-free version of the Chinese restaurant favourite san choy bow which is a lettuce wrap with a pork filling.
I hate that I used the word “awesome” for a recipe name (in caps! 😅) but I couldn’t think of another way to capture your attention for these lettuce wraps. A vegetarian one, no less, made with lots of vegetable and tofu.
So if you’re reading this, perhaps the somewhat childish name I’ve bestowed upon these lettuce wraps worked! Because they are Awesome – with a capital A. Not just “ok”, not just “good”. That doesn’t make the cut to be shared on my website. They. Are. AWESOME!
(I need a new word. My high school English teacher would be horrified if she read this post).
Right, let me go straight to an up-close-and-personal of this tofu and vegetable filling that is the star of today’s show. Try telling me this doesn’t look delicious!
And before it was that, it was this:
Tofu crumbled up like mince (that’s ground meat, to you folks in the States). Much more effective for flavour absorption than dicing (plus, easier); then
Sauced with san choy bow sauce that stains the tofu an enticing mahogany colour and coats everything in a glossy savoury sauce.
Ready to see how to make these vegetarian lettuce wraps?? Let’s do this!
What you need for Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps
Here’s what you need:
The filling
Firm or extra-firm tofu – Use a firm or extra firm tofu, not silken tofu. It needs to be firm enough so you can crumble it like mince / ground meat. Tub label will give you clues – it will be labelled as such. 😂 Also, give it a squeeze. It should feel like soft rubber, rather than a very fragile jelly (silken tofu).
Vegetables – Green beans, carrot and mushrooms are the mix I’m using today. Love the texture the green beans and carrots give to the filling, and the savouriness the mushrooms bring.
Having said that, feel free to use what you’ve got! Any sauté-able vegetables will work fine.
Garlic and onion – Aromatics. Don’t skip these – they become more important in vegetarian dishes!
San choy bow sauce for filling
The sauce used for these vegetarian lettuce wraps is the same as the one I use for my classic pork san choy bow. It’s glossy and savoury, and each ingredient contributes to the flavour so please don’t skip any. This sauce, it can make anything taste amazing – even tofu! (There, I said it, go ahead and call me immature 😂).
Cornflour / cornstarch – This makes the sauce shiny and thickens it so it coats the filling ingredients beautifully.
Oyster sauce – A whole lot of flavour, jammed into one bottle! As the name suggests, the sauce is made with oysters – not that you would ever pick it. It just tastes savoury and sweet.
Alternatives – Vegetarian options available these days, even at large grocery stores in Australia. Else, Hoisin works great (though you get a five spice flavour which is lovely, just different!)
Light soy sauce provides salt but doesn’t stain things a brown colour and has a mild soy flavour. Can be substituted with all purpose soy sauce but not dark soy sauce (too intense). More on different soy sauces here.
Dark soy has intense colour (this is what makes the sauce and stains the tofu a brown colour) and much more intense soy flavour. It can be substituted with more light or all-purpose soy sauce but the sauce flavour will be more mild, and the tofu won’t go brown.
Chinese cooking wine (“Shaoxing wine”) is an essential ingredient for making truly “restaurant standard” Chinese dishes. It adds depth of flavour and complexity into sauces. More info on Chinese cooking wine here.
Substitute with Mirin, cooking sake or dry sherry. Non alcoholic sub – use 1/2 cup (125 ml) low sodium chicken broth/stock instead of water + Chinese cooking wine.
Sesame oil (toasted) – For lovely sesame flavour in the dish. Use toasted (brown oil) not un-toasted (yellow oil) as it has stronger sesame flavour. For fellow Aussies, toasted is the standard sesame oil sold in grocery stores. Un-toasted is harder to find (generally in health food stores).
The lettuce wraps & toppings
Filling sorted, now here’s what you need to make the wrap. The peanuts and sriracha or other chilli paste/sauce is highly, highly recommended for a great lettuce wrap!
Lettuce leaves – Chinese san choy bow lettuce wraps served at restaurants here in Australia use iceberg lettuce. At fancy places, they cut into neat rounds!
But honestly, any lettuce leaves where filling can be bundled inside, or have a natural cup shape works fine. Crispy (cos / romaine lettuce) or soft, pliable leaves (like butter lettuce).
Sriracha or other chilli sauce – Highly recommended. It just works so well to add a hit of spiciness to the freshness of the vegetable filling!
Peanuts – For an authentic san choy bow experience, chopped peanuts is also highly recommended!
Green onion – Sprinkle of fresh. Not as highly recommended, but it can be skipped if you don’t have it.
How to make vegetarian lettuce wraps
Mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl in this order: cornflour/cornstarch and water first until lump free, then mix in everything else. Why? Because it’s easier to dissolve cornflour in less liquid than too much liquid.
Crumble tofu – Drain tofu. Cut into 5mm/0.2″ slices then use your fingers to crumble into a mince. It will crumble with little effort. Don’t make the crumbs too fine, you can always break the tofu up more when cooking – just like cooking mince/ground meat!
No need to press the tofu – There’s no need to press water out of the tofu using weights. The water contained in the tofu prevents it from being too dry.
Filling – Using a large non stick pan, heat the oil over high heat then cook the onion, garlic and carrot for just 1 minute. Add green beans and mushrooms then cook for 2 minutes. The green beans should still be firm. This is good! The texture the green beans add to the filling is really nice.
Add tofu and just toss through. Tofu doesn’t need to be cooked to eat it so for this recipe we just need to warm it through.
Sauce it! Pour in the sauce then let it come to a simmer. As it heats up, the cornflour in the sauce will make it thicken. Stir for 1 minute or until it becomes thick and glossy so it coats the mixture nicely. See the photo in step 6 for what the filling looks like once the sauce thickens. Look at all that flavour on the tofu and vegetables!
If the sauce reduces and thickens too quickly (which might happen if you’re using an extra large pan or an extra strong stove <– I’d love this problem), then just add a splash of water.
Serving – Transfer the filling into a bowl. Put it out on the table with the lettuce leaves, green onion, peanuts and bottle of sriracha. Then let everyone make their own wraps!
DIY lettuce wraps – Spoon filling into lettuce leaf.
Toppings – Drizzle with sriracha, sprinkle with peanuts and green onion. Bundle / wrap (for soft lettuce leaves) or fold like tacos (for crisper lettuce leaves) then devour!
I have to confess, this recipe took me by surprise. I made it during one of those patches when I was trying to “be healthier”. (But then mango pancakes and chili dogs happened which derailed my good intentions, followed by pizza bread and carbonara which didn’t help.)
Even though I knew the san choy bow sauce had flavour-power, the thought of a tofu-vegetable medley wrapped in yet more vegetable (lettuce) wasn’t exactly making me excited.
How very, very wrong I was. It’s not just “good”. It’s extremely tasty. As in – I WANT to have it for dinner tonight.
The fact that it’s just 245 calories for a generous dinner-size serving is a bonus.
And with that, I’m done in my efforts to convince you to try this. Perhaps I didn’t even need to do all this writing and the excellent name I christened this dish was enough?? Awesome Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps. Full points for creative writing! 😂 – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
San choy bow = san choy bau = san choi bow = lettuce wraps!
AMAZING vegetarian lettuce wraps
Ingredients
San choy bow sauce:
- 1 1/4 tsp cornflour / cornstarch
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 1)
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce (Note 1)
- 1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce (Note 2)
- 1 tsp sesame oil , toasted
- 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (or sub Mirin or dry sherry, Note 3)
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 1 tsp finely grated ginger (sub garlic)
Filling:
- 250g/8oz extra firm tofu (Note 4)
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 garlic , finely minced
- 1/2 onion , finely diced
- 1/2 cup carrot , chopped into 5mm/ 0.2″ pieces
- 1/2 cup green beans , sliced into 5mm/0.2″ rounds
- 1/2 cup mushroom , chopped into 5mm/ 0.2″ pieces
Wraps:
- 12 lettuce leaves (+/- depending on lettuce size, Note 5)
- Peanuts , finely chopped (I like salted, but unsalted fine)
- Green onion , finely sliced
- Sriracha , for drizzling (highly recommended)
Instructions
- Sauce – Mix cornflour/cornstarch with water until lump free. Add everything else, then mix.
- Crumble tofu – Drain tofu, then cut into 5mm/0.2" slices. Use your fingers to crumble into a mince. Not too fine crumbs, can always break up more when cooking (just like cooking mince/ground meat!).
- Filling – Heat oil over high heat in a large non stick pan. Cook onion, garlic and carrot for 1 minute. Add green beans and mushrooms. Cook 2 minutes – green beans should still be firm.
- Sauce it – Add tofu and toss through. Pour in the sauce. Stir for 1 minute or until the sauce thickens and is coating the mixture nicely. (If it evaporates too quickly, add a splash of water)
- Serving – Transfer filling into a bowl. Lay out on the table with lettuce leaves, green onion, peanuts and bottle of sriracha.
- DIY lettuce wraps – Spoon filling into lettuce leaf. Drizzle with sriracha, sprinkle with peanuts and green onion. Bundle / fold, eat!
Notes
* Light soy sauce can be substituted with all purpose soy sauce but not dark soy sauce (too intense). More on different soy sauces here.
* Dark soy can be substituted with more light or all-purpose soy sauce 3. Chinese cooking wine (“Shaoxing wine”) is an essential ingredient for making truly “restaurant standard” Chinese dishes. Substitute with Mirin, cooking sake or dry sherry. More info on Chinese cooking wine here. Non alcoholic sub – use 1/2 cup (125 ml) low sodium chicken broth/stock instead of water + Chinese cooking wine, expect to simmer filling for an extra 1 minute as it will take slightly longer to thicken. 4. Tofu – Use a firm or extra firm tofu, not silken tofu. It needs to be firm enough so you can crumble it like mince / ground meat. Tub label will specify it is firm tofu (also, give it a squeeze!). 5. Lettuce leaves – Chinese san choy bow lettuce wraps served at restaurants here in Australia use iceberg lettuce. At fancy places, they cut into neat rounds! But honestly, any lettuce leaves where filling can be bundled inside, or have a natural cup shape works fine. Crispy (cos / romaine lettuce) or soft, pliable leaves (like butter lettuce). 6. Leftover filling will keep for 3 days in the fridge. Not suitable for freezing. Nutrition per serving, assuming 2 servings. Excludes toppings.
Nutrition
Life of Dozer
Before / during / after:
Before he realised it was plain baby spinach.
During the realisation.
After the realisation.
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Based on a famous Sydney Modern-Asian restaurant’s signature dish. Dare I say this version is even better? Worth the effort, it’s truly epic! Find the recipe on page 106 of Dinner.
The post Crispy Chinese Eggplant appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.
]]>Based on a famous Sydney Modern-Asian restaurant’s signature dish. Dare I say this version is even better? Worth the effort, it’s truly epic!
Find the recipe on page 106 of Dinner.
This is a cookbook exclusive recipe!
This recipe is exclusive to my debut cookbook Dinner which includes a how-to video for every recipe. Just scan the QR code!
Just to explain….
I know, it’s confusing! You’re so used to getting recipes on my website – there’s over 1,200 of them, after all. And here you are looking at a tasty recipe video and I haven’t provided the recipe. 🙀
I’m not just doing this to torture you, I promise.
This page exists to display the how-to video for this recipe which I exclusively created for my debut cookbook, Dinner. Every recipe in the cookbook has a tutorial video. To watch it, you simply scan the QR code with your phone or tablet and it will take you straight to the recipe video like the one shown above!
Curious about my cookbook?
Read the cookbook overview
Browse all cookbook exclusive recipes here
Read the Cookbook Tales. Spoiler alert: there’s A LOT of dirty dishes!! And quite a lot of Dozer. 😂
Stay tuned for more on this page! Some cookbook exclusive recipes will have extra information added as well as extra tips. I am also looking at enabling comments for selected recipes so I can answer reader questions about cookbook recipes. I’m just a little snowed under during this launch period – book tours, getting 131 recipe videos out, launching the book overseas. Please bear with me! – Nagi x (10 October 2022)
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Just a mere 4 years after sharing classic pork Chinese dumplings, the vegetarian version has finally landed. Yep, it’s taken me that long to make sure you never again bite into a vegetable dumpling only to find it filled with unidentifiable tasteless mush! Vegetable Dumplings There’s nothing quite like freshly-made dumplings. Reheated dumplings are never... Get the Recipe
The post Vegetable Dumplings (Potstickers!) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.
]]>Just a mere 4 years after sharing classic pork Chinese dumplings, the vegetarian version has finally landed. Yep, it’s taken me that long to make sure you never again bite into a vegetable dumpling only to find it filled with unidentifiable tasteless mush!
Don’t get worked up about wrapping dumplings! Wonky dumplings taste just as great. And you can always just seal them flat. Fast. Easy. Effective!
Vegetable Dumplings
There’s nothing quite like freshly-made dumplings. Reheated dumplings are never the same. The imperative for fresh-out-of-the-kitchen is right up there with freshly-made fish and chips, burgers and steak.
And while there’s no shortage of excellent dumpling eateries here in Sydney, the sad truth is that when it comes to vegetable (rather than meat) dumplings, they range from mediocre to just plain bad. The biggest offence is mushy, unidentifiable, tasteless fillings.
Not to mention cost. Din Tai Fung, a famous dumpling chain from Asia with branches here in Sydney, declares itself to serve the world’s best dumplings. To be fair, their signature xiao long bau (soup-filled pork dumplings) are rightfully revered and I adore them. But a serve of 6 modestly-proportioned vegetable dumplings at Din Tai Fung will still set you back $10.90.
By my maths then, today we’re making $63.60 worth of dumplings with ingredients that cost less than $10!
My team also declares these homemade ones to be better than Din Tai Fung’s. (I can say that without feeling like I’m boasting because this recipe has been a team effort – me, Chef JB and my brother!)
What sets these vegetable dumplings apart from the competition?
The filling truly tastes like what you get at the best yum cha restaurants and top dumpling eateries. It’s fresh and flavoursome, with real textures of vegetables rather than mushy and insipid.
This is because we use raw vegetables for the filling, just like the best dumplings you can buy. Cooking the vegetables for the filling solves the problem of the filling falling apart, sure, but it’s at the expense of character and flavour in my view.
Our solution? Just 2 tablespoons of grated potato. Yep, really. A secret discovered on the label of frozen dumplings we bought for research! It acts as a binder for the filling as well as absorbing water leached by the vegetables as they cook, yet without making the filling soggy or mushy (which is what happens if you use rice flour, cornflour etc).
There was a LOT of gleeful bouncing around the kitchen when we discovered this. Let me remind you – I’ve been on this recipe for 4 years. 4 years!!!
What you need for vegetable dumplings
Here’s what you need to make Chinese vegetable dumplings:
Round dumpling wrapper (gow gee pastry) – see next section below.
Dried shiitake mushrooms – The primary flavour in the filling. Rehydrated in boiling water then finely minced, it brings a good hit of savoury flavour into the filling. Readily available these days even in the Asian section of large grocery stores in Australia.
Substitute: Fresh shiitake mushrooms don’t have the same intensity of flavour so I really encourage you to seek out dried. But if you really can’t find it, use sautéd finely chopped fresh mushrooms. I’ve popped directions in the notes.
Cabbage – The other primary ingredient. Salted then squeezed of excess liquid, this is more about creating volume rather than flavour.
Firm tofu – It needs to be firm tofu as custard-like soft and silken tofu is just too delicate and will disintegrate into a watery mess. This provides much-needed texture into the filling.
Potato – The ingredient that cracked the secret of great vegetable dumplings! See above in the “What sets these vegetable dumplings apart from the competition?” box for more information.
We just need 2 tablespoons of finely grated potato (including the liquid that leaches out while grating). It acts as the binding agent without turning the filling into an unpleasant mush which is what happens if you use starches like cornflour/cornstarch, potato starch, tapioca, or similar.
Without the grated potato, all the finely chopped vegetables would tumble out of the dumpling. We can’t have that! We want them in our mouth!
Green onion – For colour and freshness.
Garlic and ginger – Aromatics.
Sesame oil – To add a bit of richness to the filling.
Soy sauce – For seasoning. Light or all purpose soy sauce is called for here. Don’t use dark soy sauce. Sweet soy can be substituted but skip the sugar. More on different soy sauces here.
Salt, pepper, sugar – More seasoning! I like to use white pepper because it’s more common in Chinese cooking but black pepper is just fine too.
Dumpling wrapper (gow gee pastry)
These round dumpling wrappers made of wheat flour are even sold in large grocery stores these days, in the Asian section of the fridge alongside fresh noodles. Here’s the brand I use which is sold at Woolworths and Harris Farms in Sydney, and sometimes Coles:
How to make Vegetable Dumplings
Heads up: this section on how to make Vegetable Dumplings is quite long as I walk through making the filling, wrapping and cooking the dumplings.
I promise it isn’t hard if you don’t get too hung up about perfectly shaped dumplings. Remember – it will still taste fantastic even if yours are a bit lopsided. Beauty is only skin-deep (literally – it’s all about the fillings here!)
If you’re already a dumpling-wrapping master, feel free to skip straight down to the recipe or the recipe video.
Vegetable Dumplings recipe quick look
Wilt cabbage and rehydrate shiitake mushrooms. Mix with remaining filling ingredients.
Wrap dumplings, pan-fry 2 minutes, then steam 5 minutes (same pan).
How easy was that?? 🙌🏻
How to make the filling
First up, the dumpling filling! Here’s how to prepare the components:
1. Wilt cabbage
Finely slice the cabbage then chop it quite small like you’re mincing garlic.
Toss through salt and leave for 20 minutes. This draws out excess water from the cabbage and makes it wilt. If you skip this step, the cabbage goes watery when steamed inside the filling. The cabbage is also too fluffy and voluminous which makes it impossible to wrap!
Grab handfuls of the cabbage and squeeze out the excess water.
Then place the cabbage into a large bowl to make the Dumpling Filling.
2. Shiitake mushrooms
Rehydrate the dried mushrooms in a large bowl of boiling water. It usually takes around 30 minutes but the stalk can sometimes be stubborn and take 45 minutes.
Grab handfuls and squeeze out the excess water.
Finely slice then finely chop the mushrooms.
3. Firm tofu
Slice the tofu into 3-4 mm slices.
Stack the slices then cut into 3-4 mm batons.
Then stack the batons up to cut the tofu into 3-4 mm cubes.
Be sure to use FIRM tofu, not silken / soft tofu which is too delicate. It will turn into mush!
4. Finely grated potato – for binding
The secret ingredient for the best vegetable dumplings filling! See above in the “What sets these vegetable dumplings apart from the competition?” box for an explanation for why.
Peel the potato then use a microplane (pictured) or similar to grate the potato very finely.
You must use a fine grater, not a box grater which will shred the potato into large strands not grate it finely. The potato needs to be grated really finely and will be watery, like pictured above, in order to work as the binder for the filling.
Measure out 2 tablespoons of the grated potato and add it into the bowl.
Finely grated potato is the secret ingredient to the perfect vegetable dumpling filling. It absorbs water leached by vegetables and acts as a binder, without turning the filling into mush.
Note: I grate the potato just before adding into the mixture so it doesn’t turn brown/red from oxidisation. But it doesn’t matter if it does discolour because this does not mean the potato has gone off, and you can’t see the cooked potato in the end result.
5. Mix filling
Add all the above ingredients plus other remaining filling ingredients (soy sauce, seasonings, aromatics, green onion, sesame oil) and mix with a spoon until combined.
The mixture will be crumbly at this point, not sticking together and pasty. If the mixture was sticking together – like the countless times we made this with cornflour/cornstarch – then it ends up mushy once steamed. We want crumbly. We need crumbly!
How to wrap Chinese dumplings
I could spend a lot of page inches explaining how to wrap Chinese dumplings. But I won’t because there’s a recipe video below worth a thousand words instead!
Don’t get too hung up on the wrapping. I know the pleats look lovely and authentic, but if it’s too much of a challenge, just skip the pleats and seal the dumpling with a flat seam. It still tastes the same and is also much faster to make!
Along with the video, here’s a quick description and step photos explaining how to wrap dumplings:
Dominant hand – Right hand in my case; Non-dominant hand – My left hand.
Place a wrapper in the palm of your non-dominant hand. Dip your finger in a small bowl of water then run it along the lower edge of the wrapper, as marked in the photo above. This is for sealing.
The dumpling seals more securely if you wet the bottom half of the wrapper as this is the side you pleat-and-seal. If you do the top rim, the pleat folds don’t seal as well. If you do the whole rim, you’ll understand quickly why you shouldn’t (spoiler: too much stickiness!).
Place a loosely-packed tablespoon of filling in the centre of the wrapper. The filling doesn’t shrink much so you don’t need to overstuff the dumplings.
Keeping the wrapper in your non-dominant hand, use your dominant hand to fold the bottom half of the wrapper over the filling but don’t let it touch the top half of the wrapper (as soon as the water edge touches anything, it wants to glue itself to it).
Starting from the far left, use your dominant hand to fold one pleat, pressing to seal. Repeat, folding more pleats along the edge, working from left to right until you get to the end. If this is proving too difficult for you, just fold the wrapper over without pleats and seal flat. Your dumpling will look different but it will still taste GREAT!
The filling doesn’t shrink much as it cooks so you don’t need to overstuff the dumplings.
Here’s a close up of me pleating. Notice how I use the thumb of my non-dominant hand to create the pleat with my dominant hand.
One finished, stand the dumpling with the pleats upright. Then squish it down slightly to flatten the base, and shape it into a slight curve.
Place the finished dumplings on a tray lightly dusted with cornflour/cornstarch (to prevent them from sticking). Keep covered with a tea towel to prevent them from drying out as you wrap the remaining dumplings.
How to cook dumplings (pan-steamed)
These dumplings can be steamed, but pan-fry + steaming is my favourite method of cooking because you get the best of both worlds: crispy base plus moist tops and insides!
Pan fry first – Use a non-stick skillet with a lid. The lid doesn’t have to match that skillet, just any lid that as large as or larger than the skillet is fine. You’ll see in the video that the lid I use is larger. Don’t have a lid? Use a baking tray or similar. Anything that will trap the steam in to cook the dumplings!
Heat oil in skillet. Now place 12 to 15 dumplings in the pan and cook until the base is golden brown.
Golden brown base – This is your goal. It doesn’t need to be as golden as pictured in step 2 above. This is just the way I like it. Crispy from edge to edge!
Water for steaming – Once the base is golden brown, pour in 1/4 cup of water then quickly place the lid on to trap the steam in the pan.
During this steaming phase, the crispy golden base does go soggy. But don’t worry! It comes back to life after the water evaporates.
Steam for 5 minutes or until the water has evaporated. The wrapping should be semi-transparent once cooked.
Remove lid. At this stage, you can leave the dumplings for another 30 seconds or so until the base really dries out to resurrect the crispy base.
Transfer the cooked dumplings to a serving plate using a spatula and serve with a dipping sauce.
Dipping sauce – I like to serve with soy sauce mixed with chilli paste. A mixture of soy sauce and rice vinegar is also common.
What to serve with Vegetable Dumplings
With pork dumplings, I always feel like I need to add a side of vegetables. I think this is because my mother did such a great job of brainwashing me as a kid into believing that a meal is unbalanced without a sufficient representation of vegetables.
Isn’t it great then that these little babies are jam-packed with vegetables? So, mum, I’ll just have a big plate of these for dinner, thanks!😂
OK, OK, getting serious though. If you want to fill out the meal and make the dumplings go further, try it with a side of fried rice or Supreme Soy Noodles, and steamed Chinese Greens with Oyster Sauce (like you get at yum cha, and PS it’s not just Oyster Sauce in the sauce!) For a fresh salad, my go-to are the Chang’s Crispy Noodle Cabbage Salad (get an extra-big cabbage for the dumplings!) and my leafy Asian Side Salad.
Suggestions for things to serve on the side
Phew! That was a long post.
Now, most importantly: Tell me how you went wrapping these. And remember, don’t get worked up about perfect dumplings! It doesn’t matter what they look like. They will still taste great! -Nagi x
The RecipeTin dumpling files
Watch how to make it
Vegetable Dumplings (Potstickers!)
Ingredients
Wilted cabbage for Filling:
- 2 cups green cabbage , finely chopped into 2mm pieces
- 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
Filling:
- 8 dried shiitake mushroom (40 g total), medium size (Note 1)
- 3/4 cup firm tofu , finely diced into 3-4mm / 1/8" cubes (Note 2)
- 1/2 tsp garlic , finely grated
- 1 tsp ginger , finely grated
- 2 tbsp green onion , finely sliced then minced
- 2 tbsp finely grated floury potato , including juices, for binding (Sebago, russet, Maris piper, Note 3)
- 1 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil (Note 4)
- 1 tsp light soy sauce (or all-purpose, not dark soy)
- 1/4 tsp sugar (any)
- 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 2 pinches white pepper (sub black)
Cooking:
- 30 – 35 round dumpling wrappers (gow gee, Note 5)
- 2 – 3 tbsp canola oil
- 1/4 cup water per cooking batch
Instructions
Quick recipe (for pros):
- Wilt cabbage 20 min, squeeze. Soak mushrooms 30 min, squeeze, finely chop. Mix with remaining Filling ingredients. Wrap. Pan fry 2 min, 1/4 cup water, pan-steam 5 min.
Full recipe – filling:
- Prepare cabbage – Toss cabbage with 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl. Set aside for 20 minutes. Then grab handfuls and squeeze out excess water as best you can. Place squeezed cabbage in a bowl for mixing the filling in.
- Shiitake mushrooms – Soak mushrooms in 1 litre of boiling water for 30 minutes. Squeeze out excess liquid and finely chop into 2 mm pieces. Add to the filling bowl.
- Potato – Add grated potatoes to filling mix, including all the liquid that leached out when you grated it. We want all that starchy juice for its binding power!
- Filling – Add remaining ingredients into the filling bowl, mix to combine. It will look crumbly – don't worry, everything sticks together better when steamed thanks to the potato.
Wrapping:
- Dumpling wrappers – Take one wrapper from the packet. Keep unused wrappers covered so they don't dry out.
- Wrap dumplings – (See video at 1m 30s!) Place a wrapper in your non-dominant hand. Dip your index finger in water and run it along the lower half of the wrapper (edge closest to you). Place 1 loosely-packed tablespoon of filling in the centre. Fold the wrapping over the filling, then seal with pleats. (If this is too hard, skip the pleats and seal flat).
- Finished dumplings – Stand dumpling upright with the pleats on top, and lightly press down to flatten the base. Shape gently into a slight curve. Place on a tray lightly dusted with cornflour/cornstarch. Repeat for remaining dumplings. Keep completed dumplings covered with a tea towel to prevent them from drying out. If you're making ahead, cover dumplings with cling wrap and refrigerate. See storage notes.
Cook (pan-frying + steaming):
- Cooking vessel: Use a large non-stick pan with a lid (Note 6).
- Pan fry: Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat. Pan fry 12 to 15 dumplings for 2 minutes until the base is golden brown.
- Steam: Pour over 1/4 cup water over the dumplings in the skillet – it will steam and bubbly vigorously! Place the lid on and steam for 5 minutes or until the water in the pan has evaporated.
- Cooked! Remove the lid. The water should have been driven off, and the wrapping should be semi-transparent (indicating it is cooked). The base should be crispy again. If not, leave the pan uncovered for a bit until the base crisps up again in the oil.
- Serve: Scoop the dumplings up with a spatula and place on a serving plate. Serve with soy sauce and chili paste for dipping, or rice vinegar mixed with soy sauce. Best served fresh – I get another batch cooking as we eat the freshly cooked ones!
Steaming-only option:
- Using either a bamboo steamer set over a large wok with simmering water, or other larger steamer. Line with a fitted sheet of parchment paper with holes, and steam the dumplings for 8 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Life of Dozer
Dozer in guard dog mode? Not at all. Just waiting for the next person to come through the door for ear-rubs. Nobody comes inside without giving him ear-rubs!!
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This is how you get your spicy noodle fix, fast! Sichuan’s famous pork and bean stir fry, turned into hellishly tasty noodles. Find the recipe on page 64 of Dinner.
The post Spicy Sichuan Pork Noodles appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.
]]>This is how you get your spicy noodle fix, fast! Sichuan’s famous pork and bean stir fry, turned into hellishly tasty noodles.
Find the recipe on page 64 of Dinner.
This is a cookbook exclusive recipe!
This recipe is exclusive to my debut cookbook Dinner which includes a how-to video for every recipe. Just scan the QR code!
Just to explain….
I know, it’s confusing! You’re so used to getting recipes on my website – there’s over 1,200 of them, after all. And here you are looking at a tasty recipe video and I haven’t provided the recipe. 🙀
I’m not just doing this to torture you, I promise.
This page exists to display the how-to video for this recipe which I exclusively created for my debut cookbook, Dinner. Every recipe in the cookbook has a tutorial video. To watch it, you simply scan the QR code with your phone or tablet and it will take you straight to the recipe video like the one shown above!
Curious about my cookbook?
Read the cookbook overview
Browse all cookbook exclusive recipes here
Read the Cookbook Tales. Spoiler alert: there’s A LOT of dirty dishes!! And quite a lot of Dozer. 😂
Stay tuned for more on this page! Some cookbook exclusive recipes will have extra information added as well as extra tips. I am also looking at enabling comments for selected recipes so I can answer reader questions about cookbook recipes. I’m just a little snowed under during this launch period – book tours, getting 131 recipe videos out, launching the book overseas. Please bear with me! – Nagi x (10 October 2022)
The post Spicy Sichuan Pork Noodles appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.
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