Vegan Dumplings

I don't know if Asian food is everyone's cup of tea, but I love all things Japanese and quite a few Thai and Chinese dishes too. I have tried my hand at a couple of curries and they were beautiful.

Today I am sharing this vegan dumplings recipe, i hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

The steps on this recipe are fairly simple to follow, but it is a time consuming process, so allow yourself at least 2 or 3 hours for prepping and cooking, at least on your first attempt.

I would advise that you clear your working area so you can knead the dough easily, and cut and prep your veggies too. Please do read the whole recipe first to prevent mistakes.

For the dumpling wraps you'll need:

1 1/2 cups (220 gr) all purpose flour

1/2 cup (115 ml) hot water

pinch of salt

For the filling:

6 Pak/Bok Choi cabbage

8 Shiitake mushrooms

1 tsp of freshly grated ginger

1 tsp of freshly grated garlic

2 spring onions, finely chopped

1/4 of a Medium sized purple onion, finely chopped

1 tsp sesame oil

1 1/2 tbsp salt

pepper to taste

In addition you will need:

1/2 cup of sesame seeds in a small bowl

3 tbs water in a flat plate

1 tsp of grated ginger and 1 spring onion (or chives) finely chopped to garnish

Dipping sauces:

I used dark soy sauce, chilli garlic sauce, chilli oil.

You can also make a quick dip: (1 tsp grated ginger, 1 tsp finely chopped spring onions, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil & 1/2 tsp of sesame seeds).

How to prepare:

Start with the dough, put the flour in a medium bowl, add the hot water in a steady stream, and stir continuously with chop-sticks until a raggy dough forms.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth, this takes a good 10 minutes. Sprinkle the dough with flour and cover loosely with cling film, let it rest for 1 hour. (you can prep your veggies now).

Once it has rested, you must knead your dough for another 5 minutes, and allow to rest another half an hour.

While your dough is resting, slice the Bok Choi into thin stripes, as thin as you can, and the stalk too. Put them in a bowl, add your salt, mix well, and allow to rest. Set aside. This will help eliminate any excess water in the cabbage and make it easier to cook the dumplings later.

In another bowl add your diced Shiitake, purple onion, ginger, garlic &spring onion.

Take your Bok Choi, using your hands, squeeze any excess water out, then add to your vegetable mix. Add 1 tsp of salt and some fresh pepper. Mix all ingredients until well combined. I use my hands for this, it gives me better results than using a spoon.

When your dough is ready, on a chopping board or baking sheet, sprinkle with flour, set your dough rolled in a ball, flatten it a bit, and quarter it. On your floured surface, roll each of those quarters into a rope, it should be about 12 inch. Cut that rope into 12 pieces and roll them into little balls. Lightly sprinkle them with flour, and roll 6 balls at a time. Ensure your rolling pin is nice and dry and flour it too, this prevents sticking. Your balls should flatten into 3 inch rounds. Brush off any excess flour, and then fill them up with 2 tsp of your filling.

Bring the sides together, press and pleat the edges to seal the filling in. Dip the bottom of your dumplings on the water plate you prepared earlier, and then on the sesame seeds. Set aside on a baking sheet, and roll another 6 until you have finished your dough.

In a skillet, over medium fire, heat 2 tbsp of the oil. Arrange the dumplings in the skillet. Cook on high heat until the bottoms are lightly browned. Add 1/2 cup of water, cover, and let cook for 5 minutes. This will evaporate the water and cook your dumplings through.

Uncover and let cook for a few more minutes, until the bottoms are nice and brown. Plate up and serve strait away. We have served ours with basmati rice.

Enjoy!