Pan-fried vegetarian dumplings / potstickers (素煎饺)

Use spinach to dye the dough

I love food with vibrant colours but I’m not a fan of artificial food colouring. It’s unnatural and (in most cases) unnecessary. Spinach is an ideal ingredient to dye dough for making dumpling wrappers or noodles. It provides a beautiful green colour yet doesn’t change the taste or texture of the dough. This is how you make the green dough:

1. Blanch spinach briefly in boiling water.
2. Use a food processor to puree.
3. Extract the juice through a sieve.
4. Use the same amount of spinach juice to make the dough as you normally do with water.

Note: Don’t discard the leftover spinach puree, add it to the filling instead.

Make two-colour wrappers

To achieve the Pak Choi (Bok Choy) look of these vegetarian dumplings, you will need to combine the white & green dough.

1. Roll the white dough into two ropes.
2. Flatten the green dough into two rectangle pieces (same length as the ropes).
3. Wrap each white rope with a green piece. Seal all around to form a thicker rope.
4. Cut the combined dough into small sections then flatten each piece into a wrapper with a rolling pin.

Here you are! White in the middle and green all around the side,  a two colour wrapper is done!

For detailed instructions, please read my recipe on Homemade Dumpling Wrappers to learn how to make them from scratch. Also, I’ve shared a post on “Ten Ways to Fold Dumplings“. Check it out if you are keen to sharpen your dumpling skills.

How to avoid wet filling

Nice dumplings should have a moist filling. However, it’s very difficult to assemble dumplings if the filling is too wet. This is a common issue when preparing vegetable filling as the cutting process and the addition of salt will draw extra liquid out of the vegetables. I have a few tips to help you minimize this problem.

• Vegetables like Pak Choi (Bok choy) or Chinese cabbage have a high content of water. After mincing, remember to squeeze out any excess water. Do the same to the rehydrated shiitake mushroom.
• Mung bean vermicelli noodles make a great addition to vegetarian dumpling filling. Not only does it provide a springy texture, it’s also a great agent for soaking up liquid.

• Don’t add salt to the filling until you’ve rolled some wrappers and are ready to assemble.
• If the filling does get too wet, tilt the bowl that holds the filling to allow the liquid flow to one corner. Use a spoon to squeeze the filling before placing onto the wrapper.
• Do not leave assembled dumplings to sit for too long. If you are not cooking them straight away, freeze them immediately for later use. Otherwise, the excessive moisture from the filling would make the wrappers wet and therefore easy to tear.

The Ultimate Dumpling Guide on my blog includes a separate post on “How to make great dumpling fillings“. You can find more tips there.

Follow simple steps to fry

It’s super easy to pan-fry dumplings. Preferably, choose a frying pan that has a thick base and delivers heat evenly.

1. Coat the pan with a little oil and brown the bottom of the dumplings.
2. Pour in water then cover with a lid to keep the steam in.
3. It’s done when the water evaporates completely.
4. Enjoy immediately for best taste.

If you are interested in boiling or steaming these vegetarian dumplings, please refer to my post “Cooking Dumplings in Three Ways” in which you can find detailed instructions and a tutorial video.

Serve with a dipping sauce

My vegetarian dumplings are very tasty on their own, but if you wish, serve them with a dipping sauce. Be creative! Mix and match any seasoning you like (Chinese chilli oil, black rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, spring onion, fresh chilli, coriander, etc.). Check out my Dumpling Dipping Sauce Guide which includes six different dipping sauce recipes.

Other dumpling recipes to try

A Chinese slang says: Nothing is more comfortable than lying down and nothing is tastier than dumplings (舒服不如倒着, 好吃不如饺子). Here are more dumpling recipes to try:

• 15 Best Dumpling Recipes
• Boiled Pork & Cabbage Dumplings
• Chicken Potstickers
• Steamed Pork & Chive Dumplings
• Vegan Dumplings with Tofu Filling