Vegan dumplings with spicy dipping sauce (素饺子)

Vegan dumplings can be very tasty

There are always plenty of vegan/vegetarian choices in Chinese food. People who don’t follow a plant-based diet also enjoy them on a daily basis. When my parents prepared dumpling meals, they often make two fillings: one with minced meat, one with vegetable and tofu/egg. My brother had always gone for the former. I was a firm lover of the vegetable ones.

Given a good mixture of different ingredients, a balanced seasoning, plus an exciting dipping sauce, vegan dumplings can be super tasty.

What makes a great vegan filing

For today’s vegan dumpling filling, I choose to use four main ingredients:

• Five-spice tofu. It’s flavoured with Chinese five-spice and has a dense, firm texture. Smoked tofu is a good substitute.
• Chinese chives. It’s my favourite dumpling ingredient as it gives any filling a good lift in flavour.
• Shiitake mushrooms. It provides extra umami taste.
• Carrot. It adds another colour and a hint of sweetness.

The seasoning: Pour hot oil over finely chopped scallions, ginger and ground Sichuan pepper to fully release their aroma. Then add light soy sauce and a drop of sesame oil. Please adjust the amount of salt needed based on the saltiness of your five-spice/smoked tofu.

Homemade wrappers are the best

For many people who aren’t familiar with dumpling making, this could be the most intimidating part. Making wrappers isn’t in fact as challenging as you’d imagined. And, the result is so rewarding. I strongly encourage you to give it a try (Please refer to my tutorial video in the recipe card below)! Here are a few tips:

• Resting is magical. If your dough doesn’t appear smooth, let it rest. If your dough is too hard, let it rest. If your wrappers shrink after rolling, let it rest.
• Perfect wrappers should be thinner on the edge and thicker in the middle. To achieve this, practice the “roll and turn” technique: One hand moves the rolling pin halfway over the dough and then rolls back. The other hand turns the wrapper a little each time in a circular motion. Roll, turn, roll, turn…

To get more in-depth knowledge on this cooking skill, read my post “Ultimate guide to homemade dumpling wrappers”. It covers all aspects: flour choices, ideal water flour ratio, hand kneading techniques, rolling methods, make-ahead tips, etc.

Folding dumplings is fun

Do you enjoy folding dumplings as much as I do? I like trying out different shapes so I wrote a post on “Ten ways to fold dumplings”. Some are more challenging than others but they all look nice in their own ways.

For today’s vegan dumplings, I give them a traditional look: half-moon shape. This is how I fold them(Please refer to my tutorial video in the recipe card below):

• Place a spoonful of filling on the wrapper.
• Fold and seal the middle part.
• Make 2-4 pleats from each end.
• Press all around the edge to seal completely.

Compared to meat-based ones, this vegan filling can be a little more difficult to manage when folding as the ingredients are quite “loose”. Try not to put too much in one wrapper if you’re a novice. Increase as your skill improves.

How to fry dumplings perfectly?

I like pan-fried dumplings for their crispy base and the extra fatty taste. To cook them perfectly, follow these steps:

• Heat a little oil over a high heat then add the dumplings.
• When the bottom part of the dumplings turns light brown, pour in cold water (enough to cover ⅓ of the dumplings). Cover with a lid immediately.
• Uncover when the water evaporates completely. Cook for another 30-60 seconds to crisp up.

Don’t fancy frying? There are another two ways to cook these vegan dumplings: boil in water or simply steam them. My post “Cook dumplings in three ways” explains in detail how you achieve it.

Make an exciting dipping sauce

Although very tasty on their own, you might like to make a dipping sauce for your vegan dumplings. Extra flavour and excitement are always welcome in a meal, aren’t they? I looked through my condiment & spice shelf then came up with this simple yet delicious dipping sauce.

• Put chilli flakes, chopped scallions and ground Sichuan pepper into a bowl.
• Pour hot oil over to release their fragrance.
• Add light soy sauce, black rice vinegar and a pinch of sugar.

By using chilli flakes and ground Sichuan pepper, this sauce creates an addictive numbing & spicy taste, known as “Málà/麻辣” in Chinese. According to my better half, it was “to die for”! If you have never tried Sichuan pepper, I highly recommend you give it a try!

Need more dipping sauce inspirations? Check out my post on Six Dumpling Sauces. Want to learn more about various types of Chinese Dumplings? Read my post on 15 Best Dumpling Recipes.