Whole Wheat Vegetable Chinese Dumplings
I watched Bobby Flay do a Throwdown on dumplings one day and then decided to recreate my own version-- vegan and healthy. It took a few attempts before I got the vegetable recipe right, but it was well worth the experimentation!
This vegetable recipe takes a few steps, but none of them are very hard. Make sure to be patient, and use a lot of flour on the counter top. These are SO YUMMY! It makes about 26 dumplings, so you can freeze some for later in an airtight plastic bag.
Ingredients:
Dough:
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cold water
1/4 tsp. salt
Filling:
2 scallions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 carrots, chopped
1 cup chopped red cabbage
3/4 cup frozen peas
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp ground ginger (more if using fresh ginger)
1/2 package firm silken tofu
2 tsp. low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes, or more to taste
1 cup water for steaming
Sauce:
2 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1/2 tbsp. sesame oil
Directions:
To make the dough:
Combine flours and salt, and then add water.
Knead until it forms a smooth ball, about 2 minutes.
Set aside for about 30 minutes to rest.
To make the filling:
Put vegetables, ginger, and garlic into a food processor and pulse until the mixture is very fine.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan, and then add the vegetable mixture. Crumble the tofu and mix with vegetables. Then add soy sauce, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes.
Cook until the mixture is warm and fragrant.
Refrigerate until mixture is cool. This is important because if it is warm, it will melt the dough and make a sticky mess that will not come out as a dumpling. (Believe me, I know firsthand)
To make the dumplings:
On a very well-floured surface, roll the dough into a long tube and then cut 1/2 inch slices off, like you are cutting out pre-made cookie dough.
Roll each of the slices into a small ball, about the size of a walnut and then return them to a well-floured surface.
Add more flour to your surface, and then use a rolling pin to roll each ball into a patty about 3 inches wide.
Put one heaping teaspoon of filling into the center of each patty.
Fold the patty over the filling into a half-circle shape, enclosing all of the filling.
You are going to close the seam from right to left by pinching the edge and folding it over on itself, making a crimp.
Place the dumplings in a well-oiled wok or large saucepan that has been warmed to medium heat, and don't move them. Let them fry for about 7 minutes, until the bottom is brown and crispy.
Here's the trick to chewy dumplings... take the cup of water in one hand and the lid to the saucepan in another. Pour the water into the center of the pan and quickly close the lid to keep the steam in.
It will take about 10 more minutes for the water to absorb and for the dough to be cooked. Try not to peek, because you will let the steam out.
To make the sauce:
Combine the ingredients and stir vigorously.
Variations:
You can put any vegetables you want into the vegetable recipe, but try to stick with some that have an Asian flair. Mushrooms, red peppers, beans, bok choy, and Chinese cabbage are all great alternatives.
Serves 4.
