Pan-Fried Vegetarian Dumplings Two Ways – Lot of Prep Time, But Worth the Effort!

Eating delicious homemade dumplings at a friend's house last month inspired me to finally make dumplings at home.  

I didn't make my dumplings completely from scratch as I used prepared egg roll wrappers as the dumpling skins.  While that step made the process easier, it was still a bit time consuming to fill and roll the ~4 main course servings of dumplings on a weeknight (would be great weekend activity).

To achieve the perfectly steamed and pan-fried textures, I used Serious Eats great technique for browning the bottoms of the skins in a non-stick pan before adding some water to steam the interior and exterior of the dumplings.  It worked out really well, though I would probably start with an eighth cup of water rather than a quarter per pan so it doesn't take too long to steam the dumplings (and concurrently overcook them).

I also improvised the filling, using a mix of just boiled fresh summer corn and 4 oz. of a baked tofu cutlet for two different interiors.  The result for both was a bit bland (though the corn filling was marginally better), but nothing some soy sauce, vinegar and hot sauce couldn't cure.  That being said, I think I'll play with these fillings further to get them to pop a bit more.  

To the recipe!

Pan-Fried Vegetarian Dumplings Two Ways

Ingredients

• kernels from 1 ear fresh corn on the cob, just boiled and striped
• 4. oz of tofu cutlet diced
• 1/4 tsp Chinese five spice
• 1/4 large carrot, finely diced
• 2 baby bok choy, cleaned and finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 scallions, finely diced
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 2 tsp. soy sauce
• A dash of white pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp. white sugar
• Salt to taste
• Optional:  bit of cornstarch to bring the ingredients together while cooking
• Nasoya egg roll wrappers, cut into four equal pieces, or use dumpling-size prepared wrappers
• Small bowl of water

Directions

• Split the carrot, bok choy, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, white pepper, and sugar into two different bowls in equal portions.  To one bowl, add the tofu and five spice.  To the other, add the corn.  

• Toss ingredients in each bowl to combine and season with salt to taste.

• Place initial wrappers for filling on a flat working space.  Take approx. 1.5 tsp. of filling and place in the middle of the wrapper.  Using a pastry brush or your finger, dab water along the edges of the wrapper.  Following the "square flower" technique I used for the cheese wontons, fold the skins into place.

• Depending on the amount of time it takes you to fill the dumplings, you may want to cover the folded dumplings with a damp paper towel to make sure the skins don't dry out.  Continue filling the dumplings until you exhaust the mixture.

• Heat a tablespoon or two of oil in a non-stick saute pan, depending on the number of dumplings you will be cooking in each round.  When hot, add the dumplings and swirl the oil under the dumplings until the bottoms are evenly coated.  Cook for a few minutes until the bottoms are browned.

• Now add approx. 1/8 cup of water to the pan, and cover immediately.  Steam for a few minutes until the dumplings are cooked.  Serve immediately with a sauce of your choice.