Vegetarian Dumplings

Dumplings – “are either made from balls of dough or are small parcels of food encased in pastry, dough, batter, or leaves”, says Wiki. Although dumplings are found in many cuisines, it is those oriental varieties that first comes to my mind. Availability of ready-made dumpling wrappers like wonton, gyoza has also prompted home-cooks like to me to experiment with them. Traditionally, gyoza wrappers, which are thicker, are used for dumplings, while wonton wrappers are used in soups or broth. But these dumplings are made with wonton wrappers, which are more readily available in many super markets. For information on other food wrappers, see here.

This recipe is a regular in my house, not only because its tasty, its healthy too. Protein and vegetables, seasoned, wrapped and steamed – what is not to like about them. You can use any steaming apparatus of yr choice, be it a bamboo or metal steamer or the Indian idli plates. I used idli plates.

Vegetarian Dumplings

Ingredients

Wonton wrappers – 1 pack, about 40
Firm tofu – ½ block (1/2 lb)
Carrots – ½ cup, grated
Cabbage – ½ cup, shredded
Red bell pepper – ¼ cup, finely chopped
Scallions – 2, finely chopped
Ginger – 1 tbsp, grated
Lemon grass – 1 tbsp, grated
Soy sauce – 1 tbsp
Worcestershire sauce – 1 tbsp
Sesame oil – 1 tbsp
Egg – 1
Red pepper flakes – 1 tsp
Salt
Pepper

Method

Wrap tofu in a paper towel and squeeze the excess liquid out. Crumble the tofu with a fork into pea sized pieces. Grate ginger and lemon grass finely using a microplane grater/zester.

In a large bowl, combine all the given ingredients, except wonton wrappers. Stir lightly taking care not to mush the mixture.

Take one wonton wrapper, brush the edges of the wrapper lightly with water. Place ½ tsp of the filling in the center of the wrapper. Bring opposite ends together to form a triangle. Press the edges and seal.You can shape the dumpling any way you like. Proceed to make the remaining dumplings.

Coat the steamer’s surface with oil. Place the dumpling in the steamer and steam for 10 to 12 minutes. The wonton wrappers turn translucent and wrinkly once the dumplings get cooked. Remove them from the steamer and repeat process until all the dumplings are cooked. Serve with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce

Red wine vinegar – 1 tbsp
Soy sauce – 1 tbsp
Sesame oil – 2 tbsp
Red pepper flakes – a pinch
Scallions – 2, finely chopped
Salt
Pepper

Take all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.

Vegetarian Dumplings

This is my entry for "Waiter, there's something in my... dumpling!" hosted by Johanna of The Passionate Cook.

46 comments:

sra said...

Nice pix. We don't get wonton wrappers easily here!

TheCooker said...

Great pictures.
I can make a meal of these dumplings. Didn't realise they were so easy to make. Thanks for sharing.

ushaprashanth said...

Hi suganya!
Vegetarian Dumplings looks great!I dont know whether wonton wrappers are available here.. Let me check..

Shilpa said...

Hi Suganya, thanks for visiting my blog! :)

Wow, I like how you did that last photo! And those dumplings look so perfect! Too bad I'll be on holiday soon so can't make them straightaway! :)

Where I come from, we also have savoury dumplings made of glutinous rice, with or without meat, then wrapped in leaves and steamed.

indosungod said...

Suganya, those dumplings look really good. Great Photos. One question, Is it hard to work with Wanton Wrappers?

TNL said...

Those look gorgeous....and so easy too~ I love the addition of Lemon grass in there.....so fragrant!

~trupti

bee said...

sound like a great dinner party appetiser. have bookmarked it.

Sharmi said...

that is a true Chinese feast. the picture looks perfect.

Susan said...

I just discovered how easy these are to make last week. Thanks for the super photos. My dumplings didn't last long enough to shoot.

thepassionatecook said...

i am still looking to find gyoza wrappers here in london... but wonton ones are in my fridge as we speak. i wouldn't have thought of tofu to stuff them, bt your recipe sounds very tasty! thanks for participating..

Mishmash ! said...

hmm...the filling sounds like somewhat similar to the ones used for egg rolls, though I use non veg instead of tofu...liked the uniqueness of the second pic!

Shn

bha said...

nice and steamy....I can feel the heat here, just by looking at the pics....good to go

Seema Bhat said...

I love dumplings and the picture makes my mouth water for them. Lovely as always Suganya.

Anonymous said...

Hi,
I love your blog & sometimes come here just for the pics alone !. You take the most amazing ones!Are you a pro?I love this one & the jackfruit pic. Is this a result of photoshop editing?
Tried making your banana muffins last week. Turned out really well.
MK

DEEPA said...

Nice pics ....great one ..Thks for sharing ...mouth watering

Suganya said...

Sra - Wonton wrappers are avl in Fry's Supermarkets, Trader joe's and organic stores.

TC, Do try 'em. They are easy to make.

Usha, Am not sure either abt the wonton wraps. But spring roll wraps are avl in Foodworld, you can try using that.

Shilpa, Savoury dumplings in leaves, Can you post the recipe please?

Indosungod, Wonton wrappers are not hard to work with, unlike filo dough. I even make ravioli with these wrappers. You just have to brush the edges with water and they seal perfectly.

Trupti, Yeah, lemongrass adds a subtle fragrance. But I find them too woodsy. So I grate them to enjoy the taste without having to bite them.

Bee, I would make them ahead, set them in a sheet pan, cover them with a damp cloth and steam as the guests arrive!

Sharmi, they are. And they are not that complicated too.

Susan, the trick is to make one batch and keep others busy, while you sneak this into the next room and take snaps :)

PC, Thanks for accepting my entry. I was hesitant that this is not an European style dumpling. But after reading yr rules, I went ahead and submitted this entry :)

Mishamsh, Thanks. Thats colour splash.

Bhags, They surprisingly retain heat for a decent length of time.

Thank you Seema :)

MK, Thanks for leaving yr initials and not being totally anonymous. I am happy that you like my pics. They are edited using Adobe Photoshop Elements. I am not a pro :)

Dr. Soumya Bhat said...

Hi Suganya,
really a lovely presentation and execellent photogarphy.Very nice......

Anonymous said...

Suganya,
I forget if I've here commented before - you have a lovely blog with wonderful recipes. And this recipe has entered my must-try list.

Best,
Mamatha

Anonymous said...

your dumplings looks super delicious. I never had vegetarian dumplings before. Will have to try this out. :)

Cynthia said...

I'm speechless. About the pics and the dumplings. :)

Anonymous said...

Fantastic photo work, Suganya! And steamed dumplings are indeed healthy food - thankfully, it is also amongst my son's favourites!

archana said...

Loved the photos and dumplings.It is difficult to get the wrappers here:)

Viji said...

Something totally new Suganya for me. Nice presentation as usual. Viji

Bharathy said...

Yipeee..look at those pics..the quantity (number)of posts and the quality is perfectly balanced!!!Keep up you fantastic work,Sugi!!
Love the way you alternate the westenrn and the authentic recipe posts!!!!!

Kajal said...

Thanks for visiting my blog and nice comment.:)
Really very nice picture......With mouth watering recipe....looks perfect.
Cheers!!!!!!!!!

Vani said...

Nice picture...and nice recipe too...I usually make dumplings and leave them simmering in broth for a minute.

Poonam said...

Hi Suganya, Awesome recipe.....Can you suggest a recipe for fresh vegetarian spring rolls which they typically make in Thai restaurants. I have bought the noodle sheets a long time back but I am yet not comfortable making them.

Wonderful blog!!

KD said...

Oh my goodness...It looks soooo tempting. You make the recipe sound so easy. My previous attempt at making dumplings wasn't successful but I shall definitely try again using your recipe :)

Roopa said...

looks delicious! i haven't tried the wontan wrappers yet!

Suganya said...

Thanks Deepa, Sowmya!

Mamata, Thanks for dropping by.

Cooking Ninja, Vegetarian dumplings are tasty indeed!

Cynthia.. Thank you :)

Anita, You should be happy. They are one of the healthier 'fast' foods :)

Viji, Try 'em. They are easy to make.

Bharathy, Thats lazy me :)

Vani, that sounds like a good idea too. Will try that next time.

Kajal, Komal Thank you!

Archana, Roopa, try bigger markets and health food stores.

Poonam, Will post that recipe as soon as I try them. Thanks for dropping by.

J said...

They sound really good! On my must try list!

Shobana senthilkumar said...

Hi suganya,
yeh wat a photography....
great job....

WokandSpoon said...

Good idea for a nice and healthy meal! This is my first time to your blog and I'm loving it!

Suganya said...

I love dumpling a lot.....Urs looks so perfect....Nice recipe...

Anonymous said...

Hi Suganya... I can see I have catching up to do here... first I'm drooling over eggplant and now you made dumplings... I love dumplings! Red wine vinegar in the dipping sauce is a lovely touch -- I usually use rice vinegar. I will try your version next time :)

Nabeela said...

I love the pictures! How did you get the chop sticks to come out red with the background in black and white?

Suma Gandlur said...

Beautiful pics. They look like a part of a great cook book :)

Saju said...

this looks absolutely delish!!

marriedtoadesi.com said...

Fantastic Pictures! I'm drooling over them. Nice recipe as well, I am definitely going to try this one out!

Thanks Suganya,

Kanchana

Suganya said...

Nabeela, Its called color splash. You select a part of the picture and turn the rest into b&w.

Lata said...

I was looking for this recipe from long. Will try this this weekend for sure. Nice pictures, do you work with Photoshop a lot?

Prema Sundar said...

They look perfect Suganya.

Anonymous said...

Hey! Congrats for winning DMBLGIT's Originality award for your selective color picture! Way to go!! Yay!

Smita said...

I tried this last night and it was awesome! Thanks for the recipe

Unknown said...

Sorry guys but this isn't a vegetarian recipe. Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies.

Suganya said...

FYI Jeffrey, vegan Worcestershire sauce is available sans anchovies.

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