Dumplings are among my favorite foods, with their pillowy texture, juicy fillings, and abundance of dipping sauces. I like them dragged through bright red chili oil or dipped in soy sauce with tart black vinegar, finished with a drizzle of sesame oil.
Last weekend I invited some friends over for a dumpling-making party. The extra sets of hands meant a diversity of dumplings, including two terrific vegetarian versions: textured mushroom-tofu dumplings and light-fluffy egg and asparagus dumplings. Feeling ambitious, we made our own wrappers, which came out particularly soft and pillowy, although I often use pre-made wrappers from the Chinese markets.
For good measure, we made some excellent chili oil, simmering the oil with aromatic spices—garlic, ginger, star anise, cinnamon—and pouring it sizzling over crushed dried chilies and tingly Sichuan peppercorns. We removed most of the seeds from the chilies, giving it a high ratio of flavor to heat.
Enjoy these two recipes with your favorite dipping sauces.
Homemade Egg and Asparagus Dumplings
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 stalks of asparagus
- Circular dumpling wrappers store-bought or homemade, recipe here
For Serving:
- Soy sauce, rice vinegar, Chinese black vinegar, Chinese mustard, sesame oil, and/or chili oil
Instructions
Prepare the filling
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Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them together with some salt and pepper. Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat and add the vegetable oil followed by the eggs. Scramble with a rubber spatula until they are still quite runny and remove to a bowl. Make sure to leave the eggs under-done because they will cook again in the dumplings.
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Remove the ends from the asparagus and slice the stalks as thinly as you can, then add them uncooked to the eggs and mix together gently.
Fill the dumplings
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Fill a small bowl with warm water. Lay a dumpling wrapper out on a clean surface. Spoon some filling into center of the dumpling, making sure not to over-stuff.
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Dip your fingers into the water and use them to wet the edges of the dumpling wrapper all around the circumference. Fold the top and bottom sides of the wrapper up and pinch them together above the filling. Then seal the rest of the dumpling by pinching the two sides of the wrapper together all along the seam. (You can do fancy pleats like this if you want.) Set the dumpling aside and repeat with the remaining wrappers. If your dumplings are not sealing well, add some corn starch to the water.
Cook and serve
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To cook the dumplings, boil them in water for about 3 minutes or steam them for about 5 minutes. If you prefer crispy dumplings, use our potsticker method.
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Serve with your favorite dipping sauces, like equal parts soy and rice vinegar with a drizzle of sesame oil, or some nice chili oil.
Homemade Mushroom and Tofu Dumplings
Ingredients
- 2 garlic cloves
- An equal amount of ginger
- About 20 shiitake mushrooms
- A few scallions
- ½ block of firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Circular dumpling wrappers store-bought or homemade, recipe here
For Serving
- Soy sauce, rice vinegar, Chinese black vinegar, Chinese mustard, sesame oil, and/or chili oi
Instructions
Prepare the filling
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Mince the garlic and ginger and finely chop the mushrooms. Thinly slice the scallions. Drain the tofu, dry it with paper towels, and crumble it into a strainer to drain out more of the water.
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Heat a pan over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring, and then add the mushrooms with some salt and pepper. Saute the mushrooms until they are tender, and remove them to a bowl. Add the crumbled tofu and the scallions to the bowl and mix gently to combine.
Fill the dumplings
-
Fill a small bowl with warm water. Lay a dumpling wrapper out on a clean surface. Spoon some filling into center of the dumpling, making sure not to over-stuff.
-
Dip your fingers into the water and use them to wet the edges of the dumpling wrapper all around the circumference. Fold the top and bottom sides of the wrapper up and pinch them together above the filling. Then seal the rest of the dumpling by pinching the two sides of the wrapper together all along the seam. (You can do fancy pleats like this if you want.) Set the dumpling aside and repeat with the remaining wrappers. If your dumplings are not sealing well, add some corn starch to the water.
Cook and serve
-
To cook the dumplings, boil them in water for about 3 minutes or steam them for about 5 minutes. If you prefer crispy dumplings, use our potsticker method.
-
Serve with your favorite dipping sauces, like equal parts soy and rice vinegar with a drizzle of sesame oil, or some nice chili oil.
