Who doesn't love dumplings? They're delicious, you can eat 'em for a snack, lunch or dinner, and you can stuff them with anything you like, including chocolate if you fancy (don't judge).
These ones are stuffed with cabbage, mushrooms and tofu and we fried them because, well, fried dumplings are even more delicious than steamed ones and we were feeling naughty. But, you can choose to steam them instead for about 15 minutes.
We used store bought dumpling wrappers (easy to find in Hong Kong, of course), but you can also make them from scratch if your'e feeling ambitious. After adding the tofu-veg mixture to the dumpling wrappers, seal and pleat them. This takes some dexterity and practice. If you don't get it right the first time, don't despair—they'll still be tasty. Brush some water on the outer and inner edges of the wrapper to help it stick together to make the dumpling. While you're working on stuffing and pleating the dumpling wrappers, keep them covered with a slightly damp towel, so that they don't dry out.
Serve them with chilli soy sauce if you like it spicy, or some tamari sauce.
INGREDIENTS
a packet of dumpling wrappers (found in Asian food stores)
3 tablespoons frying vegetable oil
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup onion, minced
2 cups shiitake mushrooms, or brown mushrooms, chopped
1 cup cabbage, finely shredded
1 cup carrots, finely shredded and chopped to smaller pieces
1 block extra firm tofu, diced into small cubes
½ cup green onions, finely sliced
a teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
a handful of toasted sesame seeds
TO MAKE
Filling
Heat a large wok, skillet of pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and allow it to heat, then throw in the ginger and saute for 30 seconds.
Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, until softened. Add the mushrooms and cook until tender (about 2 minutes) and moisture has been removed.
Add cabbage and carrots and cook until tender. Add tofu and gently stir-fry for 1 minute.
Turn off heat and add green onions, black pepper, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Stir to combine, taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.
Assemble
Use a small brush or your fingers to moisten the edges of one side of the wrapper lightly with water. Add about 2 teaspoons of filling to the wrapper.
Moisten the edges on both sides of the dumpling with water. Fold the sides together and press to create a semi-circle shape.
Create about 5 to 6 pleats along the edges, folding and pressing from left to right. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
Fry
Add about 1 tablespoon of oil to a pan and heat over medium-high heat. Carefully add as many dumplings as you can fit without squashing them together, and fry for 2 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown.
Reduce the heat to medium-low. Slowly and carefully pour in ¼ cup water into the the pan without splattering everywhere.
Cover with a lid and allow dumplings to steam until the water evaporates, for about 3 minutes.
Remove the lid and turn up the heat to medium-high. Fry for 2 more minutes, until bottoms are brown and crisp.
Work in batches, adding another tablespoon of oil and ¼ cup water for each batch.
Dip in soy, tamari or chilli sauce.