Vegan Shanghai Dumplings

These vegan Shanghai dumplings feature a tender, hand-made dim sum wrapper cradling a rich and savoury filling. This recipe makes enough for a four-person Chinese New Year celebration. These dumplings require a lot of time and love, so they are the perfect make-ahead dish. Just freeze them and steam them when you are ready to eat!

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 2 cups flour
• ¾ cup hot water
• ¼ cup cold water
• 1 tbsp. Sesame oil

Filling:

• 1  312gr package Yves veggie ground round
• 1 cup shredded cabbage
• 1 head of garlic minced
• 2 tbsp ginger
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp Chinese 5 spice
• 1 tbsp miso paste
• 1 ½ tbsp. Soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• Splash of water
• 2 tbsp grape seed oil or vegetable oil

Dipping sauce:

• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil

Method:

To prepare dough:

1. Pour flour in food processor
2. Pulse in hot water til dough starts to gather
3. Pulse in cold water and sesame
4. Mix til dough forms ball
5. Take out and knead on flour surface for about 8 minutes. Dough should be smooth and elastic. Feel free to add more flour as needed.
6. Put dough in bowl and cover with damp towel. Let sit while you make filling.

To make filing:

1. Heat grapeseed oil in wok over medium high heat
2. Add Yves Veggie Ground round. Brown for 2 or three minutes
3. Add shredded cabbage.
4. Add garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, Chinese five spice, miso paste, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Toss to incorporate all ingredients,
5. Deglaze pan with a splash of water. Add cornstarch. Stir to thicken.
6. Take off heat, put in bowl and put in fridge to chill

To make dumplings:

1. Take out dough and divide in half
2. Roll out on floured surface til about an 1/8 of an inch thick
3. Use a drinking glass about 2 inches in diameter and cut circles out of dough. Stack and set aside
4. Repeat steps with remaining dough (be sure to use scraps! Re-roll and get as many as you can out of it. I ended up with about 34)
5. Lay out dumpling wrappers and fill with 1 tbsp or so of filing.

Brush one outer edge of wrapper with water.

Fold over dumplings and pinch to seal.

Chef’s note: shanghai dumplings are traditionally sealed at the top with pinched swirl. Making handmade dumplings is a highly specialized and traditional art form, so if you are not a skilled dim sum chef (like me) then feel free to seal them crescent moon style, like a perogie.

To make dipping sauce:

1. Mix soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil together in small ramekin.

To steam the dumplings:

1. Line a bamboo or metal steamer with cabbage leaves (I used sliced onion, so feel free to experiment!).Fill steamer with water and turn on high heat.
2. Place dumplings in steamer. Make sure they do not touch each other.
3. Cover with lid and steam for 10 minutes, or til tender and dough is cooked.

Serve with dipping sauce and enjoy!

Gung Hei Fat Choi!

Courtesy of Contributor Jenny Duffy

~The Vegan Project

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