Chef notes
If you love ordering Chinese dumplings at restaurants but never considered making them yourself at home, this recipe proves just how easy it is. Here, jiaozi (aka northern Chinese dumplings) are filled with a savory mix of vegetables for a vegan-friendly bite. You don’t have to be vegan to enjoy them, though. This is a fun project to involve kids and adults alike in with delicious, satisfying results to boot.
You’ll make both the dumpling wrappers and filling from scratch in this recipe. The wrappers are nothing but a mix of flour, water and salt that’s kneaded into a smooth dough, then rolled out into thin rounds. If you have a pasta attachment for a stand mixer, you can use that to get the dough to the proper thickness. The filling is a mixture of sautéed shiitake mushrooms, onion and kale, which is combined with edamame, minced ginger and scallion, soy sauce and molasses. The edamame purée acts as a binder, similar to how ricotta cheese is used as a binder for ravioli filling.
The wrappers are filled and folded into half-moon shapes to form the vegetable dumplings. All that’s left to do is cook them. These jiaozi are boiled for five minutes then served hot with Chiangkang vinegar and chili oil. Chiangkang vinegar is a Chinese rice-based black vinegar that is full bodied and mildly acidic, with a malty, pleasantly sweet flavor. It’s a classic condiment for Chinese dumplings but that’s really just the start. Use it as the vinegar in salad dressing, drizzle it into stir-fries or use it to brighten braised meats.
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Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1¼ cups water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, minced
- 4 cups diced white onion
- 1 pound kale leaves, stems removed and sliced thin
- 4 cups (1 pound) peeled edamame
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- kosher salt, to taste
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup molasses or mushroom sauce
- 1 tablespoon ground white pepper
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- chiangkang vinegar
- chili oil
Preparation
Make the jiaozi (dumpling) wrapper:
1.Combine the flour, water and salt in a mixer. Knead until it forms a smooth dough, and rest it for 30 minutes.
2.After the dough has rested, portion it into bottle cap–size balls then individually roll them out into small rounds with a rolling pin to make wrappers. Alternatively, you can run the dough through a pasta roller. Roll them to number 4 thickness, then use a 3-inch cookie cutter to cut out round wrappers.
Make the vegetable filling:
1. Heat a large skillet over high heat with 4 tablespoons canola oil and sauté shiitake mushrooms until golden, season with 1 pinch salt and pepper and set aside to let cool.
2.Using the same skillet, heat 2 tablespoons canola oil over medium heat, sauté the onions and salt until caramelized. Remove and set aside to let cool. Repeat the same step with the kale.
3.In a food processor, purée the edamame until smooth.
4.When all the vegetables have cooled, combine them in a large mixing bowl with edamame purée, minced ginger, scallion, soy sauce, mushroom sauce and sesame oil.
Assemble the dumplings:
1.Using a dumpling folder, take one wrapper and 1 tablespoon of the vegetable filling per dumpling. Place the filling in the middle of the wrapper, close the edges and make them into an ear shape (half-moon shape).
2.Bring a large pot of water to a boil and carefully add in the jiaozi. When the water returns to a boil, add 1/2 cup of cold water and bring back to a boil again. When all the jiaozi are floating on top of the water, they are done, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and serve hot with Chiangkang vinegar and chili oil.
