Peking Raviolis with Eggplant
Submitted by lulubelle55
Vegan Peking-style raviolis stuff egg roll wrappers with roasted eggplant, garlic, soy, ginger, and scallions. Boiled dumpling-ravioli hybrid for an unexpected vegetable starter.
YIELD
24 servingsPREP
90 minCOOK
70 minREADY
160 minHalf ravioli, half Chinese dumpling, fully vegetarian. The filling here starts with whole eggplants roasted skin-on for an hour, until the flesh collapses and turns smoky-sweet. The roasting is what gives this filling its signature deep flavor. Skip it and saute the eggplant instead and you’ll lose the caramelized, almost meaty body that makes this dumpling-ravioli hybrid work.
The roasted eggplant flesh gets scooped into a marinade of soy sauce, fresh ginger, garlic, and scallions, then pureed smooth. The marinade-then-puree order matters. The eggplant absorbs the soy and ginger flavors as it cools, so the puree comes out infused, not just coated.
Egg roll wrappers cut into quarters do a fine job standing in for ravioli or wonton sheets. Pleat by hand or use a ravioli press, but seal those edges firmly. A well-sealed dumpling stays intact in boiling water; a sloppy one releases all its filling and turns the pot murky.
Boil gently in stirred water, not at a hard rolling boil. Hard boil bursts dumplings open. They’re done when they float and turn slightly transparent. Serve with soy sauce and a drizzle of sesame oil or chili oil.
Chef Tips
- Salt the eggplant halves before roasting and let them sit 15 minutes to draw out bitter liquid. Pat dry before placing face-down on the sheet.
- Cut wrappers in batches and keep them under a damp towel as you work. They dry out fast and crack.
- Don’t overfill. Half a teaspoon per wrapper is the sweet spot. More and the seal breaks during boiling.
- Stir the boiling water in a slow circle before adding each ravioli. The current keeps them from sticking to the bottom.
Variations
- Add 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce to the marinade for a sweeter, more layered flavor.
- Pan-fry the boiled raviolis in a little oil until golden on one side for a potsticker-style finish.
- Stir minced shiitake mushrooms or finely chopped tofu into the puree for added body and umami.
Ingredients
Directions
Slice eggplant in half lengthwise and cut off stems.
Place face down on a cookie sheet.
Use non-stick spray if the sheet is not already non stick.
Bake for about 1 hour.
The eggplant should give to the touch.
Take the eggplant out of the oven and allow to cool.
While they are cooling mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl to make a marinade.
When the eggplant is cool, they should be a bit shriveled.
With a spoon, scoop out the insides into the marinade.
Let sit for at least 15 minutes.
Pour the eggplant and marinade into a food processor to purée for about 30 seconds.
The result should look totally inedible. :-)
Fill a large stock pan with about 1½ inches of water and set on the stove to boil.
If you are using wonton wrappers or ravioli wrappers you can skip this step.
Take out two eggroll wrappers and cut in even quarters.
Place out about 8 wrapper pieces on a flat clean surface like a cutting board.
Spoon about ½ teaspoon of the eggplant purée into the middle of each wrapper.
Dip your fingers into a bowl of water and run along two opposite edges of a wrapper or along all four edges.
Take one corner and fold it over to the opposite corner forming a triangle.
Carefully press the wet edges together to form a seal.
Place the triangular ravioli onto a rack to dry a bit and repeat the process with the other seven wrappers.
If you put too much filling in a wrapper, it will ooze out the edge.
Just make sure you press firmly on that edge to force the filling out all the way.
You want the wrapper edges touching each other so they will form a seal.
If you have a ravioli press, as sold at Chinese supply stores, follow the directions given with the press.
After filling eight raviolis, turn them over on the drying rack and repeat the process with eight more.
At this point, your water should be at a rolling boil and you can carefully add the raviolis.
First stir the water in a circular motion with a slotted spoon.
Place one ravioli on the spoon and carefully lower it into the water.
Continue stirring until the ravioli starts to float. Add another ravioli.
Don’t add so many raviolis that they crowd each other in the pan.
They should not touch each other while cooking or they might cook together.
The raviolis are cooked when they float easily and are somewhat transparent.
The eggplant mixture will spread in the wrapper a bit but should not seep out if they were sealed well.
As they reach the floating stage, carefully lift the raviolis out of the water with the slotted spoon and move them back to the drying rack.
When the raviolis are dry again use a toothpick to connect the two opposite corners and place on a tray of lettuce or ornamental cabbage to serve.
If you are not concerned with fat, you can lightly coat a plate with sesame or hot pepper oil and place the raviolis directly on the oil.
They can be kept on a hot pad this way.
Otherwise eat them immediately.
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