Vegetarian Pot Stickers
Submitted by Marie1223
Vegetarian pot stickers stuffed with shiitake, napa cabbage, spinach, and tofu, then pan-fried crisp on the bottom and steamed tender on top. A healthy, customizable take on classic Chinese dumplings.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
10 minREADY
40 minThese vegetable dumplings deliver everything you love about pot stickers, the crisp golden bottom, the tender steamed top, the savory filling, with no meat at all. The filling is a fresh tangle of shiitake mushrooms, napa cabbage, spinach, bamboo shoots, and tofu, seasoned with ginger, garlic, soy, and sesame oil.
It’s endlessly forgiving, too. Use more or less tofu, or fold in carrots, sprouts, or whatever greens you have.
The signature texture comes from a two-step cooking method. First, fry the dumplings so the bottoms turn golden and crisp. Then pour in stock, cover, and let them steam until the liquid evaporates, cooking the filling through and the tops tender while the bottoms stay crunchy.
Pleating takes a little practice, so moisten the wrapper edges well and press firmly to seal, then stand each dumpling up to form that flat base. Serve with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce.
Kitchen Tips
- Squeeze the water from the soaked shiitake and the spinach so the filling isn’t watery and the dumplings seal cleanly.
- Don’t overfill; about a tablespoon per wrapper lets you pleat and seal properly.
- Seal the edges firmly with a moistened rim so they don’t burst open while cooking.
- Don’t lift the lid while they steam; let the stock fully evaporate for the crispest bottoms.
Variations
- Customize the filling with carrots, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, or extra greens.
- For gluten-free, use tamari and gluten-free wrappers.
- Make a dipping sauce of soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili oil, and a little ginger.
Ingredients
Directions
Squeeze excess water from mushrooms.
Remove stems and discard; finely chop caps.
Place mushrooms in a large bowl, and add spinach, cabbage, bamboo shoots, bean curd, green onion, ginger and garlic (and anything else you wish at this point-my friend added sprouts and put in less than half the tofu called for, and I’ll probably add some fresh Japanese mustard leaves and Swiss chard stalks, and maybe some carrots bits, and leave out the tofu entirely).
Mix gently with soy sauce, wine, cornstartch, sesame oil, and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Spoon 1 Tablespoon of filling into the center of each pot sticker wrapper (friend said she’s going to stuff them a little fuller next time).
Moisten edge of wrapper, fold over to make a half-circle, and pleat edges firmly together. Set each pot sticker upright on a platter, so that a flat base is formed.
In a large non-stick or cast iron skillet, heat the 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil on medium high.
Place pot stickers close together in the pan and fry about 1 minute, or until bottoms begin to brown.
Pour enough vegetable stock into the pan to cover bottom half of pot stickers.
Cover pan, reduce heat to medium, and cook 7 minutes, until the stock evaporates.
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