Crispy Vegan Dumplings with Corn, Curry and a Jalapeño Pop
Crispy vegan dumplings packed with sweet corn, warm curry spices, fresh basil and a little jalapeño pop. They hold together beautifully thanks to a tiny secret you’ll discover in the recipe. With big flavor, they're super fun to make and amazing with your favorite chili crisp.
Servings: 50 dumplings
Calories: 36kcal
Cost: $8-$10
Equipment
- Nonstick skillet (with lid) for pan searing and steaming
- Mixing bowl for the filling
- Small bowl of water for sealing the dumplings
- Half Sheet Baking Pan lined with parchment
Ingredients
Wilted Cabbage for Filling:
- 2 cups green cabbage shredded
- 1 teaspoon salt
Filling:
- 1 pack dried rice vermicelli softened and chopped (Note 1)
- 4 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil divided
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced
- 1 jalapeno minced
- 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- ½ block firm tofu (¾ cup) finely diced into ⅛" cubes (Note 2)
- 1 cup carrot shredded
- 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels drained
- 2 tablespoons finely grated flour-y potato including juices, for binding (Note 3)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce divided
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper or black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ cup green onions finely chopped
- 1 cup fresh basil thinly sliced and then chopped crosswise
Wrappers
- 50 medium-thick circular dumpling wrappers egg-free if needed
For Cooking
- ⅓ cup water for steaming
Garnish
- 1 tablespoon Green onions thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon roasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Make the Filling
- Prepare the vermicelli as the package tells you. Is it all in Chinese and you can't read it? The characters say, "Hey you, throw one pack of the noodles into 1 cup of hot water, and let it sit for at least five minutes." Drain it, measure out 1 cup, then chop the noodles into ½" pieces so they mix nicely into the filling.
- Let your large nonstick pan (or a stainless pan, if you're brave) heat up on high until hot. Do the bubble water test? (What's that you ask? Dip your fingers into water, and then throw the water droplets into the pan with an Emeril Lagasse "BAM!" The pan is ready when the droplets turn into spheres, and actually bounce around the pan, and don't just sizzle into oblivion.) Turn the heat down to medium high. Then add 2-3 tablespoons of the oil along with the garlic, ginger, and jalapeno. Stir a few times, for about 30 seconds till your nose makes you happy from the smell!
- Next, add the cabbage, 1 tablespoon soy, Shaoxing wine, and curry powder. Cook and stir for another 2 minutes, till the cabbage turns tender and there's no more liquid. Then, toss it all onto a big plate to cool off.
- Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil into the same pan. Add the tofu, stirring and cooking it for a minute. Add some color to the mix: the carrots and the corn. Plop in the grated potatoes, including all the starchy liquid. Toss in the cooked vermicelli, the rest of the soy sauce (2 tablespoons), 1 teaspoon sugar, ground pepper and salt . Cook and stir till all the liquid has evaporated. Scrape it all out into a large bowl to cool down for a few minutes.
- Once the tofu and the cabbage mixes have each cooled to room warmth, add the cabbage mix into the same mixing bowl with the tofu. Add the green onion and basil to the party, and mix till it looks like confetti!
Wrap dumplings
- Fill a small bowl with water. Prepare a kitchen towel for wiping your fingers. Have your filling ready, with a parchment lined tray and damp towel to cover the wonton wrappers so they don't dry out
- Hold a wrapper in your left (or non-dominant) hand. Dip your finger in the water, and run it around the edges of the circle. Place 1-2 teaspoons of filling in the middle, leaving a ½ inch border on all edges. Lift and fold one side of the wrapper over the filling, meeting the opposite side to form a semi-circle. Press in the middle at the top (as though you're pinching your sibling). Now, seal with pleats. Keeping the back side flat, pleat the right front side into the middle, and the left front side going to the middle with pleating going the opposite way.
- Stand the dumpling upright with the pleats on top, and lightly press down to flatten the base. It will shape into a slight crescent. Place it on the tray and marvel at the beauty your hands just created! Great job!! Repeat for all dumplings. Keep the completed dumplings covered with a dish cloth to prevent drying out.
Storage
- If at this point, you don't want to cook them immediately, you can freeze them for when you get home from the soccer game and need something you can throw on the stove and have ready in 10 minutes. Throw the tray in the freezer, and after an hour, you can toss the dumplings into a gallon zip lock bag to save space. You can store the dumplings in the freezer for up to three months.
Cook the Dumplings
- Cook the dumplings in batches.
- Heat 2-3 tablespoons oil in a nonstick skillet or stainless pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the dumplings in a single layer. Cook until the bottom side just turns a light brown, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Be careful in this next step, because it will steam and sizzle. Add 1/3 cup of water, and cover with the pan lid quickly. Cook for another 3-4 minutes, until the water dissolves, the wrappers should be semi-transparent (meaning the dumpling is cooked and ready to pop into your mouth!) Take the lid off, and let the bottoms of the dumplings crisp up again till they are a California-sun golden brown.
- Transfer the dumplings to a plate, and cook the rest of the dumplings the same way.
- You can serve the dumplings immediately with dumpling dipping sauce, or spicy chili oil, or chili crisp. Your choiced! And don't forget we eat with our eyes, so add some bright green color and toss some green onions (maybe a teaspoon per bowl) and a pinch of sesame seeds to add a little crunch. Behold, your masterpiece! Great job!
Reheating
- Uncooked dumplings will keep in the fridge for a couple of days, either in an airtight container (single layers) or on a tray covered with cling wrap. Cooked dumplings can be kept for 3 days. Best to use an air fryer. It crisps up the dumplings without using any more oil OR you can reheat in the microwave (they won't be crispy) or pan fry and steam those gems again. But, remember Fresh Is Best!
Cooking frozen dumplings
- The method is almost the same as cooking freshly made dumplings. But you will need to cook them covered for 2 to 3 minutes longer. Make sure to add the water, about 1/3 cup, to make sure it generates enough steam to heat the filling through.
Notes
- Vermicelli is another way to add a soft and “meaty” texture to the dumpling filling. You can also replace it with another 1/2 block of firm tofu as well. May as well use up the rest of that block!
- Tofu: be sure to use Firm, or Extra firm tofu, to get that good texture. If you use Silken, or Soft Tofu, it’ll magically blend into the rest of the ingredients not making your tongue as happy.
- Potato is the secret ingredient! It binds all the ingredients so when cooked, the dumpling doesn’t crumble out all over your new shirt when you take a delicious bite. Raw potato is way better than starch powders like cornstarch, rice flour etc which make the filling unpleasantly mushy. Only 2 tablespoons makes all the difference! It’s kind of a miracle, really!
Nutrition
Calories: 36kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 0.1mg | Sodium: 141mg | Potassium: 42mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 471IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.3mg
