Close
Photo: Maggie Zhu
Active Time:2 hrsTotal Time:2 hrs 30 minsServings:5Jump to Nutrition Facts
Active Time:2 hrsTotal Time:2 hrs 30 minsServings:5
Active Time:2 hrs
Active Time:
2 hrs
Total Time:2 hrs 30 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs 30 mins
Servings:5
Servings:
5
Jump to Nutrition Facts
Jump to recipe
In Beijing, I lived with my parents even after I started working, and my mom prepared my lunchbox every single day. She insisted that vegetables would lose their nutrition the longer she stored them and that everything must be prepared fresh. As a result, she woke up at 6 a.m. to make one serving of a veggie stir-fry for me. Each night, she set the timer on the rice cooker so the rice would be ready the next morning. And then, in two palm-sized plastic containers, she carefully packed the brown rice and stir-fry with a main dish and usually a meat stew made over the weekend.
When I heated up my lunch at work, coworkers commented on how lucky I was to have a mom who is passionate about cooking. The truth is, my mom hates cooking! She always says she doesn’t like to do anything that would make a room messy or smelly. She likes washing dishes more than searing food in a hot wok. But for more than 30 years, she cooked three meals a day for our family, using fresh produce. And dinner always included three courses and a soup.
She tells people that she doesn’t know how to cook, outside of a few home-style dishes. And yet, she makes the most beautiful steamed buns with tiny pleats. And she can put twice the amount of vegetables into a single dumpling that a restaurant chef can. When I tell my American friends about my mom, I have to explain that Chinese culture treasures humility. And they still have confusion written all over their faces, wondering, “If making dumplings from scratch doesn’t prove you can cook, then what does?”
I did not appreciate her food much until I moved to the United States five years ago.
Right after I arrived in the U.S. and finally got to choose my own food, I had a full-on binge. I couldn’t get enough of anything cheesy, meaty, sweet and heavily seasoned. It took two years before I decided to lose the extra 15 pounds I’d gained from Popeye’s fried chicken and Krispy Kreme donuts. My meals became ground turkey stir fried with a reduced amount of oil, and canned tuna in water.
Then the pandemic hit. Isolated in my Manhattan apartment with all the turmoil going on, I started craving comfort food again. And only then did I realize that, for me, comfort food also means the most simple Chinese home-style dishes: congees, rice with pickles, vegetable stir fries, and soups. On my weekly video chat with my mom, we’d always talk about what we had been eating. And when she told me she made “only some homemade vegetable dumplings and congee,” I felt extra homesick.
Maggie Zhu
When it comes to dumpling making, the vegetable type is usually more challenging than those filled with meat. Because unlike ground meat, which will form a meatball as a filling, vegetable fillings use chopped vegetable bits that do not bind together. When you add a spoonful of vegetable filling, it won’t stay put and you need a bit more patience and skill to wrap the dumplings.
That’s why it’s always best to use homemade dumpling wrappers instead of the packaged ones to make vegetable dumplings. When you make dumpling wrappers fresh, the dough is elastic and springy. You can roll the wrappers out thinly, with the size slightly larger than the store-bought type. That way it’s easier to stuff a bit more veggies into it. When you make the pleats, you can use a stretching motion to extend the edge of the dough, which gives you extra room to entrap the filling. It also creates a nice fat dumpling with a lot of filing and fine pleats.
My family’s homemade dumplings are quite humble and use simple ingredients. My mom brings the napa cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, vermicelli noodles and fried tofu together with a dollop of sesame oil, salt and white pepper. Once cooked, the filling is hearty, crisp and nutty, with a tender fragrant dough that’s slightly chewy.
I used to complain about these dumplings whenever my mom served them, because there was no meat. But now I make them at home from scratch, just like my mom. Except I get a bit of help from my stand mixer.
Cook Mode(Keep screen awake)IngredientsWrappers1 ½cupsall-purpose flour, plus more for dusting½cupboiling water2tablespoonsroom-temperature waterFilling4dried shiitake mushrooms (1/2 oz.)4cupsfinely chopped napa cabbage (4 oz.)1 ½teaspoonssalt, divided3tablespoonstoasted sesame oil, divided2cupsshredded carrot (6 oz.)1ouncedried vermicelli rice noodles¼cupfinely chopped fried or baked tofu (1 oz.) or 1 scrambled egg2scallions, finely chopped2teaspoonsgrated fresh ginger⅛teaspoonground white pepper
Cook Mode(Keep screen awake)
Ingredients
Wrappers
1 ½cupsall-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
½cupboiling water
2tablespoonsroom-temperature water
Filling
4dried shiitake mushrooms (1/2 oz.)
4cupsfinely chopped napa cabbage (4 oz.)
1 ½teaspoonssalt, divided
3tablespoonstoasted sesame oil, divided
2cupsshredded carrot (6 oz.)
1ouncedried vermicelli rice noodles
¼cupfinely chopped fried or baked tofu (1 oz.) or 1 scrambled egg
2scallions, finely chopped
2teaspoonsgrated fresh ginger
⅛teaspoonground white pepper
Directions
To prepare wrappers:Place flour in bowl of stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment; make a well in the middle. Pour boiling water in the middle of the flour. Mix on low speed until the water is fully incorporated, stopping occasionally to scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add room-temperature water. Continue mixing on low speed until the mixture forms a dough, scraping the bowl as needed. The dough should be a bit springy, not sticking to the bowl but not tough to the touch. (If the dough won’t come together after a few minutes, keep adding cold water, 1 to 2 teaspoons at a time, until it holds together. Add flour if the dough is too soft and doesn’t hold its shape.) Continue mixing until the surface becomes smooth, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a clean work surface; knead a few times and shape into a ball. Cover with a clean kitchen towel while you make the filling.
Place cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt; stir to coat. Let stand for 20 minutes. Squeeze out excess water and return the cabbage to the bowl.
Heat 2 tablespoons sesame oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add carrot and the shiitakes. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are very tender, about 6 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large plate to cool.
Cook the noodles according to the package instructions; drain. Measure 1/4 cup of cooked noodles. (Save any remaining noodles for another use.) Coarsely chop the noodles into about 1/2-inch-long pieces.
Add the cooled vegetables and chopped noodles to the bowl with the cabbage. Add tofu (or egg), scallions, ginger, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, the remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil and white pepper. Mix until well combined. Set aside while you make the wrappers.
To form wrappers:Divide the dough in half. Cover 1 half with plastic wrap and set aside. Shape the other half into a stick, about 8 inches long. Cut into 10 even pieces. Lightly dust both sides of each piece with flour and shape each piece into a cylinder. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel.
Working with 1 dough cylinder at a time, press into a round disk on a lightly floured surface. Roll with a rolling pin, rotating the dough with 1 hand while rolling the dough with the other hand until it forms a 4-inch round with the edge thinner than the center.
To fill and shape dumplings:Place 1 heaping tablespoon of dumpling filling in the center of the wrapper. Hold the dumpling with 1 hand and start making pleats and sealing the edges with the other hand. After folding, press the edge again to seal well.
Place the finished dumplings on a baking sheet lightly dusted with flour and cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
To cook dumplings:Line a large steamer with steaming paper (see Tip). (If using a bamboo steamer, add water to a large rimmed baking sheet and place the steamer in the water to soak the bottom for 30 minutes, so it doesn’t scorch.)
Add about 2 inches water to the steamer. Arrange the dumplings on the steaming rack, at least a finger’s width apart. Place the steaming rack in the steamer and cover. Heat over high heat until steaming. Cook, without peeking into the steamer, for 8 minutes. Serve immediately.
To make aheadRefrigerate uncooked dumplings (Steps 1-10) for up to 1 day or freeze for up to 1 month.
To make ahead
Refrigerate uncooked dumplings (Steps 1-10) for up to 1 day or freeze for up to 1 month.
TipsSteaming paper is specially made with small holes to allow steam to circulate, while preventing sticking. To make your own, cut a piece of parchment paper to fit your steamer. Fold in half several times and cut the folded narrow tip to create a hole in the center. Cut several evenly spaced small triangles along the folded edges. Unfold and place in the steamer.Made from fermented black sticky rice or glutinous rice, Zhenjiang black vinegar is tangy and sweet. It’s used in a variety of Chinese recipes, from stir-fries to marinades. Find it at your local Asian market, sometimes labeled as Chinkiang vinegar. For a substitute, use 2 tsp. balsamic and 1 tsp. rice vinegar for every 1 Tbsp. of black vinegar.
Tips
Steaming paper is specially made with small holes to allow steam to circulate, while preventing sticking. To make your own, cut a piece of parchment paper to fit your steamer. Fold in half several times and cut the folded narrow tip to create a hole in the center. Cut several evenly spaced small triangles along the folded edges. Unfold and place in the steamer.Made from fermented black sticky rice or glutinous rice, Zhenjiang black vinegar is tangy and sweet. It’s used in a variety of Chinese recipes, from stir-fries to marinades. Find it at your local Asian market, sometimes labeled as Chinkiang vinegar. For a substitute, use 2 tsp. balsamic and 1 tsp. rice vinegar for every 1 Tbsp. of black vinegar.
Steaming paper is specially made with small holes to allow steam to circulate, while preventing sticking. To make your own, cut a piece of parchment paper to fit your steamer. Fold in half several times and cut the folded narrow tip to create a hole in the center. Cut several evenly spaced small triangles along the folded edges. Unfold and place in the steamer.
Made from fermented black sticky rice or glutinous rice, Zhenjiang black vinegar is tangy and sweet. It’s used in a variety of Chinese recipes, from stir-fries to marinades. Find it at your local Asian market, sometimes labeled as Chinkiang vinegar. For a substitute, use 2 tsp. balsamic and 1 tsp. rice vinegar for every 1 Tbsp. of black vinegar.
EatingWell.com, July 2021
Rate ItPrint
Nutrition Facts(per serving)280Calories9gFat42gCarbs7gProtein
Nutrition Facts(per serving)
- Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day. Percent Daily Value (%DV) found on nutrition labels tells you how much a serving of a particular food or recipe contributes to each of those total recommended amounts. Per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the daily value is based on a standard 2,000 calorie diet. Depending on your calorie needs or if you have a health condition, you may need more or less of particular nutrients. (For example, it’s recommended that people following a heart-healthy diet eat less sodium on a daily basis compared to those following a standard diet.)
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a special diet for medical reasons, be sure to consult with your primary care provider or a registered dietitian to better understand your personal nutrition needs.
