After introducing pork and shrimp dumplings and lamb dumplings, I’ve gotten many requests for a vegetarian dumpling recipe. So today I want to share this carrot and egg dumpling with you. There are many ways to create Chinese vegetarian dumplings. You can use many types of vegetables in the filling. To make the filling delicious, the general rule of thumb is to use ingredients with different textures. Also make sure you use some dried foods (e.g. mushrooms) to add umami, so you can create a full, rich flavor, even without meat.
Most vegetarian dumplings in China include wood ear mushrooms, dried shiitake mushrooms, cooked egg, bamboo shoots, fried tofu (or fried dough), and pickled vegetables. These ingredients add very different textures and flavors as compared with other vegetables. They are the essential ingredients for vegetable dumplings. Unlike in my previous dumpling recipes, you’ll need to cook the filling before wrapping it in this recipe. Just like you would when making egg rolls. One of the challenges to making vegetarian dumplings is that you don’t have the meat to “glue” the filling together. If you are using many vegetables in the filling, you might find it challenging to stuff everything into a tiny dumpling wrapper. That is why we rarely make water-boiled or pan-fried vegetarian dumplings. Instead, we make steamed dumplings that are much larger in size and use freshly made dough.
Of course, not everyone has time to make dumpling dough and wrappers from scratch. And neither do I! So I decided to develop a simple vegetarian potsticker that you can easily make with supermarket-bought dumpling wrappers. The main ingredient in this recipe is carrot. After stir frying the carrot with garlic and ginger, it will taste sweet and aromatic. I used dried shiitake mushrooms to add umami, bamboo shoots to add a crunchy texture, and eggs for a different, meaty texture. The seasoning remains simple, with a spoonful of soy sauce and pinch of salt. This way you can just enjoy the simple freshness of the ingredients.
To make this recipe work, you will want to use a bit more oil than you would for your average stir-fry. My mom’s number-one rule of making dumplings is: always add enough fat to make the dumpling filling moist and juicy. She is picky about her dumplings. And she thinks that any dumpling with a dry texture is a failed dumpling. In the case of vegetable dumplings, we need to use plenty of sesame oil. It adds a rich, nutty flavor and keeps the filling juicy.
I used a food processor to make the dumpling filling in this recipe. If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a mandoline to grate the carrot, and mince the shiitake mushroom with your knife. The recipe makes 45 dumplings, which might sound like a lot. I suggest you make a full batch on the weekend, so there will be no need to rush. Freeze the extra dumplings after wrapping them. You can always cook them in the pan later – it’s very easy to whip up a plate of freshly made potstickers that are crispy on the outside and meaty (but contain no meat!) on the inside. I hope you enjoy this dish! Do you like my recipes? Sign up our weekly newsletter to get the latest updates delivered to your inbox and a FREE e-cookbook that contains my top 30 most popular recipes!
