Plant-Based Tofu, Mushroom, Garlic Chive Dumplings

These dumplings are filled with all kinds of ingredients, coming together to create a wonderfully flavourful, hearty dish. The filling is made with firm tofu, shiitake mushrooms, aromatic Chinese celery, Napa cabbage, and a generous amount of garlic chives. These chives are a member of the onion family, but taste more garlicky than oniony, and bring so much flavour to dishes.

Aline Davies of Sincerely Aline, Guest Contributor

Follow Aline’s food adventures on Instagram at @SincerelyAline

Pairing Notes:

Wash the dumplings down with a crisp, chilled glass of the 2018 Jorge Ordonez Botani 2018 white wine from Málaga, Spain. This wine is made with 100% old vine Muscat of Alexandria from extremely steep mountainside vineyards planted at inclinations of up to 70° in a newly designated appellation Sierras de Málaga. It’s dry, crisp, smooth, full-bodied with a delicate floral aroma, and is a delicious accompaniment to the dumplings.

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Time: 60 - 90 minutes
Yield: 30 dumplings

Filling:

• 200g firm tofu (chopped into small chunks) 

• 2 stalks Chinese celery (chop the roots off and discard. Lightly smash the stems to release the aroma, then roughly chop the stalks and leaves)

• 6 shiitake mushrooms (sliced into small chunks)

• 4-5 Napa cabbage leaves (roughly chopped) 

• 150g garlic chive stalks (finely chopped) 

• 1 tsp ginger (finely chopped) 

• Drizzle light soy sauce / or liquid aminos 

• Drizzle dark soy sauce/ or coconut aminos 

• 1 tbsp rice vinegar 

• 1 tbsp sesame oil

• Oil for cooking (use a neutral one such as sunflower/vegetable)

Dipping sauce 

• 2 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar 

• 2 tbsp light soy sauce/ or liquid aminos

• 2 tsp sesame oil

• 1 tsp chilli crisp 

• Handful roughly chopped spring onions

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1. Prepare the dumpling filling by frying the ginger in some oil until it releases an aroma, then add the tofu, fry for a minute or two then stir in the shiitake and celery, fry for another few minutes.

2. Stir in the Napa cabbage and chives and add the sesame oil, soy sauces and rice vinegar, fry for a few more minutes until everything has cooked through. Add more sauces to flavour, if needed. Take off the heat and leave to cool slightly .⁣ 

3. Wrapping: Prepare a small bowl of water (this will be to help seal the dumplings). Wrap the dumplings by scooping 1 to  1 ½ tsp in the middle of the dumpling wrap (you don’t want to overfill it), run a touch of water around the whole rim of the wrap.

4. Fold over in half and press the wrap together in the middle only, leaving the sides still open. Fold your first pleat, starting from either side from the middle, and pull the top front part of the dumpling skin (creating a Z) towards the middle, then press firmly to seal. Repeat again on the same side, then repeat on the other side (you should have done 2 pleats on either side), ensuring there are no air pockets. You can also simply fold the whole wrap into a half-moon shape, seal the edges and pleat from one side to the other. 

4. Cooking (Pan-frying - Fresh or from frozen): Once all the dumplings are wrapped, heat a non-stick frying pan, add a touch of oil (around 1 tbsp), warm slightly, add the dumplings (around 8-10 depending on the size of your frying pan)⁣⁣⁣. Brown on both sides (roughly 3-4 mins each side). Then add a few tablespoons to ½ cup of water (or enough to shallowly cover the surface of the pan), pop a lid on the pan if that’s available to you, and leave to cook for a further few minutes until the water has evaporated⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣.

5. Cooking (Boiling): Add water to a pot and bring to a boil. Place around 8 dumplings (you don’t want to overcrowd the pot)  in and boil for 3-4 minutes. Carefully take out of the water one by one.

6. For the dipping sauce, combine all the ingredients together, or simply drizzle/ sprinkle either of the dipping sauce ingredients over the dumplings directly.

Storage: The dumplings will keep for a few days in the fridge and for up to 3 months in the freezer. To freeze, lay across a lined tray (ensure they aren’t touching one another) and place in the freezer for 1-2 hours. Take out and place in a freezer-safe Tupperware or ziplock.