素鍋貼 (Su Guo Tie)

China is a country with many Buddhist influences, so it’s not surprising that vegetarian fillings for buns and potstickers are commonplace. Vegetarian dumplings, however, face several challenges not encountered by their meat-filled cousins. First, every successful dumpling filling must not contain too much water, which can waterlog the skins and cause the dumplings to come apart. This is particularly tricky when trying to put together a vegetarian dumpling, since vegetables generally have a high water content. Furthermore, we cannot rely on the protein net created by cooking meat to retain moisture. Second, vegetable potstickers are often criticized for tasting bland, an issue often compounded by waterlogging.

Our favorite vegetarian potsticker recipe avoids this problem by calling on a quartet of flavorful vegetables: shiitake mushrooms, carrots, garlic chives (Chinese chives) [1], and scallions. Stir-frying these vegetables before the dumplings are filled serves to drive away moisture and further concentrate the flavors.

Ingredients

8 shiitake mushrooms
1 large carrot, shredded
6 oz garlic chives
4 scallions, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine (optional)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp cornstarch
½ tsp brown sugar
½ tsp white pepper
½ tsp five spice powder
1 pkg dumpling wrappers
Vegetable oil

Begin by breaking down our vegetables—we want everything that goes into the filling to be very small. Dice the mushrooms into ¼ inch pieces, chop the garlic chives and scallions into ¼ inch pieces, and shred the carrots. Each of these vegetables brings different strengths to the table. Mushrooms are packed with umami, carrots provide an earthy sweetness, the chives are garlicky and savory, and the scallions add a burst of brightness.

When your vegetables are prepped, we can cook the filling. Heat about 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the carrots and mushrooms to the pan, together with 1 teaspoon salt. The salt will both season the vegetables and help draw out moisture. Cook the carrots and mushrooms for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the mushrooms have browned and given up most of their moisture.

Then add the garlic chives to the pan, together with the five spice powder, soy sauce, brown sugar, and Shaoxing rice wine. Stir-fry the mixture for 5 minutes more, or until the chives have softened and the vegetables have given up most of their water content. When we sweep a spatula across the bottom of the pan, it should be dry. Then add the chopped scallions to the pan and stir them into the mixture.

Remove the vegetable mixture from the heat—I prefer to move it into a glass or metal bowl, which will quickly suck much of the heat out of the food. Stir in the white pepper, sesame oil, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. The cornstarch is our last line of defense against waterlogging—it will absorb moisture released by the vegetables and help to bind the filling together.

The filling must cool to room temperature before we begin wrapping potstickers, so set it aside for at least 30 minutes. The filling can also be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Now for wrapping. On a clean table or counter, prepare a workspace for assembling the potstickers. The dumpling wrappers, if frozen, should be fully thawed. It is important to stop the wrappers from drying out, so depending on how fast you can work, and how humid the air is, it is often a good idea to keep the wrappers covered before wrapping, either with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel. A towel is also useful for drying your fingers. Fetch a small bowl of cold water for sealing the potstickers, and prepare a landing zone for the completed potstickers. If you plan on cooking them all immediately, just go and pile the potstickers up on a plate, but if you are planning on freezing the potstickers, prepare a plate, cutting board, or sheet pan covered in plastic wrap or parchment paper. The potstickers should be placed in a single layer with a small amount of distance between them so they freeze individually.

Wrapping the potstickers can be an intimidating process if you’ve never done this before, but remember that a potsticker doesn’t have to be picture perfect to be tasty—as long as the potstickers are tightly sealed and there are no large air bubbles, they will cook up great. The simplest shape is a simple half-circle. Moisten the perimeter with water and fold it in half, making sure to push out all the air.

If you want to make them in the traditional crescent shape, however, follow the instructions below. It’ll get faster with practice! On a good day I will average one potsticker every 30 seconds or so—professionals do this at a rate of approximately one every ten seconds.

Begin by placing a wrapper in the palm of your hand, and scooping about 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of the wrapper. The ideal amount of filling will depend on the size of your wrapper, so adjust this amount as you go. With your other hand, dip a finger in the cold water and run it around the whole perimeter, moistening the edge of the wrapper. This very small amount of water is meant to help the wrapper to stick to itself—it should not be enough to form droplets or run. Dry your finger on the towel, and then pinch the wrapper together at the top. Then, begin to seal the dumpling by crimping the seam. Pinch the wrapper to itself on one side, forming a pleat. Then press the pleat back to the other side of the wrapper, sealing it. Repeat this process two or three more times, until one side of the dumpling is sealed. Pleating the potstickers wrapper only on one side creates a gentle curve to the seam. Repeat the process on the other side, being sure that all the air gets out.

When you are done wrapping, if you intend on freezing the potstickers, put your parchment or plastic wrap lined surface into the freezer. After 6 hours or so, the potstickers should be rock solid. Transfer into a zipper storage bag for convenient storage in the freezer.

To Cook

We’re going to cook these dumplings in the pan as potstickers [2]. You can start with either freshly wrapped potstickers, or cook them straight from frozen. Begin by heating about a tablespoon of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the potstickers in a single layer, frying for about a minute. Once the potstickers hit the skillet, do not move them until the very end. This first fry will help build a crust on the bottom of the potstickers, leading to a crunchier final product after the second fry.

After a minute, add half a cup of water to the skillet, and cover immediately. The water will turn to steam, cooking the dumplings. Continue to cook fully covered for 3-5 minutes before cracking the lid, continuing to cook partially covered until the water is mostly evaporated and the dumplings are cooked through. If you find that the water is disappearing before the dumplings are fully cooked, add another quarter cup of water.

When the water is nearly gone, forming a slurry in the pan with the oil and the flour from the dumpling wrappers, remove the lid and begin occasionally swirling the pan, moving the slurry through and around the dumplings. This action results in more even browning of the potstickers, and reduces spitting in the pan.

Gradually the water will evaporate entirely from the pan. Continue frying the dumplings over medium heat for another 2-3 minutes, until the bottoms of the dumplings are browned and crisp. Once the potstickers are crisp, remove them from the heat and serve them crispy side up.

When it comes to dipping sauces for dumplings, different regions have their different preferences. Generally soy sauce based, dipping sauces may also include sesame oil, rice vinegar, chili oil, satay sauce, ginger, and/or garlic. My personal preference when it comes to a dipping sauce for this recipe is 3 parts light soy sauce to 1 part sesame oil and 1 part rice vinegar, but I encourage you to experiment. Other popular accompaniments to dumplings include fresh daikon pickles and finely shredded cabbage.

Substitutions

You can substitute other meaty mushrooms such as portobellos for the shiitakes in this recipe. Other vegetables that work well in vegetarian dumplings include onions, leeks, and bell peppers. Feel free to add those to your vegetable filling. If you don’t like or can’t find garlic chives, you can substitute about 1 cup of finely shredded and salted cabbage and 3-4 cloves minced garlic. Another fine addition is a teaspoon of finely minced ginger. No matter what vegetables you use, they have to be cooked until most of the water content is removed! If you’d like a bit more body in the filling, you can add mung bean vermicelli, as is done in Chinese chive pockets.

[1] Garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) are sometimes referred to as Chinese chives or Chinese leek. They are native to southwest China, and are considered an invasive weed in some other parts of the world.

[2] Despite all of our work on the filling, the water content of these dumplings is still too high for me to recommend cooking these dumplings by boiling.

Recipe

Prep Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 30 min Total Time: 2 hrs
(+30 min inactive)

Difficulty: 3/5

Heat Sources: 1 burner

Equipment: pot, nonstick skillet

Servings: 40 potstickers

Ingredients

8 shiitake mushrooms
1 large carrot, shredded
6 oz garlic chives
4 scallions, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine (optional)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp cornstarch
½ tsp brown sugar
½ tsp white pepper
½ tsp five spice powder
1 pkg dumpling wrappers
Vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Chop the shiitake mushrooms, garlic chives, and scallions into ¼ inch pieces, and shred the carrots.

2. Heat about 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the carrots, mushrooms, and 1 tsp salt. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the mushrooms have browned and given up their moisture.

3. Add the garlic chives, five spice powder, soy sauce, sugar, and rice wine to the pan. Stir-fry for 5 more minutes, until the chives have softened and the bottom of the pan is dry. Then add the chopped scallions and stir to combine.

4. Remove the vegetable mixture from the heat and stir in the white pepper, sesame oil, and cornstarch. Let the mixture cool to room temperature (at least 30 minutes).

5. To begin assembly, prepare a small bowl of water, and unwrap the dumpling wrappers, keeping them under plastic wrap or a clean tea towel.

6. To wrap, begin with a single wrapper in your hand. Spoon approximately 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of the wrapper, and moisten the edge of the wrapper with water using the tip of your finger. Seal the wrapper, forming a crescent shape.

7. Once all the potstickers are wrapped, cook immediately, or freeze.

To Cook
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a non-stick pan on medium heat, and add potstickers, flat side down, in a single layer. Fry for a minute, then add ½ a cup of water to the pan, and cover.

2. Cook covered for 3-5 minutes, letting the potstickers steam. Then crack the lid and continue cooking, partially covered, until the water has nearly all evaporated. If the water runs out before the potstickers are fully cooked, add ¼ cup more water.

3. When the remaining water, oil, and flour from the dumplings begin to form a thick liquid, remove the lid and swirl the liquid around the dumplings. Let the dumplings fry until crisp on the bottom—about 2-3 minutes.

4. Serve crisp side up.