UNFRIED CRISPY CHINESE DUMPLINGS, VEGAN low-fat, no-carb option

Delicious carnivore-pleasing filling; crispy pastry without deep-frying 

'Unbelievable; classical Asian umami taste in a diet version' 'Amazing with sweet chilli sauce' 'Crispy without being greasy' Tasters

These vegan dumplings -- unlike similar deep-fried items in Dim Sum restaurants  -- can be eaten any time without worrying about your health.  And they're very easy to make at home. 

The filling takes a bit of chopping but doubling the recipe will provide leftover filling perfect for lunchbox carb-free lettuce wraps.  It also brightens up steamed or stir-fried rice.  

Prepping the filling a day ahead makes life easier.  

There's no need to make your own pastry; dumpling wrappers are found in Chinatowns, Japanese stores and large supermarkets.   

No one will miss the meat in the filling; crumbled firm tofu is surprisingly like mince.  Almost raw vegetables are added to the mix and bound together with Asian sauces, not egg. 

Because they're baked, not fried, the pastry doesn't brown in the usual way but is beautifully crisp without shattering into a hundred shards that decorate your chest!  

In a restaurant they would be drizzled with a lurid sweet-and-sour sauce; here they're teamed with 67's fantastic Low-Sugar Almost-Instant Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce.  

Ingreds:

   225gm/8oz firm tofu
   couple of tablespoons peanut or other light veg oil

   1/2 cup fresh mushrooms in med dice
   1-2 dried Shitake mushrooms, reconstituted in boiling water 20 mins (opt)
   scant 1/4 cup baby corn, coarsely chopped (opt)

   1/3 cup coarsely grated carrot
   generous 1/3 cup shredded Chinese leaves OR finely sliced celery
   3-4 radishes, in matchsticks (opt)

   2 spring onions, cleaned & trimmed, finely sliced
   2 tsp finely grated ginger
   
   1 1/2 tsp sherry, white wine or grape juice
   1 tsp toasted sesame oil
   1 tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce
   1 tbsp oyster sauce
   
   1/4 tsp pepper plus salt as needed

   1 pkg round dumpling wrappers (gyoza for larger dumplings)


Method:

1. If won ton wrappers have been frozen, defrost overnight in the bottom of the fridge
2. Wrap tofu in a paper towel; place a plate on top and weigh it down with a couple of tins of pulses to remove excess liquid; drain 
3. Set a large heavy-bottomed non-stick frying pan on med high
4. Crumble tofu into small pieces, as you would a packet of mince 
5. Pour a thin film of oil into the pan; add tofu; stir, pressing down on the protein to break up bigger pieces
6. When tofu is beginning to brown & crumbled (3-5 min), decant into a bowl, scraping at the bottom of the pan to remove cooked on tofu
7. Add a little more oil, then mushrooms, stirring until softened and most of the liquid has been released (2-3 mins)
8. Add shiitake and baby corn if using; stir another minute or so
9. Add carrots, Chinese leaves, spring onions, radishes; mix well 
10. Add tofu back into the pan with grated ginger and spring onions
11. Stir in sherry, reduced-salt soy sauce & oyster sauce.  Stir, scraping at bottom of pan to loosen any bits of the mix stuck to the bottom 
12. The mix should be moist but not wet; if it seems dry, add a tablespoon of shitake soaking water or stock or water
13. Stir in chives
14. Test seasoning; add pepper & salt, if recess 
15. Take off heat; stir in sesame oil
16. Cool; refrigerate overnight to allow flavours to blend

Making the dumplings:

This is meat filling; veggie filling 
will not look like this

1. Cover dumpling wrappers both above and below with a clean j-cloth that has been thoroughly wetted and wrung out until damp
2. Pre-heat oven to 200c/400f
3. Peel off one wrapper and lay in flat of left hand (note the oval shape of the wrappers,i.e. one side is longer than the other)
4. Add 1 generous teaspoon of filling (large wrappers will need more), flat on the bottom & building up
5. Dip your (clean!) finger in a bowl of water and run it round the edge of the wrapper
6. Bring up the long edges of the dough; pinch the middle but leave the ends open, forming a crescent; if stuffing looks too light, insert a bit more at the ends, using a small spoon or end of a chopstick to push it in
7. Seal the edges by pressing firmly together up to the edge of the filling; lightly pleating if so inclined 
8. Rest on a baking tray, covering with a damp j cloth while completing other dumplings
9. Spray both sides generously with peanut oil
10. Bake in the middle of the oven 20mins; half-way though move outer dumplings into the middle of the pan and vice-versa for even browning
11. Serve with Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce

'Comments:
'Unbelievably crispy, like a deep fried version but for dieters without losing the classical Asian umami taste.' Wine Journalist
'Delicious!  Even more amazing with the sweet chilli sauce!' Husband of Wine Journalist
'I don't like deep fried foods but these dumplings are so crunchy without being greasy, I like them lot.' Mother of Wine Journalist
'They look like they could be used in many different ways, with pastry or without.'  Local Councillor

Tips:

• apart from the one or two exotic optional items, standard cupboard ingredients are used.  Replace or add to the carrot, Chinese leaves and baby corn with any other veg on hand -cutting down  on food waste and clearing out your fridge!  
• low carb version: heap fillings in baby Gem leaves, or wrap in lettuce; both are great packed separately in a lunchbox 
• the dumplings can also be steamed OR served with soup-y ramen noodles 
• the filling can be served over rice
• for a simpler vegan filling try Easier Jao-tze

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This recipe has  been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.