Making homemade vegetarian dumplings is a fun activity to share with friends and family. And these dumplings couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. Korean New Year is one week away and I’ve prepared and stored my dumpling filling.
I’m excited to see friends and family and the best way to catch up is over a stack of dumpling wrappers and endless bowls of delicious fillings. It may sound like “work” but we find it relaxing and rewarding. I’ve noticed time spent in the kitchen – seeing, smelling and helping with the process can make people feel at ease and most importantly, at home. It really is an enjoyable process. I highly recommend it!
Look at the mini Pac-Man game we created! Doesn’t the unshaped dumpling look like the yellow character? We did our best to create the bad guys by putting little eyes!
Also, don’t be surprised when you’re left with more wrappers than filling because everyone will want a taste of the filling before wrapping them. Well, at least that’s what happens in my family. The filling is just so delicious that it’s hard to resist a bite or two while wrapping these dumplings.
I can’t wait for you to make these vegetarian dumplings! This fun afternoon activity will not only leave everyone with satisfied tummies but with warming memories too!
Love Korean food? Check out my other Korean recipes here!
quick notes
- There are two types of gochugaru (고추가루): finely milled and course flakes. Either one would work for the dipping sauce.
- Make sure to purchase firm or extra firm tofu and not soft or silken tofu.
- Tofu must be pressed and drained by wrapping a towel or paper towel and placing a heavy object on top for ideally 30-60 minutes. If not, the extra moisture will make it difficult to shape and fold.
- Make sure to use toasted sesame oil as it adds an intense sesame flavor. Untoasted sesame oil is typically used for medium-heat sautéing. Store toasted sesame oil in the refrigerator to extend it’s shelf life.
KOREAN VEGETARIAN DUMPLINGS
makes 2-3 dozen dumplings, depending on the size of your dumpling wrappers
Ingredients
- 1 stack dumpling wrappers
Take dumpling wrapper out of refrigerator or fridge to thaw.
Dipping sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp water
- 1/2 tsp coconut sugar or maple syrup
- Pinch of gochugaru or hot chili flakes (optional), green onions, and sesame seeds
Whisk together dipping sauce and set aside.
Filling
- 1 16 oz firm tofu
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
- ½ cup onion, minced
- 2 cups shiitake mushrooms, minced
- ¾ cup carrots, minced
- ¾ cup zucchini, minced
- 2 oz sweet potato vermicelli noodles (~⅓ cup cooked)
- ⅓ cup scallions or green onions, minced
Press and drain tofu by wrapping tofu with a towel or paper towel and placing a heavy object on top for 30-60 minutes. Remove towel or paper towel and drain excess water. With your hands or fork, crumble the tofu into small chickpea-sized pieces.
Add vermicelli noodles to a pot of boiling water. Cook for 5-7 minutes until soft. When cooled, cut into small pieces with a knife or scissor.
Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Once hot, add in oil and ginger and sauté for a minute. Add in onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes until onions become translucent. Add in mushroom and sauté for additional 5-6 minutes. Finally, add in carrots and zucchini and sauté until soft (8-10 minutes).
In a large bowl, mix in sautéd vegetables, noodles and scallions.
Seasoning
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp sugar
Add seasoning ingredients to the bowl and mix well.
In a large pot, add 6 cups of water and set over high heat.
While the water comes to a boil, begin shaping your dumplings by placing 2-3 tsp of filling in the middle of your dumpling wrapper. Lightly dampen the outer half edge of the wrapper and fold in half. Then, lightly dampen the triangular edges and bring the sides together to create a circle. This video does a great job showing different folding techniques. Repeat until filling is gone.
Once water comes to a boil, add dumplings to the pot and cook for 5-6 minutes. Once the dumplings start to become translucent, take out and set to cool. Repeat until dumplings are all cooked.
Enjoy with dipping sauce or chili oil!
p.s. If you like this recipe, click the icons below to share and leave a comment below! Make sure to tag me @girlmeetsradish & #girlmeetsradish so I can see what you are making!
