Vegetable Potstickers (Vegan) + How to Make Dumpling Wrappers

Anyone here love potstickers or dumplings? Because I do!

Potstickers are dumplings cooked in a certain way--they're pan-fried to create beautiful crisp crust before being left to cook/steam after this crust is achieved!

These potstickers are made with a deliciously thin and chewy dough filled with generous amounts of filling!

I also made my own dumpling wrappers from scratch for these ones and making your own really makes a huge difference. Freshly made dumplings wrappers are much more pliable than frozen pre-made ones and don't break apart easily!

I'll share a step-by-step (with images!)--from making your own dough to rolling out the wrappers up until wrapping and cooking these potstickers!

Or you can also watch my wrapping video below to see 5 ways on how you can wrap your dumplings!

It takes getting used to rolling out your own dumplings wrappers but it's really rewarding when your try them out and cook them afterwards! It also helps to use a tapered rolling pin that's usually thinner than regular rollings and a lot lighter and easier to use too. I can no longer find the exact one I use but bamboo one works too.

Find the full recipe and steps below.

Are you looking for more delicious, vegan recipes? Check out my latest Vegan Kitchen eBook, that has over 95 recipes that are packed with flavour and made with simple and easily accessible ingredients! One tree will be planted for every download of my eBook.🌲

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Vegetable Potstickers Recipe

Makes 35 dumplings

INGREDIENTS

For the wrappers

2 ¼ cups (310g) all-purpose flour

¾  cup + 1 tbsp warm water

¾  tsp salt 

For the filling

1 240g block extra firm tofu, drained of excess water and then mashed*

15 pieces (60g) dried shiitake mushroom, makes 1 ¼ cup rehydrated minced 

1 head (450g) raw cabbage, makes 2 ½ cup minced 

2 small raw carrots (200g), makes 1 cup minced

1 red onion, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp salt, or more to taste 

1 ½  tbsp canola oil 

2 ½  tbsp cornstarch 

Note

*I wrap my tofu in some paper towels and place a heavy flat surface on top to drain the water but you can also opt to use a tofu press.

For cooking

1 cup water, divided into ¼ cup water for each batch*

4 tbsp canola oil or other neutral oil, divided into 1 tbsp for each batch*

*Note: for every batch of 8-9 dumplings, you will need 1 tbsp of oil and ¼ cup of water. Feel free to adjust the amount depending on the size of your pan and how many batches it will take to cook all dumplings. 

Dipping sauce

3 tbsp soy sauce

½ tbsp distilled white vinegar

½ tbsp coconut sugar, adjust according to desired sweetness

1 tsp chili oil/sauce, adjust according to desired spice

1 tsp sesame seeds

STEPS

Step by step video here or below.

Preparing the dough

1. Add in 2 ¼ cups of all purpose flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Mix well. Create a well in the center of the bowl and pour in the warm water.

2. Use a spatula or chopsticks to mix the flour and water. Once the dough starts to come together, you can use your hands to mix the bits of dough. Knead together for several minutes. If the dough is a bit dry, add a splash of warm water.

3. Shape the dough into a ball, then place it in a bowl. Cover it with a damp towel and let it rest for 15 minutes. 

4. Knead the dough a few more times. Return it to the bowl then cover with a towel. Let it rest for an additional 15 minutes.

Preparing and cooking the filling

1. Rehydrate the dried mushrooms by soaking them in hot water for at least 15 minutes. Using a food processor, quickly process the carrots. Repeat this for the cabbage, mushrooms, and onions, and garlic. 

2. Heat a pan. Add in 1 ½ tbsp canola or other neutral oil. When the oil is hot, add in the garlic and onions. Saute for a few minutes until aromatic. Saute the mashed tofu for 6-7 minutes until lightly brown and resembles minced ‘meat’, Add in the cabbage, carrots, and mushrooms. Cook over medium high heat for 4-5 minutes until the carrots are tender. Season with 2 tsp salt, or to taste. Mix well and cook for another 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Transfer to a strainer to drain excess liquid from the vegetables. Return the cooked vegetables to a bowl. Mix in the 2 ½ tbsp cornstarch until well incorporated. Set aside to cool while you prepare the wrappers.

Pulling and slicing the dough

1. Flour your surface. Remove the dough from the bowl. Knead it 2-3 times then reshape it into a ball. Punch your thumb into the center to create a hole. Slowly pinch and form the sides to create a larger hole before slowly pulling apart the sides to create a large ring (see photos).

2. Sprinkle the dough with some flour. Using a knife, slice the ring of dough into 14 to 15-gram pieces, making around 35 pieces. 

3. Place the pieces in a bowl and cover with a towel to prevent them from drying out.

Rolling out the dough into wrappers

1. Flour your surface. Get a piece of dough and then roll it into a ball. Lightly flatten it with your palm. 

2. Sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough and lightly coat your rolling pin with some flour as well. While holding both ends of the rolling pin, roll out the dough by moving the pin forward and backward. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat the movement. Continue to roll out the dough until you have a wrapper that’s around 4 ½ inches. If you can’t make them into a perfectly round shape, that’s okay!

3. You can also roll out the dough using a rotating movement if you have a small, thinner rolling pin. Using one hand, hold the small rolling pin and then hold the dough on the other hand. While you’re moving the pin with your right hand, you are also rolling the dough 90 degrees counterclockwise. Keep moving the pin and rotating until you have wrappers that are around 4 ½-inches in diameter. It took me a while to get used to this movement since a lot of the pros do it very quicky but once you get your coordination, it’s much easier to roll out the dough. 

4. Repeat either step 6 or 7 for the rest of the dough until you have rolled them all out into wrappers. Keep the wrappers covered with a towel while you fill add each piece with filling.

Folding the dumpling

1. Get 1 piece of wrapper. Place it on your palm. Add in 1 to 1 ½ tbsp of the filling and then carefully fold the wrapper from the bottom to the top, while using your finger to push the filling in. Carefully seal the wrapper with your fingers by pressing both ends together. From there, you can pleat the edges of the dumplings. You can refer to the images above or the video here for how I pleat mine and 5 different ways you can fold your dumplings!

2. Repeat this for the rest of the dumplings. 

Cooking the dumplings

1. Heat non-stick pan with a lid--find a similar one here. Add in 1 tbsp* of oil. When hot, place 8-9 pieces of dumplings, or more depending on the size of your pan. Make sure that there is space between each dumpling. 

2. Leave to cook over medium heat for 7-8 minutes or until a nice golden brown crust has formed underneath. Flip the dumplings.

3. Prepare the lid of your pan. Using the lid as protection, carefully pour ¼ cup of water* into the pan and then immediately cover to prevent it from splashing due to the heat.

4. Leave to cook in the steam or until the water has evaporated, around 5-6 minutes. Take out the dumplings and repeat this step for the remaining ones.

5. Garnish with some chopped onion leeks and sesame seeds. Enjoy while hot with some dipping sauce! 

*Note: for every batch of 8-9 dumplings, you will need 1 tbsp of oil and ¼ cup of water. Feel free to adjust the amount depending on the size of your pan and how many batches it will take to cook all dumplings. 

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STORAGE AND MAKE-AHEAD TIPS

Freezing dumplings: Place uncooked dumplings on a lined tray and then freeze for 1-2 hours until hard. Transfer to a resealable bag and keep in the freezer until ready to use.

Cooking frozen dumplings: Do NOT thaw. Cook directly from frozen to avoid dumplings from getting soggy. Place the frozen dumplings on a hot pan with some oil and leave to cook over medium until a lightly brown crust has formed. Add the water and cover to cook in the steam.

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