Vegetarian Dumplings

I mentioned recently that I have been craving dumplings lately and had come to the realisation that I was going to have to make them myself if I was to be able to satisfy my craving. So, last night we did just that and I thought that I would share the recipe with you.


Ingredients:
250gms firm tofu
a dash of vegetable oil
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped or minced
a dash of soy sauce (or Braggs)
2 teaspoons of finely minced or grated fresh ginger [or less if you are not a big ginger fan - it does give the dumplings quite a bite!]
1 small red chilli finely chopped
one small bunch of spring onions finely chopped
small bunch of fresh coriander finely chopped (we didn't have this and it didn't matter too much, but it is yummy)
1/2 cup carrot (grated or cut in short, thin julienne strips)
half a bunch of baby buk choy finely chopped (including lots of the stalk)
one stick of celery finely chopped
small bunch of enoki mushrooms (or button if you prefer) finely chopped
a decent dash of sesame oil
2 tablespoons of soy sauce (or Braggs)
40-60 small dumpling (wonton) wrappers [available at most asian grocers for around $2)
a bowl of cold water


Tools:
a wok (or fry pan)
a pastry brush
a teaspoon
a large mixing bowl
a small bowl
a bamboo steamer (or metal if that is all you have) and fitted saucepan

Wash the tofu and then chop into very small squares (about 1/2 centimeter sqaured) or just crumble it. [We chopped it and would crumble it next time - it is easier to use.]

Heat the wok over a low/medium heat and then add the oil and the garlic and stir. After a minute or so, add the tofu and turn up the heat to medium high. Keep stirring and add the soy sauce as the tofu starts to brown slightly. Stir in for a couple of minutes and remove from heat and allow it to cool for a little while.

Combine the ginger, chilli, spring onions, coriander, carrot, buk choy, celery, enoki mushrooms, sesame oil, and soy sauce in a bowl.

Add the tofu once it has cooled a little and stir it all together.

Place one wonton wrapper on a plastic chopping board and cover the rest with a damp cloth. (This is faster if you have a few people doing the wrapping.) Use the pastry brush to dampen the edges of the wrapper with water. Place a small amount of the mixture into the middle of the wrapper (about one level teaspoon, any more and it will be difficult to get the edges to stick together). Fold the wrapper in half and use your fingers to press the edges together. (You can try trickier shapes too, but I would start with this one.)

Place the dumplings into the bamboo steamer, making sure that they do not touch each other. You may only be able to steam 10-12 at a time unless you have several steamers. Brunch the steamer(s) with a little oil to prevent the dumplings from sticking.

Place the steamer over a pot of boiling water and leave to steam (covered) for around 15 minutes. (We tried steaming them over the wok, but the steam wasn't concentrated enough and we had to transfer them to a fitted saucepan.)

Serve the dumplings in mini courses or keep them warm in the oven while you wait for them all to finish. A mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, lemon juice and minced chilli makes a nice dipping sauce.

ENJOY! They are yummy