These dumplings are a great meal prep, yummy and special! I like to treat my guests with these vegan dumplings – it looks amazing on the plate, takes not much of your attention during steaming and it tastes really special and rich. No one will remain indifferent!
Whole Wheat Flour Dough
I always use whole wheat flour instead of white flour, so I make dough for dumplings with whole wheat flour as well. This dough turns out to be less elastic, however elasticity is quite enough to roll out a thin dough and mold dumplings. A problem can arise during cooking – accuracy is required here, since the dough is fragile and dumplings can break in hot water. My experience shows that steaming dumplings is easier.
I really love vegan dumplings, with any filling. Today I will share with you two options. One with soy chunks, the other with cabbage. Soya chunks do not have particular taste, however they quickly soak in hot water, absorbing all aromas. I cook soya chunks with mushrooms and spices, and I add a little monosodium glutamate to it.
Monosodium glutamate?
Many have a very negative attitude towards monosodium glutamate, but as I found out, it is not as dangerous as they say it. Of course, even water can be fatal in certain doses, but in moderate quantities, no evidence of harm has been found for this component.
Monosodium glutamate gives the taste “umami” (fifth taste) – in fact, it is the taste of protein (protein). Like salt, MSG is a flavor enhancer, and just like salt, this should be considered when evaluating your appetite.
I use monosodium glutamate extremely rarely and do not encourage anyone to use it at all. There are no benefits in it either, it is just delicious) I decided to write this paragraph in order to clear it out for myself. It was a revelation for me personally to learn that monosodium glutamate is found naturally in mushrooms and tomatoes. Many manufacturers add dried tomato powder to their products. Thus, they are not required to list monosodium glutamate in the ingredients list, although it is there.
Dumplings with soy filling
I will write an extensive post about soya later, since there are also many unfair stereotypes about it. Unlike monosodium glutamate, soya is not only harmless, but actually very, very healthy. All disadvantages of soy belong to GMO-soybeans.
GMO soy contains extremely high amounts of phytoestrogen. This is why there are so many talks about the potentially negative effect of soy for the hormone system. In Europe GMO soyis prohibited, and it was a bit of a relief to find out that all GMO soybeans imported into the CIS countries are used only for livestock feed. So it seems like you can safely recommend tofu and other soy products, no matter where you live.
Dumplings with cabbage
Since cabbage dumplings content is mostly starches and carbs, I like to pair them with legumes. One option is to simply mix the beans with green onions and green peas as shown in the photo. On the other hand, you can make a hummus-like sauce using the same beans, by adding spices, garlic, lemon juice and a little bit of oil. If desired, you can lightly fry the dumplings in a skillet after steaming. It will make them crispy, which has its own peculiarity.
Vegan dumplings go very well with hot sauces. In the picture above you see a mixture of mustard and soy sauce. Vegan sour cream or tahini sauce would be a great match as well.
Vegan Dumplings with Soya Chunks and with Cabbage
Equipment
- Steam cooker
Ingredients
Dough:
- 2 cups Whole wheat flour
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1 cup Hot water
- 1 tbsp Oil
Filling (option 1):
- 1.5 cup Soya Chunks
- 0.5 cup Shiitake mushrooms soaked and diced
- 3 Sun dried tomatoes diced
- 1 pinch Smoked paprika
- 1 pinch Nutmeg
- 2 pinches M-Glutamate
- 3 cups water
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 1 Onion
- 1 clove Garlic
Filling (option 2)
- 1 Onion
- 1 Carrot
- 200 g Cabbage
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix flour and salt. Add hot water and mix it in using a spoon. Once temperature is tolerable for your hands, knead the dough. Grease it with oil and let it rest covered with a towel/lid/cling film.
- Pour 3 cups of water in a stew pan, add dried soya chunks, chopped shiitake, sun dried tomatoes and spices. Cook it in boiling water for 15 min. Drain (if there is some water remaining).
- Preheat a skillet with a bit of oil. Dice one large onion and fry it until golden brown. Add chopped garlic and simmer for another 30 seconds. Transfer it to soya chunks. Filling is ready! Let it cool down a bit before using it for dumplings.
- Prepare another type of filling, if you want. Stew cabbage: add diced onions to a preheated skillet with 1 tbsp of oil. Fry until transparent then add shredded carrot. Once the carrot shrinks in size, add finely chopped cabbage. Stew for 10 min, add spices to your taste (salt, pepper).
- Roll out the dough, cut it in small circles and fill them up, creating dumplings. I believe there is no rule in terms of shape. Do what works for you.
- Steam dumplings for 25-30 min. Serve with soy sauce and with any veggies you like or with fresh salad (or both). You can also fry steamed dumplings to make them crispy.
Video
Nutrition facts
Note:
For the side dish you can use this recipe of Chinese Style Veggies. I usualy make simple sauce for this dumplings by mixing soy sauce and mustard. However you may choose to use vegan sour cream or tahini dressig.Bamboo Steamer
  | I am using bamboo steamer right now, which we bought after moving to Cyprus. We ordered it on Amazon. I like how light and compact it is. Very convenient to use, if you have a small family of two. When I cook in it, it smells of wood in the room. This is a bit unusual at first, but it does not affect the flavour of the food any way. |
Do you like this recipe?
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Have a wonderful day!
🌱❤️🙏
yum!!!!!!!!