January 2022 – by Jazmin Franklin
Lunar New Year (or Chinese New Year) is celebrated in China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and many other countries across the globe. This year, February 1st marks the beginning of the Year of the Tiger. Traditional dishes served on this holiday include foods that are thought to bring luck and good fortune - dumplings, spring rolls, rice cakes, noodles, and more.
This month, we are featuring a recipe from Remy Park (@veggiekins) for Vegan, Gluten-Free Dumplings, perfect for celebrating the Lunar New Year while being allergen-friendly. These dumplings can also serve as an opportunity to get the whole family involved
Recipe: Vegan Gluten Free Dumplings by Remy Park
TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes YIELDS: 12-16 dumplings
Ingredients:
Wrapper
1 ½ c hot water (more as needed)
Filling:
6 large napa cabbage leaves, shredded
2 c mushrooms
½ c green onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tsp minced ginger
3 tbsp GF soy sauce (or tamari)
2 tsp sesame oil (optional)
Salt & pepper to taste
Garnish:
Green onion, thinly sliced
Toasted black and white sesame seeds
Additional soy sauce to serve
Instructions:
Start by preparing your filling. Add cabbage and mushroom to a food processor and pulse until minced. Alternatively, you can chop by hand! Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl, and toss to coat in gluten-free soy sauce and sesame oil if using. Set aside.
Prepare wrapper dough by sifting flour into a large mixing bowl. Create a well in the center of the bowl and pour hot water into the well. Using a spatula, start to mix flour and water until dough comes together. If you need to, add additional water (start with less, you can add more but not take away!). Cover the bowl of dough with a damp towel to avoid drying out while you work.
Flour your work surface, or lay out a nonstick baking mat or parchment paper and prepare a small bowl of water. Scoop roughly a tennis ball sized piece of dough and roll out using a rolling pin. Using a circular mold (cookie cutter or mason jar lid works best) create a circle out of the dough. Remove excess dough from the edges, and roll out wrapper again until about 1/8th of an inch thick. It should be the size of your hand.
Take about 2-3 tsp of filling and place in the center of your wrapper. Trace inner edge of the wrapper with a little bit of water and fold in half. Wrap as desired (I like to do pleats across the seam) and make sure edges are sealed tightly.
When ready to cook, you can steam until skins are soft and cooked through, boil, or pan-fry. To pan-fry, add a small amount of neutral oil to a large, flat pan and let oil coat the surface. Add dumplings onto the pan (flat side down) and cover to let fry for a few minutes. Then add about 1/4 cup cold water to the pan and cover with a lid. Let cook until water is absorbed.
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