Vegetarian Steamed Dumplings

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2004

Show: Good EatsEpisode: Wanton Ways

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (38)

Cook Time:
12 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
35 to 40 dumplings

Times:

Prep: 50 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 12 min
Total:: 1 hr 2 min

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Ingredients

1/2 pound firm tofu
1/2 cup coarsely grated carrots
1/2 cup shredded Napa cabbage
2 tablespoons finely chopped red pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
2 teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Bowl of water, plus additional water for steamer
35 to 40 small wonton wrappers
Non-stick vegetable spray, for the steamer

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

Cut the tofu in half horizontally and lay between layers of paper towels. Place on a plate, top with another plate, and place a weight on top (a 14-ounce can of vegetables works well). Let stand 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, cut the tofu into 1/4-inch cubes and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the carrots, cabbage, red pepper, scallions, ginger, cilantro, soy sauce, hoisin, sesame oil, egg, salt, and pepper. Lightly stir to combine.

To form the dumplings, remove 1 wonton wrapper from the package, covering the others with a damp cloth. Brush the edges of the wrapper lightly with water. Place 1/2 rounded teaspoon of the tofu mixture in the center of the wrapper. Shape as desired. Set on a sheet pan and cover with a damp cloth. Repeat procedure until all of the filling is gone.

Using a steaming apparatus of your choice, bring 1/4 to 1/2-inch of water to a simmer over medium heat. Spray the steamer's surface lightly with the non-stick vegetable spray to prevent sticking. Place as many dumplings as will fit into a steamer, without touching each other. Cover and steam for 10 to 12 minutes over medium heat. Remove the dumplings from the steamer to a heatproof platter and place in oven to keep warm. Repeat until all dumplings are cooked.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Vegetarian Steamed Dumplings
Amy DeKalb, IL 10-20-2009
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Lots of Work
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

These are delicious. I will keep making them- but only when I have LOTS of time on my hands. I also find that their is a lot... of liquid in the filling, so much so that I have to strain it a little to make sure it doesn't get too soup-y. Read more
recipe Vegetarian Steamed Dumplings
Helen Providence, RI 07-15-2009
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Messed up recipe but still excellent
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This was my first time being more than just a dumpling stuffer when making dumplings and I misread the recipe and thought... that the egg was for sealing the wontons and the soy sauce, seasme etc for a sauce. I realized my mistake after filling the dumplings and returning to get the "ingredient list for the sauce" I ended up making a sauce of soy sauce, seasme seed, rice vinegar, and chili paste and I must say these dumplings were excellent. Also, I heated my oven to 300 degrees and this gave half the dumplings a crisp outer edge without frying. I will definitely make them again and recommend the recipe to others. Read more
recipe Vegetarian Steamed Dumplings
Jeffrey New York, NY 07-01-2009
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I <3 Dumplings
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

These are fantastic. I had a dumpling party for some friends and made a few specialties, but these were very popular,... especially among the vegetarian crowd. They are delicious with an excellent ginger kick, and are honestly a lot less mess than meat filled dumplings. Vegetarian, but they could satisfy the most enthusiastic carnivore.Read more
recipe Vegetarian Steamed Dumplings
Gretchen Livermore, CA 06-19-2009
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Print option doesn't work?
Rated: 1 stars out of 5

I used to be able to print all recipes, now I can;t! Why? I have registered and still cannot print??
recipe Vegetarian Steamed Dumplings
Kim Boston, MA 05-16-2009
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Enlist a helper!
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

The assembly time would have gone much quicker with another pair of hands. The flavor of the filling is great, I loved the... ginger. I added extra of all the ingredients to balance out the amount of tofu. This was a fun recipe to make, the dumplings came out delicious and crispy when sauteed.Read more
recipe Vegetarian Steamed Dumplings
fname eden prairie, MN 03-24-2009
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easy once you get all the ingredients
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Not sure why someone comment that this takes forever. They must have a low tolerance in the kitchen. Since there is no other... cooking involved other than steaming it is easy. You don't have to do any sauteing or anything. Also my steamer pot was busy with another dish so I just put a little oil in a skillet and fried the bottoms of the dumplings as I assembled them. Let em fry a few minutes and the bottoms got browned. Then I threw a .5 cup of water in the skillet(yes splatter) and put on the lid and left them for 5 minutes to steam. Completely yummy with that browned, chewy bottom. I will repeat this method in the future. Served wtih soy, brown sugar and garlic mixed in a bowl. No left overs except wonton skins - excuse to make this recipe again. Alton keeps up his 100% batting average once again.Read more