Veggie Shanghai Dumplings
Shanghai soup dumplings also called Xiaolongbao are soup filled dumplings and the dumplings are usually crab or pork meat. We wanted to try a complete vegetarian version of this awesome food. The first time I had soup dumplings was at Din Tai Fung restaurant in Seattle. That’s it there is no turning back after that. Every big city I go to I try to see if there is a China town and try to find the best spot for these dumplings. I never tried to make them at home, but Grace from Graceful Kitchen was kind enough to share her secret veggie soup dumplings with us! I swear to God this is by far the best video I made and best recipe I tried. Really excited to share this with everyone, the video is coming soon!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 3 (2 if I am included ;))
What You’ll Need
- Dough:
150g all purpose flour
75g water(50 °C)
Combine flour and water in a large mixing bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until it turns into a lump. Then knead it by hand for a few minutes until the dough gets a little softer.
Put it in a plastic bag to keep it from the air and let it sit for 10 to 30 minutes on the kitchen counter.
2. Veggie Jelly:
2 pack gelatine/ 2 teaspoons agar agar powder
2 cup veggie stock
Add gelatin/agar agar powder to 1/2 cup of veggie stock that is room temperature. Leave it for few minutes to set.
Now boil rest of the veggie stock till you see bubbles.
Add this to the gelatin/agar agar mixture.
Once everything is mixed up, put this in fridge. This will turn into jelly. You can cut it into tiny pieces to stuff your dumplings.
3. Make Filling:
2 cup veggie jelly (2 pack gelatine/agar agar powder + 2 cup veggie stock) (chopped)
1/2 cup bean curd (chopped)
1 egg (stir fried)
1/4 cup carrots (chopped)
3/4 cup mushroom(chopped)
1/4 cup corn(fresh or frozen)
1/2 tsp white pepper powder
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 TBS sesame oil
Mix all the ingredients above with exact measurements together.
3. Make Dumplings
Take the dough out of the plastic bag. It will be a little softer and moist and easier to handle. Knead it for 5 to 7 minutes, until it’s smooth and elastic.
Place the dough on a cutting board dusted with a bit of flour and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Put one half into the plastic bag to keep it from getting dried out as your work on the other half.
Cut the piece of dough into 15 equal sized pieces.
Roll each piece out with a rolling pin into 3 1/2 inch round circle disks. They should be a little thinner on the edges than in the middle, because we’ll eventually be pinching the edges together when we make dumplings so you don’t want them too thick and doughy.
Place the wrapper in your left hand. Place 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of your wrapper, Fix the starting point with the thumb of right hand and begin to fold the edge counterclockwise.Move the thumb slowly in the process.
4. Steam
Repeat the steps to seal the dumplings completely.
Bring water to a boil in wok, and reduce heat to medium; the water should still be boiling. Place steamer on the wok. Transfer as many dumplings on a piece of cabbage or carrots or wax paper as will comfortably fit onto steamer 1 to 2 inches between the dumplings.Cover wok with lid. Steam buns over boiling water for 6 minutes.
5. Eat
This is the most important step. You worked hard, now enjoy the fruits of your hardwork. :)
