Crispy Bottom Vegan Potstickers with homemade wrapper

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These crispy bottom vegan potstickers are probably one of my favorite ways of eating dumplings and this cooking method works for frozen store-bought dumplings as well. Potsticker ‘煎饺‘ is a type of dumplings that uses a pan-fried and steamed method to cook it.

I normally use store-bought wrapper for my recipes to save time but I decided to make it from scratch this round. Making dumplings from scratch may seem like a daunting task at first. However, once you get a hang of it, the process is easy and fun. It’s always a good idea to get a few friends or family members to help in wrapping these dumplings, which you can turn this into a fun and wonderful get-together activity.

Hot water vs Cold water dough

When you add hot water to the flour, it actually breaks down the gluten which then creates a soft stretchable dough. What this means is the dough can be rolled out thinly without breaking and will remain soft after cooking. So, hot water dough is suitable for pan-fried or steamed dumplings where minimal water is needed to cook them.

On the other hand, cold water dough is less stretchy and breaks easily if you try to roll it out to a thin sheet. However, they are perfect for boiled dumplings because it can be immersed in water longer compare to hot water dough.

Why do you need this recipe

• The dough is very easy to work with and can be rolled into a thin layer without breaking.
• Dumpling stays soft after cooking with a crispy golden brown layer.
• Uses tofu as the binder but you can substitute with mashed potatoes or chickpeas, or just fill it with your favorite vegetables.

Cooking Tips

• Form filling into balls: This helps keep the filling intact while you are trying to wrap it. If you fill your dumplings with veggies only, please add some starch like cornstarch as the binder.
• Work with one dough at a time and be sure to cover the rest of the dough with a damp towel.
• Instead of rolling each dough into a wrapper, you can roll out the dough into a thin sheet. Then use a round cookie cutter to cut it into a circular wrapper.
• Use low to medium heat to pan-fry the dumplings until golden brown, do not rush in this step.

How to store your dumplings

• Lay wrapped dumplings on a sheet pan (big enough for your freezer), slightly apart
• Once dumplings are hardened, remove and store them together in a container or bag
• Cook dumplings straight from the freezer to pan, no thawing needed.

These crispy bottom vegan potstickers are

• Delicious with a soft and slightly chewy skin
• Perfect for potstickers style or steamed
• Can be filled with your favorite ingredients
• Best for make-ahead meals

So, make these delicious dumplings today and enjoy it with my Easy 5-ingredient chili oil.

If you try this recipe, I would love to hear your feedback and see your beautiful re-creation. Leave me a comment, rate it, and tag @woon.heng and #woonheng to your photos on Instagram or Facebook. Happy cooking, friends!

Crispy Bottom Vegan Potstickers

woonheng

Easy vegan potstickers with homemade dumpling wrappers. These dumplings have a juicy filing with an amazing crispy crunch on the outside. This recipe yields 20-24 dumplings

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hr

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 1 hr 30 mins

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Snack

Cuisine Asian, Chinese

Servings 3 people

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Wrapper

• 240 gram all-purpose (plain) flour
• 125 ml ( ½ cup) hot water

Filling

• 14 oz (397g) firm tofu drained and pressed
• 4 cups (125g) fresh spinach leaves
• ¾ cups (75g) shredded cabbage
• 1 small carrot finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• a few shakes of white pepper
• a handful of chopped cilantro

Instructions

 

Wrapper

• To make the dumpling wrapper, place flour in a bowl and make a well in the middle.
• Slowly pour in the hot water. Using a spatula or a pair of chopsticks, stir to mix the flour until you get a lumpy well-mixed or shaggy dough (if there are dry spots of flour in the bowl, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time).
• Transfer flour onto a cleaned surface and knead into a rough dough.
• Cover with a damp towel and let it rest for about 5 mins.
• Then, knead the dough until a smooth top forms, about 10-12mins. Leave the dough to rest for about 30mins.

Filling

• Bring a pot of water to boil and season with ½ teaspoon of salt and a drizzle of oil.
• Blanch spinach and cabbage for 45secs. Remove and quickly rinse them with cold water. Squeeze out all the liquid and give it a rough chop.
• Mash pressed tofu and place it into a cheesecloth bag. Wring out as much liquid as possible.
• Place chopped spinach, cabbage and tofu in a mixing bowl along with chopped scallions, carrots and season with toasted sesame oil, salt, and white pepper.
  
• Divide mixture into 24 equal portions and form them into balls.

Assembling

• When the dough is ready, dust surface with flour.
• Roll the dough it into a log and divide them into 20-24 rounds.
• Take one dough and flatten it with your palm. Using a roller, roll dough into a disk-like wrapper.
• Place a filing ball in the middle and pleat to seal.

To cook the dumplings – Potstickers style

• Preheat a non-stick pan with 3 teaspoons oil (adjust based on the size of the pan)
• Place the dumplings in, slightly apart in one layer. Cook over medium heat until the bottom turns golden brown
  
• Slowly, add in 1 cup [250g] of hot water and cover the pan with a lid (preferably glass lid). Be sure the water covers at least ⅓ of the dumpling's height.
• Then, turn heat to low-medium and cook dumplings until all water has been absorbed, about 8-10 mins. 

Serving

• Serve as-is with no sauce OR
• Serve with chili oil in soy sauce OR
• Serve with sliced ginger in Chenkiang (black) vinegar

Notes

*To measure flour in cups, I used the spoon and level method. Spoon flour into a standard measuring cup, then level the top with a knife without packing the flour, which I had about ~63g in 1/2 cup.

*To serve with chili oil, feel free to use my Easy 5-ingredient chili oil recipe

Keyword dumplings, potstickers

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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