The Easy Vegan Vegetable Dumpling You Need – Jiao Zi

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This vegan vegetable dumpling, Jiao Zi 饺子 is SO delicious that is fully packed with vegetables and the chewy handmade wrapper is irresistible.

Dumpling, jiao zi, potsticker, wonton, wantan are the names that are no strangers to my family and I personally love each of them so much. What was once meaningful and gathering food has now become the most sought food at restaurants. Since I’ve shared many dumplings stories in the past, today, let’s focus on making these little parcels.

Water temperature

This homemade dumpling wrapper uses room temperature instead of boiling water like my potstickers. Does the water temperature matter, you asked? Yes, it does. Boiling water definitely creates a soft dough fast that you can roll it out thinly with ease. It’s good for potsticker to get that crispy bottom. However, without gluten, in my opinion, it’s not suitable for boiled or steamed dumplings.

On the other hand, the room temperature will have a stiffer dough but uses the time to relax the gluten which in turn creates that chewiness (QQ) that I look for in boiled or steamed dumplings. The water to flour ratio I used here is a little less than half of the dry ingredient in volume.

How to make vegan vegetable dumpling – jiao zi

Step 1: Prepare the dough

First, combine the flour and salt in a bowl fitted to a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix the dry ingredients until well combined. Then, slowly add in the water and knead until there are no dry spots of flour left in the bowl.

Using your palms, roughly mold the dough into a ball while gathering all the pieces from around the bowl if needed. The dough is stiff at this time, let it rest for 10 minutes, covered.

After 10 minutes, uncover the dough and now you can easily knead it to get a smooth top. Return the dough to the bowl and cover, then rest for another 45 minutes while you work on the filling. The 10-minute break is to allow the dough to relax so you can get a smoother top with less effort. This step works with any other dough kneading.

Step 2: Prepare the filling

Sauté the ginger, then carrot. Next, add the tofu and pan-fry till golden brown before stir-frying the edamame beans. Now, add the cabbage and continue to stir-fry until the cabbage is slightly soft (increase the time if you like a softer cabbage). Season with soy sauce, vegan oyster sauce, toasted sesame oil, salt, pepper, mushrooms seasoning, and a tad of sugar.

Note: If you have a lot of sauce left after stir-frying, please leave the sauce in the pan to use as seasoning for another dish. You want to keep the filling moist but not too wet.

Transfer the ingredients to a food processor and pulse to break them into a coarse mixture.

Step 3: Assembling the jiao zi

Uncover the dough and knead a few more times. Divide into 20-25 equal portions (20 for larger dumplings or 25 for smaller ones) and roll into balls. Dust with flour and work with one ball at a time, then cover the rest with a towel.

Using your palm, flatten a ball into a disc. Using a rolling pin, roll it into a circle 3½ to 4 inches in diameter.

Place a portion of filling in the middle and wrap to seal all the openings.

Push out as many air bubbles as you can. I then placed the wrapped dumpling in between my thumb and index fingers and compress it in the middle. I find that this way I can remove more air bubbles and the curve part will hold the sauce well.

Feel free to just seal it tightly without any pleats.

Continue assembling with the remaining dough and don’t forget to cover the wrapped dumpling to prevent drying out. Note: To store the wrapper, once you roll it out into a circle, rub it with cornstarch and not flour.

Step 4: Cook and serve

Prepare the sauce by whisking together Chinese black vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and toasted sesame oil in a bowl until combined.

Then, fill a large pot two-thirds with water and set it over high heat. Once the water comes to a boil, add a drizzle of oil. Carefully drop in as many dumplings as you can comfortably fit in one single layer. You need to have room for the dumplings to move around while cooking.

The water temperature will drop as soon as you add the dumplings in. Use a pair of chopsticks or spatula and gently nudge the dumplings so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Let them cook over high heat until they start to float up. Then, let them stay afloat for 1-2 minutes before dishing out.

Drizzle the sauce over the cooked dumplings and add a splash of chile oil, then garnish with sesame seeds and cilantro before serving.

Vegan vegetable dumpling – Jiao Zi Cooking Tips

• Use room temperature water for the dough. This will result in a stiff dough but let it rest to relax the gluten before kneading. This recipe uses a ratio of <50% water to flour in volume.
• Before storing the wrappers, dust both sides with cornstarch. I prefer to store the wrapped dumplings instead of just the wrapper.
• Filling needs to be moist but not wet or it will be hard to wrap and the juice will tear the wrapper easily
• Drop the dumpling in boiling hot water and cook until the float to the top. Let them stay afloat before dishing out

Other dumpling recipes to try

• Savory rice balls
• Vegan potstickers
• Lacy potstickers
• Vegan wonton soup

Why You need this vegan vegetable dumpling – Jiao Zi recipe

• The homemade wrapper has the chewy (QQ) texture
• Made from simple ingredients
• Packed with vegetables with lots of umami savoriness
• Allium-free
• Healthy and scrumptious
• Freeze well for make-ahead meals
• Delicious and easy

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!

Vegan Vegetable Dumpling – Jiao Zi 饺子

This vegan vegetable dumpling, Jiao Zi recipe is easy and SO delicious. The homemade wrapper has a chewy QQ texture that is irresistible in every bite! It's perfect for a weeknight dinner or potluck. Bonus: they freeze well!

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, Chinese

Keyword: DimSum, dumplings

Prep Time: 2 hours

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 3

Author: woonheng

Ingredients

Dumpling Wrappers

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup warm water (under 95°F/35°C)

Filling

• Neutral oil
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 cup baby carrots or carrots roughly chopped
• 5 oz firm tofu drained, dried, and cubed
• 1 cup frozen shelled edamame beans thawed
• ½ medium green cabbage cored and roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon vegan oyster sauce
• ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon mushrooms seasoning such as Po Lo Ku
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• Cornstarch for dusting

Sauce and To serve

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
• Chopped cilantro leaves
• Chile oil with sediment
• Toasted white sesame seeds

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Prepare the dough: Combine the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the water and knead on low speed for 8 to 10 minutes, until a stiff dough forms. (If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle, pour in the water, and mix until there are no more dry spots. Knead by hand until you have a stiff dough.)
• Cover the bowl with a tight lid and let rest for 10 minutes. Uncover and transfer the dough to a work surface, then knead by hand until the dough is smooth. Place the dough back into the bowl, cover, and rest for another 45 minutes while you prepare the filling.
• Make the filling: Heat a large nonstick skillet with 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Sauté the ginger until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the carrot and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tofu and cook, flipping occasionally, until a brown crust forms, about 3 minutes. Add the edamame and cabbage and stir-fry until the cabbage is slightly soft, 2 to 3 minutes (you can cook longer if you prefer softer cabbage texture). Season with the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, mushrooms seasoning, and salt. Toss to combine and cook until the liquid is mostly evaporated, a minute or two. Transfer the mixture to a food processor. Pulse 3 to 4 times to break down the ingredients into a coarse mixture that can hold together when squeezed. Empty into a bowl.
• Assemble the dumplings: Transfer the rested dough to a work surface. Knead a few times to remove any air bubbles, then divide it into 25 equal pieces and roll each into a ball. Work with one ball at a time and cover the other balls with a towel to prevent them from drying out.
• Using your palm, flatten a ball into a disc. Using a rolling pin, roll it into a circle 3½ to 4 inches in diameter. Place a spoonful of filling in the middle. Pleat into your desired shape with a tight seal (since the wrapper is fresh, you shouldn’t need any water). Repeat until you’ve used all the wrappers. (If you have any extra filling, save it in the fridge or freezer for another use.)
• Cook the dumplings and make the sauce: Fill a large pot two-thirds with water and set it over high heat. Meanwhile, make the sauce by whisking together the soy sauce, black vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar in a bowl until well-combined.
• Once the water comes to a boil, add a drizzle of oil and carefully add as many dumplings as you can comfortably fit in a single layer. Using a spatula, gently nudge the dumplings to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Boil until the dumplings float to the top, then let them stay afloat for another 1 to 2 minutes, until wrinkly. Use a sieve or slotted spoon to transfer the dumplings to a bowl and repeat with the remaining dumplings.
• Serve: Drizzle the sauce on top of the dumplings. Garnish with a splash of chile oil, handful of cilantro, and sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.

Video

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