Dumplings. I’m obsessed. There are numerous recipes on this blog for dumplings as I make them about once a month and love to try new fillings. This tofu one is a real winner, they’re flavoursome and have great texture. This is not the shortest recipe on the blog but it’s not hard to do and if you have an extra pair of hands helping you then it’s pretty quick!

The most time consuming part is definitely the folding of dumplings, I find this a little meditative (or I watch Grand Designs while I’m doing it ha) and it becomes a whole lot quicker with a helper on hand. I cook half these dumplings when I make them and freeze the rest because having dumplings in your freezer (you can cook them from frozen) is such a joy.

The filling for these dumplings is cooked first. I do this so it’s not a soggy wet gloopy mess and to hep develop more flavour. I feel like tofu needs all the flavour and texture help it can get. I didn’t used to be a tofu fan because I felt like it had no flavour and spongy texture so I’m always doing things to it to avoid that problem. With these dumplings that means cooking the dumpling filling before placing in the wonton wrappers. You could go ahead and sip this step but they’ll be harder to fill as the mix will be really wet and the flavour won’t be as great. So I’m not recommending that but I know there will be someone out there that wants to skip steps and I’m just hear to pre empt that and warn you of the consequences!

I like to cook these in smaller batches of about 12 dumplings so I can tip them all out on to a plate at once. The flour from the dumpling wrappers and the boiling water make this fine crispy lace on the bottom of the pan that sticks to the dumplings and connects them together in a beautiful circle of crispiness. It’s a very good time.

I dip these into a chilli spiked mix of black vinegar and soy sauce as I love the sharpness but you can use your favourite dipping sauce.

Makes approx 50 dumplings

Ingredients

500g firm tofu

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup spring onion

2 Tbs grated ginger

1 birds eye chilli, finely chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped coriander root and stem

1 tsp white pepper

1 Tbs Chinese cooking wine

1 Tbs soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

4 cups baby spinach

1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

50 Dumpling wrappers (the white, round kind)

To Serve: coriander leaves, spring onion, sliced chilli, soy sauce and Chinese black vinegar

Directions

Crumble drained, firm tofu into a large bowl so it resembles mince. Add all other ingredients excluding oil, spinach and wrappers.  Mix to combine.

Heat a large fry pan or wok on medium high heat, add sesame oil and once hot add the tofu mixture. Spread evenly over the bottom of pan, cook for a couple of minutes then toss and spread again. Continue to do this for 10-15 minutes until the mix has dried out a little bit and started to get some golden colour in bits. Add the spinach, stir to wilt and then remove from the heat and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.

Place baking paper on a large tray and lay out the wrappers (12 at a time usually works well). Place a teaspoon of the filling in the centre of each wrapper. Brush the edges with some water then pick up the dumpling and press the edges together to make a semi circle. Pinch and fold the edge to seal.

Place the dumplings on the baking paper with the sealed edge facing up, flattening the base of the dumpling. Repeat until you have made all your dumplings. At this point you can freeze what you’re not using today. Place the ones to be frozen on baking paper directly into tupperware. Make sure they do not rest on each other as it will be impossible for you to break them apart later!

To Cook: Put a medium pan on a high heat and add oil. Let the oil get very hot before adding the dumplings, flattened bottom facing down, sealed edge facing up. Place as close as you can without them touching. Do not move the dumplings, cook on high heat until the bottoms are caramelised and golden (a few minutes).Then slowly and carefully add enough boiling water to the pan to come half way up the dumplings.

Place a lid on the pan and cook until the water has evaporated, remove the lid and cook until the bottoms have become very crispy again. Repeat with more dumplings until you’ve cooked as many as you desire. You can do this in a larger pan and cook all at once.

Use a fish slice to loosen them from the bottom of the pan, if you’ve packed them closely enough you will be able to then place a plate on top, flip the pan and have them all come out together. However if you’ve used a larger pan this will be very difficult so just take out a couple at a time!

Serve sprinkled with coriander leaves, chilli and spring onion and dip into soy sauce and black vinegar.

HH. x