Easy Recipe for Dumplings: Three Ways

It's officially 2020, and one of my resolutions is to tackle making foods that have been intimidating to me in the past. Dumplings are one of these foods. But after trying them out at home, this Dumplings: Three Ways recipe is so simple that anyone can do it!

Major Dumpling Inspiration

My inspiration for these came from Trader Joe's - this grocery store is a pretty big staple in our house - I just love their specialty products that are priced so great.

But one of our favorites are their frozen dumplings. They're cheap, delicious, and easy to make. I set out to mimic the shape of their potsticker with a foolproof formula.

Another inspiration was some of my favorite bloggers. I've been following Foods of Jane for years now and her love of dumplings and noodles resonates with me strongly. Seeing her make dumplings looks so easy. This was a big inspiration in giving me the push I needed to make them on my own.

And I'm so happy that I did. They turned out SO GOOD.

The Dumplings

If you told a year ago I'd be publishing a vegan tofu dumpling recipe, I would have laughed. But these babies were delicious. And the mushroom and pork dumplings were equally as good.

By using the same filling - garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and green onion as your base - you can play around with filling varieties at home and try all three out (or more!) for yourself.

Before we start - one huge tip is to go to your local Asian grocery store and buy your dumpling wrappers there. They will be in the refrigerated section. I think the circular shaped ones fold best.

Also, buy some GOOD soy sauce while you're there. It will be the same price (or cheaper!) than normal grocery stores and the quality will be so much better. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

Finally, look for chili garlic sauce. It's spicy, garlicky, and absolutely delicious for dipping these dumplings into when they're done. I also mix some of it into the tofu dumpling for more flavor.

Now we're ready to get cooking. So, read the full recipe below and start 2020 off right with a new food adventure.

Dumplings: Three Ways Ingredients

Total Time: 1 hour | Makes about 60 dumplings

Vegan Tofu Dumpling Ingredients:

¼ cup green onions, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 in piece ginger, diced
2 tbsp soy sauce
pinch of white pepper
1 block extra firm tofu, drained and patted dry
2 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp chili garlic sauce
2 tbsp canola oil
Sesame seeds, soy sauce, and chili garlic sauce for serving

Vegan Mushroom Dumpling Ingredients:

¼ cup green onions, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 in piece ginger, diced
2 tbsp soy sauce
pinch of white pepper
2 tbsp sesame oil
16 oz mushrooms, chopped finely
2 tbsp canola oil
Sesame seeds, soy sauce, and chili garlic sauce for serving

Pork Dumpling Ingredients:

¼ cup green onions, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 in piece ginger, diced
2 tbsp soy sauce
pinch of white pepper
1 lb ground pork
2 tbsp canola oil
Sesame seeds, soy sauce, and chili garlic sauce for serving

The Filling

Vegan Tofu Dumpling Filling Directions:

Combine green onions, garlic, ginger, white pepper, and soy sauce in a bowl and mix. Crumble tofu very finely in a bowl.

In a large skillet, heat sesame oil on medium heat. Add tofu filling mixture, and cook, stirring frequently for about 8 minutes. This will allow excess moisture to release and give you a better dumpling.

After 8 minutes, remove from heat and set aside. Add in the chili garlic sauce and mix very well.

Allow mixture to cool for at least 10 minutes until you add to wrappers.

Vegan Mushroom Dumpling Filling Directions:

Combine green onions, garlic, ginger, white pepper, soy sauce, and mushrooms in a bowl and mix well.

In a large skillet, heat sesame oil on medium heat. Add mushroom filling mixture, and cook, stirring frequently for about 8 minutes. As above, this will allow excess moisture to release and give you a better dumpling.

Pork Dumpling Filling Directions:

Combine green onions, garlic, ginger, white pepper, soy sauce, and pork in a bowl and mix well. You don't need to cook the pork before you assemble the dumpling - it will cook as you sauté and steam.

The Assembly

The assembly is the same for all three dumplings. Take a look at this video for how to assemble the dumplings.

This was so helpful in getting this fold right and after a few tries, you'll be a pro at the basic dumpling fold. One note: I used water instead of egg white, and this works just fine!

Optional: after you are done assembling your dumplings, wet the bottom of the dumpling and coat in sesame seeds. I did this to a few and it's a fun way to play with the texture and flavor of the dumplings.

Cooking your Dumplings

You can either steam or pan fry/steam your dumplings.

Steaming Dumplings

Steaming is simple. You can steam over a pot, in a steamer, or bamboo steamer, whichever you have, for 8-10 minutes, or until the dumplings are fully cooked.

Pan Frying Dumplings

I opted to pan fry my dumplings for some crispy goodness on the bottom of the dumpling. Doing this is easy: in a large skillet with a lid, heat the canola oil on medium. Wait until the oil is shimmering.

Add the dumplings, and be sure not to crowd the pan. Allow dumplings to cook until they don't stick to the bottom of the pan, about 2-3 minutes. Watch closely so the dumplings don't burn!

Next, add ¼ cup of water to the pan and cover the pan with a lid immediately. BE CAREFUL at this step, the water will splash!

Adding the water will now steam your dumplings - let steam for 5-6 minutes or until the wrappers are fully cooked.