When I went vegetarian, one of the things I missed most was dumplings!
Xiao long bao, those little soup dumplings full of pockets of hot savory broth and thick-skinned pork dumplings at restaurants fried until crispy and doughy all at once. But also my family’s potstickers—delicate folds of store-bought dough around a delicious ball of filling, fried until floppy but crisp on the sides.
Like these cheese bread rolls, these vegan potstickers are inspired by a family recipe. My memory of making those potstickers consists of a huge bowl of pink meat and a head of waxy, crinkle-leafed, cabbage. And then a swoop over the bowl with the soy sauce bottle, dribbling the liquid until the mixture seemed tinted about the right shade.
IKey ingredients for vegan potstickers
Here are the key ingredients for these vegan potstickers:
- Tofu: To bulk up the filling and provide protein, tofu is creamy and perfect for binding everything together. I prefer making these with firm or extra-firm tofu. I wouldn’t recommend silken tofu as that would likely make the filling too wet and mushy.
- Greens: I most often use kale since it’s a cheap and nutritious. But you can use any leafy green vegetables you like–spinach, bok choy, cabbage or swiss chard are all great options.
- Seasoning: The perfect flavor base for these comes from chopped ginger, onion, garlic, soy, sesame oil and rice vinegar. Although the aromatics are added to the filling raw, they get softened and add delicious juicy flavor to the potstickers after being cooked.
- Dumpling wrappers: In this recipe, we follow Molly Yeh’s simple recipe with just flour, water and salt. However, you can always look for pre-made wrappers at most grocery stores.
What do vegan potstickers taste like?
These are filled with umami from the ginger, salt from the soy sauce and richness from the sesame oil. Texturally, this filling is smoother and slightly less toothsome than most meat fillings, but no less tasty.
What’s the difference between dumplings, potstickers and gyoza? Dumplings tend to have a thicker skin and can hold up better to being steamed or boiled. Potstickers are typically steam fried (hence the name, as they may stick to the pan a bit in the process of getting a crispy bottom). Gyoza is the Japanese version of potstickers, and are generally a bit more delicate with a thinner skin. Because these are made with thin storebought wrappers and use a steam-frying method, I consider these potstickers.
What should I serve with potstickers?
Potstickers are often served in restaurants as an appetizer, but my family always ate them as a full meal. You can eat them on a bed of rice (or even fried rice if you’re feeling fancy). You can also serve them alongside a vegetable like simple stir-fried green beans, bok choy or Chinese broccoli, miso eggplant, or a cucumber salad. You could also add a side of miso soup or corn egg drop soup or a noodle stir fry!
Tofu Kale Potstickers
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz block firm tofu
- 2 cups kale
- 1 small onion
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
- 2 small garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 package of dumpling wrappers (around 40) defrosted if necessary (or: make your own dough!
Instructions
- If time permits, press tofu before beginning for 30 minutes up to overnight. Otherwise, use a paper towel and wring as much water out of the tofu as you can by squeezing it without completely destroying it. Set aside to drain. Rinse and dry kale, then chop roughly.
- Add the onion, ginger and garlic to a food processor and blend until the mixture verges on forming a rough paste. Add the kale and pulse until incorporated with no large chunks remaining. Add the tofu and pulse until roughly incorporated. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until desired consistency, using a spatula to scrape down the sides and incorporate everything evenly.
- Fill a small bowl with water. In each dumpling wrapper, place about ½ tablespoon of tofu filling. Use your finger to dab water around half of the wrapper’s edge and fold over to form a half moon; pinch the edges to seal.
- Once all the dumplings are prepared, heat a pan over medium heat. Once hot, add a bit of oil to coat the pan. Add a single layer of dumplings (they should start to sizzle when they hit the pan) and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until a golden crust starts to develop on the bottom. Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes, so a crust forms on the other side (the dumplings will still look mostly uncooked aside from the middle). Add a few tablespoons a few tablespoons of water, cover the pan loosely and let everything steam for a minute. When you remove the lid, the dumplings should look glossy and slightly translucent around the edges. If they’re really sticking to the pan, add a little more water to get them out and serve hot!
Lena
I have been meaning to make vegetarian dumplings for quite some time now but have never gotten around to it. But your potstickers look so good, and the filling sounds delicious, that I think I just need to get my act together and dedicate a little time to making these.
I guess what I miss most as a vegetarian are sausages (which seems weird to me), and bacon. And everything my grandmother used to cook. We never made dumplings in our family, but I am always so disappointed when they only have different types of meat dumplings in restaurant. (I guess I really have to make them myself then)
erika
Yes, please try making your own! You will be sooooo happy! (And we love happy vegetarians, don’t we? :))
That’s funny–I was never really a sausage fan, but I do miss burgers sometimes (meat ground up beyond recognition!). And yes, family recipes! Becoming a vegetarian made me realize just how many family recipes were meat-based.
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies
The last time I made potstickers was 2006. (Yes, I remember the year!) So I think it’s definitely time to make some potstickers. I’m totally giddy that you put kale in them–woo hoo!
erika
Kiersten! You NEED to remedy that! (And it’s Chinese New Year so if you needed a sign from fate to make potstickers TONIGHT there you go).
That’s kind of hilarious you remember the exact year! Did something traumatic happen or what?!
alice
Delicious! Just in time for the asian new year and totally yum worthy. I don’t think folks would even know they’re vegan. Happy cooking for 2014!
erika
Thanks Alice! And ^ that’s the best part 🙂
Joanne
Hmmm I actually don’t really miss anything, but maybe I’m in the minority? I do love potstickers though and can’t wait to make this veg version!
erika
Oh that’s awesome for you!!! I wish I didn’t miss anything…but sometimes I have to tamp down small, fiery desires for burgers :/ Thank goodness for veg potstickers!!
Kylie @ immaeatthat
I have been wanting to make pot stickers for awhile now! I just needed a recipe!!
erika
Whee I hope you like these if you try em! It’s all about the ginger/garlic/onion/soy sauce/rice vinegar/sesame oil…I feel like everything else is pretty interchangeable 🙂
Nora (Buttercream Fanatic)
I love your mom’s recipe. The women in my family are the same way! These look spectacular, and it’s nice to know that you can still enjoy traditional wontons without eating meat.
erika
Yes, I love the sage advice from family ladies everywhere!
Kim @ Adventures In A New(ish) City
Erika, these look so amazing! These just might be the things that get me to like tofu. 🙂
erika
Aw yay! Man I LOVE tofu. I shall post many more recipes in hopes of converting you! 🙂
Nancy @ gottagetbaked
Holy shizz, Erika, can your photos get any better? I don’t think so, girl, cause these are absolutely gorgeous. They make me feel like I’m in your kitchen, watching you whip these up, and drooling cause I can’t wait to try one. These potstickers look amazing. I’m always impressed when people make their own dumplings cause I think it’s such a hard, labour intensive process. I’m pinning this so in the event I ever get over my fear of making dumplings, I’ll have this recipe to fall back on. I LOVE that you made it vegetarian and that it still accorded with your childhood memories of your mom’s dumplings. That’s so awesome.
The Vegan 8
What a great idea to do tofu instead of turkey! I also love the sesame oil, soy sauce and rice vinegar….I love all those flavors…they look so pretty too. I also love the spicy kick of fresh ginger, I just love using fresh ginger in my recipes. Great recipe from your mom!
Ala
Your mom sounds just like my mom (or every other female relative in my very Asian family)–it isn’t such a big deal with making things like potstickers, which we did together when I was growing up too, but when I try and get a recipe from her for making something fancier, my mom will always give me this look like, “I don’t know what these tablespoons are of which you speak.” As a vegetarian, the thing I miss most actually isn’t a dish (although I LOVE Chinese chicken salad, the very American version of it…); I miss making these dishes and eating them together with the family. My parents still aren’t *quite* on board with the idea of changing up familiar recipes for what they call ‘weird trying-to-be-healthy’ recipes–and while I’d love to convince them of it one day, this looks like a wonderful recipe I’ll try with my friends and myself first. Yum ~
yummychunklet
Thanks for this vegan version!
cynthia
I absolutely adore this post, Erika. Love that you used tofu and kale, and love the story about your mom — that cracked me up. It sounds just like me when I talk to my mom! “How much sesame oil?” “Oh, you know, enough…” Haha. I’m posting potstickers for CNY in a few weeks! Hurray. Not veg, sadly 🙁 but I’m glad to know I can turn to yours if I need to make a veg version for friends! Thank you so much for this lovely recipe.
erika
I know! Asian moms (okay moms in general) just have the touch. It seems like they never measure, yet their food is always the best. Ooh la la I forgot Chinese New Year is coming up! I’m a bad Asian child. Maybe I’ll try to make mooncakes for the occasion…
…not. But I’m excited to see how you style your dumplings–I’m sure they’re going to be exquisite!!
Mary Frances
These look incredible! Your photography is just fabulous. Wontons have so much going on in them and this one would not disappoint. Love the textures and flavors in there!
erika
Aww thanks Mary Frances–these are actually the first photos I’ve posted that I shot in RAW! I definitely had a few color issues, but thanks for saying you like them anyway :p
Ally
OMNONMNOMOM! X__X
Shikha @ Shikha la mode
I remember seeing these in your freezer when I came over – look so awesome! I really want to learn how to make these. Maybe the next time we have a dinner we can do Asian theme?!
erika
Aha yes my dad is the wonton master. Those were most definitely probably meat-filled, sadly.
Yes yes that would be so fun!!!!