(Vegetarian) Soup Dumplings 🥟

A simple recipe for vegetarian soup dumplings.

2023-02-06

Quantity: About ~40 dumplings, depending on how thin you roll out the dough.

Ingredients / equipment

equipment

• something bowl like to mix the dough
• something like a rolling pin to roll out the dough
• steamer (like a bamboo steamer)
• parchment/wax paper to rest the dumpling on in the steamer (or you can use something like Napa cabbage leaves)
• big pot to cook the stock (and for steaming)
• containers to pour the finished broth for when it is chilling in the fridge
• a ladle could be helpful, but not critical

dough

• 400g all purpose flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 135 ml boiling water
• 135 ml room temp water

broth

Essentials:

• ~1.5L of vegetable stock (I strongly recommend using Better Than Bouillon)
• 1 tbs agar agar

For flavour:

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• 1 tsp honey (to taste)
• ~1 head of garlic
• 2-3 inches of ginger
• 5 spicy chilis +/- to taste
• vegetarian oyster sauce (alternatively dried shitakis might be nice)

filling

(you can use anything, this is just what I had in my fridge)

• 3 tbs olive oil
• 1 pack of mushrooms
• 1 head of bok choy
• 1 pack medium form tofu
• splash soy sauce (optional)

dipping sauce

• black rice vinegar
• soy sauce
• juilliened ginger

Timeline + tips

Making the broth jello can be relatively quick (15 mins - 1 hour, depending on what you put inside) but it has to chill in the fridge for at least 4-5 hours. You also prepare it in advance could leave in the fridge for a day of two.

You can also make the tofu/etc filling in advance. Most recipes say to do it while the dough is resting, but I don't think it matters (as long as it's still tasty). Also if you make it in advance, you don't have to worry about the residual heat melting the broth jello while you are assembling.

Once the dumplings are done, eat them asap (without buring yourself) because the broth absorbs into the dough/filling very fast.

If you are using parchment paper while steaming, lightly oil the bottoms so they don't stick to the paper after they're done steaming.

It may seem like a lot of oil in the broth/filling but there is no other fat in the recipe. And fat is flavour.

Making the broth jello

1. Go to flavour town

• peel the garlic and ginger, and roughly chop.
• cut the heads off the chilis.
  • Chop if you want them to release more spice. Don't if you don't.
• heat ~2tbs of oil in a big pot at medium heat.
• once hot, add the garlic, ginger chilis.
• let them sear and release their flavours.
  • stir occasionally, but it's okay if they get some nice brown marks.
• add the sesame oil, stir
• add the stock (or 1.5L water and 1 tbs Better than Bouillon)
• bring to a boil, then back to medium
• add some oyster sauce to taste (I added like 1-2 tsp)
• add some honey
• taste and adjust as you wish

2. Make it thick

• once the stock tastes perfect, add a 1 tbs of agar agar and mix well
• turn off the heat
• ladle (or pour) into some containers
• (do not add the ginger/garlic/chilis)
• cover and put in the fridge until solid (at least 4 hours probably)

Making the dough

1. combine flour + salt in large bowl
2. make a well in the middle
3. add hot water in the well
4. mix with chopsticks to make a shaggy dough
5. pour the cold water over it and use your hand to bring it together to a ball
6. as soon as it is a ball, bring it to a floured work surface
7. knead until it is a uniform ball (7-10 minutes), smooth and slightly sticky
8. cover and let rest for at least 30 minutes

Making the filling

1. fry up whatever fillings you want
2. let it cool a bit (you don't want to prematurely melt your broth jello)
3. dice the broth jello into cubes (at least 1-3 cm³)
4. gently fold in the broth cubes in to the filling

Making the dipping sauce

mix equal parts black rice vinegar and soy sauce. Add some julienned ginger.

Assembling the dumplings

1. split the dough into ~40 equal balls
2. roll out into a circle with about a 10cm (4") diameter. They should be slightly thicker in the middle and thinner along the edges
3. Add a heaping tbs of filling (and at least 2 stock cubes) to each dumpling wrapper
4. fold into a perfect dumpling (watch a youtube video or two before trying this maybe)

Cooking the dumplings

1. bring a large pot of water to a boil
2. cover the bottom of the steamer with a few pieces of parchment paper (not one big one) or cabbage leaves
3. put the dumplings in the steamer (put as many as you can but don't let them touch)
4. once the water is boiling, put the steamer on top
5. steam for 8-10 minutes
6. done

Eating the dumplings

You can either:

• wait a minute or two for the dumplings to cool and then eat them whole
• immiediately poke a hole in them so the soup pours out, eat the dough and then drink the soup

Also for the sauce:

• pour the sauce on top
• dip them in the sauce
• no sauce