Vegan Pan Fried Tofu Dumplings

Chinese, Lunar New Year, Main, Menu / February 20, 2021 February 20, 2021 / By eatwkriss

These dumplings have a savoury tofu veggie filling wrapped in homemade dumpling wrappers, pan fried and steamed to get those crispy bottoms.

Dumplings are a lot easier to make than you’d think. These vegan tofu dumplings are flavourful, juicy, and a little crispy on the bottom with a chewy skin.

I decided to pleat them in this way, but there are many other pleating designs you could try! Here are 4 other ways you could pleat them.

Vegan Pan Fried Tofu Dumplings - eatwkriss | Vegan Malaysian Recipes (2)

What’s in these vegan tofu dumplings

garlic and ginger
defrosted traditional/firm tofu, crumbled up so that it incorporates better into the filling
cabbage
carrot
soy sauce
cooking caramel sauce. This is optional, but I add it because it gives the filling a nice dark brown colour.
sesame oil
cornstarch which helps to bind the filling together. This makes it easier to fill and pleat the dumplings.
white pepper and salt to taste, of course!

Vegan Pan Fried Tofu Dumplings - eatwkriss | Vegan Malaysian Recipes (3)

Making your own dumpling wrappers

I prefer DIY dumpling wrappers over store-bought for a few reasons!

They’re more stretchy and flexible, which makes it easier for pleating. Store-bought dumpling wrappers are more stiff, and break easily if you pull on the skin (which is bound to happen when pleating).

They’re so easy and cheap to make at home, it’s literally just flour and water. It’s not as complicated as making bao dough, for example, which contains yeast.

Vegan Pan Fried Tofu Dumplings - eatwkriss | Vegan Malaysian Recipes (4)

How to cook pan fried dumplings

The method of preparing these tofu dumplings is similar to my Pan Fried Mushroom + Chive Buns.

The dumplings are pan fried in a bit of oil until the bottom is slightly brown. Add water, cover with a lid and let steam for 1-2 minutes. This ensures that the skin is fully cooked and the filling is piping hot. Once cooked, the dumplings are left to pan fry until the bottoms are golden brown and crisp.

Kristin Tan

These dumplings have a savoury tofu veggie filling wrapped in homemade dumpling wrappers, pan fried and steamed to get those crispy bottoms.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Ingredients

Dumpling wrapper

180 g all-purpose flour
90 ml water

Tofu filling

3 garlic cloves minced
½ knob of ginger minced
250 g traditional/firm tofu defrosted and crumbled (4 blocks)
100 g cabbage shredded
1 small carrot shredded

Sauces

2 tbsp water
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp cooking caramel sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
white pepper to taste
salt to taste
1 tbsp cornstarch

Instructions

Make dumpling wrappers

In a bowl, mix together flour and water until a dough comes together. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, knead it for a few minutes until the dough is smooth and firm. Place into the bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let rest for 30 minutes.

Cook the filling

In a large pan over medium heat, fry the garlic and ginger in oil until fragrant. Cook the shredded cabbage and carrot for 2 minutes, then add in crumbled tofu and sauces. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in cornstarch.
Remove from the heat and let cool until ready to pleat dumplings.

Pleating dumplings

Divide the dough in half, roll into a log and divide into 12-13 pieces, around 10g each. Cover the dough with a damp cloth to prevent them from drying out as you work.
Dust the work surface with flour. With a small rolling pin, flatten a dough ball out into a small round. Then roll out the edges only, turning the dough 90 degrees after each roll to get a circle. The edges should be thinner than the center of the dough.
Place a tablespoon of filling in the center. Pinching the opposite sides of the dough together with your left hand, pleat the dough 3-4 times with your right hand from the center to the right. Repeat with the other side.

Cook dumplings

In a large pan with some oil over medium heat, arrange the dumplings, making sure that they don't touch. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the bottom is slightly brown, then pour in some water and cover with a lid.
Steam for 1 minute or until the dough is completely cooked, remove the lid and let the water evaporate. Pan fry for a while until the bottom is crispy again, then remove from the pan.
Serve immediately with chili sauce, or dipping sauce of your choice.

Keyword cabbage, carrot, dumpling, tofu

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