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Is anyone here making their own Chinese Dumplings? We've had a hard time finding good commercial dumplings, so we embarked on making them ourselves. We used dumpling wrappers we purchased at a Chinese grocery store which worked very well. However, the first time we made them was a bust - the filling was not very good - we were following the recipe in a recent VT article. We made them for the second time last night and they came out much better than the first by following a pork dumpling recipe but substituting shiitake mushrooms for the pork. We steamed them with bok choy in our bamboo steamer. We're interested in trying some different recipes.

Here is the recipe we are using for our Chinese Dumplings:

Large bamboo steamer & wok
Dumpling Wrappers - 30
Dumpling Sauce
4 oz (cooked) Angel Hair Rice Noodles
6 oz Chinese cabbage - chopped
6 oz Shiitake mushrooms - chopped
2 Tbs scallions - chopped
1 Tsp of fresh ginger, grated
1 Tsp brown sugar
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tsp rice wine vinegar or cooking sherry

Veggie Broth
Bok Choy or Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli)

Lightly saute the Chinese cabbage, Shiitake mushrooms and scallions in the ginger/brown sugar/soy sauce/sherry mixture in a non-stick sauce pan.

Follow the package instructions for the preparation of the Angel Hair rice noodles (typically about 90 seconds in water reduced from boiling point), drain and cut into smaller pieces and add to vegetable mixture in sauce pan.

On a flat surface, wet the edge of each dumpling and place enough veg mix to fill the dumpling, fold over in a half moon shape and crimp the edges so that they seal in the ingredients.

Note: We started with frozen 4" diameter dumpling wrappers, let them defrost in the refrigerator and then let them warm up to room temperature. We used a rolling pin to enlarge them to 4 1/2" as we like dumplings that have a lighter wrapping that also holds a bit more veg mix.

Bring a 3/1 mixture of water and veggie broth (3-4 cups in total) to a boil in the wok, place the bamboo steamer into the wok. Line the bottom of both levels of the bamboo steamer with Chinese cabbage and bok choy or gai lan, then place the dumplings on top of the vegetables and pour some veggie broth over it and steam the vegetables and dumplings until the vegetables are tender and the dumpling wrappers are translucent (about 12-15 minutes).

Serve the dumplings and Chinese vegetables with the dumpling sauce.

Those sound delicious! The wrappers you found are oil-free? I'll have to check at the Asian market next time I'm in that area because I love dumplings. It seems like the commercial vegetarian ones usually have tofu, which I'm allergic to, or are very high in fat so it would be great to be able to make them myself. Thanks for posting your recipe.

Yes - the wrappers are completely oil free - just flour and water. Our problems with many commercial dumplings were that they did not taste good, the wrappers were heavy/chewy with very little filling. It takes some time to make the dumplings, but the effort is really worth it!

We wanted the same thing for New Years Day, went to the Asian market and found fat free dumplings but the last two ingredients on all of them were egg and egg whites.

We ended up making our own dough but it was incredibly sticky and hard to work with but the filling was yummy (mushroom based).
Would love to know the brand name of the dumplings you found.

They were some 'no name' round dumpling wrappers from the freezer of the Chinese grocery store. They had two types, one which was white (made from just flour and water), and a second type that was light yellow that may have had some egg in it. I bought the white ones.

There were around 50 wrappers in the package and we let them thaw and then split them up into smaller ziplock packages of 7-8 and re-froze them. Unfortunately, we no longer have the package label. We're down to the last 15 or so wrappers and need to buy more. I'll check for a brand name when we buy more this weekend.

We have a Chinese and Indian grocery store next to one another and between the two, we are able to buy a wide variety of fresh vegetables and spices at very reasonable prices.

Have you tired making the filling with Jeff Novick's bean burger recipe with his Home Made Sausage Seasoning as a mock pork template..
- 1/4 tsp ground sage
- 1/8 tsp dried thyme
- 1/8 tsp ground savory
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp Fennel Seeds, crushed
Maybe that would be more for a ravioli.

Or with the bean burger recipe add the black mushrooms and water chestnuts.. that they traditionally use and whatever minced veggies you would want to use.. and a vegan oyster sauce with the soy sauce.

I imagine some soaked ground flax would help the wrappers to stick.

I imagine they would be great cooked in a convection oven.

Aloha, patty

Thanks for all the ideas! Our next DIY food project may be ravioli.

I tired baking the won ton.. with Jeff Bean Burger filling with the added minced water chestnuts and minced black mushrooms after soaking and they were good. I used a small amount of teriyaki sauce with the mixture. And sealed with the ground flax seed liquid. Today I will check at the Health Food store for vegetarian oyster sauce.

I too found the won ton wrappers a little thick, and rolling them is a good idea. I just purchased them at our local Safeway. They didn't have any oil or egg. I just used the square so they would sit. They good cold and a are great for a snack for the grandchildren.

I wonder how the spring roll wrappers would work. I think they are thinner. I will have to pay attention to what is being sold. The Chinese name for the cabbage is Won Bok. And I guess the wrappers can be cut and baked for won ton chips.

What fun.. Mahalo .. I will try your dumplings and soup.

Aloha, patty

You're right - this is fun! I haven't tried baking the dumplings. We have always steamed them with vegetables in a bamboo steamer. I like the 'woody' flavor the bamboo steamer imparts. Sprinkling Chinese 5-spice seasoning on the dumplings and vegetables when they are being steamed, gives them a very authentic Chinese aroma and flavor.

The commercial wonton wrappers that I have seen, typically include eggs, so that's why we haven't made them. If you leave out the eggs in wonton wrappers, they're basically dumpling wrappers - flour and water.

We've made spring rolls using Vietnamese rice wrappers a few times. We don't steam or bake them - just fill them with a mixture of fresh veggies and serve them cool. They make a wonderful appetizer!

They sound delicious. I guess in the islands we have a large consumer demand. The first pack of wonton wrappers I picked up where flour and water. They had some of the round ones. I was amazed at how Jeff Bean Burger recipe.. I always have some pre-made in the refrigerator.. and freezer, transformed to taste like pork hash.

This morning I tired putting some banana.. didn't have apple bananas.. in a wonton wrapper and baked. Tasted like banana lumpia.

Later I will try to bake some wonton chips, to see how they do for a snack. I have one house I go too that always has the most inviting snacks. Even though they always have sushi for me. Unless I take some nuked potatoes.. it can be difficult. The wonton chips would be fast and easy to make and have in my bag.

I love the spring rolls.. I usually stay away from them because of the sauce. Have you found a good sauce without peanuts? I haven't really looked around and you have tweaked my interest.

Mahalo, patty

Most Asian grocery stores sell a red sweet/hot sauce that works well for spring rolls. A little goes a long ways!

Yes, actually our grocery stores sell a lot of Asian products. I never thought of looking for a sweet hot sauce. And that would do the trick. I just checked our local Down to Earth health food store.. for their recipe for spring rolls. I would of course leave out the oil.. eat raw most likely or bake. They have some pretty interesting Asian recipes.
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Spring Rolls

Ingredients
Dipping Sauce:
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
Spring Rolls
1 (8.8-ounce) package or 250 grams mung bean noodles
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon corn starch
1 teaspoon sesame oil + 1 Tablespoon
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
¼ cup julienned green onions
½ cup bean sprouts, cleaned
3 shiitake mushrooms, soaked, cleaned and sliced
½ cup shredded carrots
½ cup shredded cabbage
1 package spring roll wrappers
Instructions
Combine Dipping Sauce ingredients. Set aside.
Soak mung noodles in warm water until soft. Drain and cut into small pieces. Set aside.
Combine soy sauce, corn starch and 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a bowl.
Heat 1 Tablespoon sesame oil in a large skillet. Stir in garlic, ginger and green onions and saute until softened and fragrant- 2-3 minutes. Add bean sprouts and fry for 30 seconds. Add sliced mushrooms and carrots and stir-fry 1 minute. Add cabbage and fry for 30 seconds.
Add soy sauce mixture to vegetable mixture and stir-fry until liquid thickens. Toss in mung noodles and turn off heat.
Soak spring roll wrappers in water to soften. Place a few spoonfuls of vegetable mixture near the edge of each wrapper. Roll slightly, fold in the outer edges, and continue to roll to the end.
Deep fry in oil or ghee for 2-3 minutes. Serve with Dipping Sauce and enjoy!
Yields 10-12 Spring Rolls

Mahalo, again patty

Update.. I picked up a assortment of wrappers at our Times Market. And leaving the store the cashier asked what I was making. I said a mock pork hash, she said, "Oh I am going to be thinking about that all day." I think I will be able to freeze the baked mock pork hash wonton and when going out just defrost to carry as a snack. I also tired just cutting a wonton wrapper and they do make good chips.

I picked up some apple bananas and they held up a lot better.. not as sweet as the regular banana. Maybe if they were a littler riper. I will have to play around with it, though they were still very good. I didn't see any plantains.

I found the sweet chile sauce, and long rice noodle. I am looking forward to making spring rolls. Today I will prep the won bok cabbage, carrots, scallions etc. They would also be good to have to add to micro mini salads. And of course for the dumplings for soup or just baked.

Mahalo... so much!

Edit to add.. I made some of the half moons. I baked them too but they would be good steamed too. And easier to make. The won ton.. I figured they are easy to stretch when rolled. Both wrappers make good chips. The sweet chili sauce is good for dipping. Now I will have to pay attention to the cost difference of the wrappers.. though I imagine it isn't that much.

Aloha, patty

Patty - This all sounds delicious! I'll be interested to know how it turns out

We're having a Chinese stir-fry this evening (gai lan, carrots, snow peas, red and green peppers, napa cabbage, water chestnuts, onions, garlic, ginger and mushrooms). It's time to use up what we have on hand before we buy more fresh Chinese veggies tomorrow.