April 9, 2023

Mushroom Spinach Star Vegan Dumplings

If you want crispy edges, get the most crispiness from these vegan dumplings. No intricate folding here, these dumplings are just about the easiest ones you can make. The simple star shape gives eight pointy edges of crispy crunch, and is filled with a mixture highlighting mushrooms and spinach. Paired with a simple dipping sauce made from homemade chili oil, soy sauce, and vinegar.

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Making Homemade Dumplings

Eating sauteed mushrooms and spinach sounds okay, but eating sauteed mushrooms and spinach in a crispy crunchy parcel with a flavorful dipping sauce sounds amazing. Although homemade dumplings take some time, they’re worth the extra effort since they’re such a tasty treat. There’s a little magic that goes into the extra time it takes to make good dumplings, where every bite requires a little love. Dumplings can be fried or steamed, and filled with all sorts of fillings, and each homemade bite will be filled with love.

You can make more elaborate dumplings, with homemade wrappers and fancier fillings, but if you just want to dip your foot in the world of homemade dumplings this is a great first recipe. It uses premade dumpling wrappers, which saves you tons of time in the dumpling making process. The filling is just a handful of ingredients, but even those simple ingredients give you a whole lot of flavor. There’s no fussiness involved here with making the dumplings. The star shape gives you extra crispy corners. And on top of that, our simple dipping sauce is sure to become a favorite.

Homemade dumplings are the perfect dish to share with friends or family. Add some miso soup, a light cucumber salad, cold noodles, and some roasted tofu and you’ve got my kind of a meal.

Looking for Mushroom Recipes? Try one of these!

Looking for Vegan Dumpling Recipes? Try one of these!

How to Make Mushroom Vegan Dumplings

Let’s make some dumplings together! The filling is made with mushroom and spinach, along with garlic, onion, and sauces for flavor. Chop up the filling ingredients, and sauté them to remove most of the moisture from the spinach and mushrooms (otherwise the dumplings will be soggy). Once your filling is cooked, its time to assemble your dumplings.

Always check and make sure the dumpling wrappers are vegan, as some have eggs in them. I used Shanghai-style dumpling wrappers, which are thicker than Hong Kong style wrappers. Look for them at your local Asian grocery store. These are the exact ones I used.

See the picture below for a visual reference for how to assemble the dumplings. A heaping teaspoon of filling is added to the center of each wrapper. Use a little bit of water around the filling to act as a “glue” to stick the a second wrapper to the first. Place the second wrapper on top of the first, rotated so the two form an eight-pointed star. Use your fingers to press down where the two pieces meet, and form a seal around the filling. And that’s it- repeat until all the filling or all the wrappers are used.

Cooking the dumplings is as simple as cooking in hot oil for a couple minutes on each side, so the dumplings turn golden, bubbly, and crispy.

The final component is a dipping sauce- if you have a favorite dipping sauce you can of course just use that instead, but I’ve included a simple recipe I enjoy here. I make mine by pouring hot oil over chili flakes, minced garlic, and a small amount of ground cloves. Let the oil cool, while the garlic and chili infuses into it. Once cool, add soy sauce and vinegar. I like to top mine off with finely chopped green onions, for a little added color.

Mushroom Spinach Star Vegan Dumplings

Yield: Around 27 Dumplings

Mushroom Spinach Star Vegan Dumplings

Ingredients

12 oz. button mushrooms
1 small yellow onion
6 cloves of garlic
4 oz. (about 2 cups) baby spinach
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. sesame oil
Salt and Pepper, to taste
14 oz. square dumpling wrappers, defrosted
Oil, for cooking

For the Dipping Sauce:

¼ cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp. chili flakes
2 cloves garlic
¼ tsp. ground cloves
2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
Chopped scallions, for garnish

Instructions

Finely chop the mushrooms. Mince the onion and garlic, and roughly chop the baby spinach. Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet. Add the mushrooms, garlic, and onion, and add salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the mushrooms have lost most of the moisture. Add the spinach, soy sauce, and sesame oil, and cook until the spinach is wilted. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Lay out a dumpling wrapper. Add a heaping teaspoon to the center of the wrapper. Dip your finger in clean water, and draw a diamond shape inside the larger wrapper, rotated to be opposite from the tips of the wrapper. Place a second wrapper on top of the first so they make an eight-pointed star. Press down to seal the two together. Set aside, and repeat with all the remaining dumpling wrappers.
Line a plate with paper towels and set aside. To cook the dumplings, on medium heat enough oil to generously cover the bottom of your skillet. Working in batches, add dumplings in a single layer. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until golden and crispy, flip, and cook for another minute or two on the second side. Repeat with the remaining dumplings.
To make your dipping sauce, mince your garlic. Place it in a heat-proof bowl with chili flakes and cloves. Heat the oil in a small pot- it’s warm enough when you place a wooden chopstick tip in the oil and small bubbles form. Pour the hot oil onto the chili flakes. Wait for it to cool down, then add the vinegar and soy sauce. Whisk well.
Serve the hot dumplings with the dipping sauce. If desired, garnish with chopped scallions, for a little color.

https://veryveganval.com/2023/04/09/mushroom-spinach-star-vegan-dumplings/

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