Mushroom Cabbage Dumplings

Making dumplings is so much fun that you will want your whole family to get involved! These fresh, earthy and savory dumplings are filled with mushrooms and cabbage, making them vegetarian and delightful on the palate!

Making dumplings can look intimidating at first: it’s a dish that hails from China, a country renowned for its good food and complex cuisine, and it involves folding a wrapper made of dough in such a way that it looks like a perfect little pillow.

I certainly doesn’t look like the easiest thing to make!

I felt the same way the first time I made dumplings. I expected them to look like poop, like the ones that don’t make the cut in a dumpling factory or dim sum restaurant and end up in the trash bin.

But as soon as I started folding I realized it wasn’t that hard to make. My first dumpling looked surprisingly good and I got better at it as I kept on folding. Since then I have been making them on a regular basis and truly enjoy the process. There’s something very calming about repeating the same action over and over again, it puts me in an almost meditative state.

Plus, I love looking at the final result – a plate full of yummy dumplings that my family devours with excitement each and every time.

Today I’m going to show you how to make Chinese dumplings step by step with the option of steaming them, pan frying them, or boiling them. Let’s cook!

What are Dumplings?

Taken from the adjective dump which means ‘of the consistency of dough’, dumpling is a term used for any type of food consisting of a piece of dough that’s wrapped around a filling or that contains no filling. There are many different varieties of dumplings available from several countries around the world but the most well known are the Chinese dumplings, which isn’t surprising since they are so delicious!

Ingredients for Dumplings

• Dumpling Wrappers: Use the regular size ones which are about 3 1/2 inches in diameter.
• Oil: Use a neutral oil such as grapeseed or vegetable oil to pan fry the ingredients for the filling. Only 1 tablespoon is needed.
• Water: You will need water to steam,  pan fry, or boil the dumplings.
• Vegetarian filling: The filling is a mixture of mixed mushrooms, cabbage, sesame oil, nutritional yeast, garlic, scallions, whisked egg (or flaxseed egg if you are vegan), and salt and pepper.
• Dipping sauce: Choose whatever type of sauce you like to eat these dumplings with. You can choose something sweet like plum sauce, hoisin sauce (homemade is 100 times better), or one of my two favorite dumpling dipping sauces.

Filling variations

Here are a few variations you can play with for the filling (or you can come up with your own too, obviously 😀):

• Add your favorite protein such as shrimp, chicken, pork, or beef, in place of half of the mushrooms. Or try chopped tofu or Beyond Meat’s Hot Italian Sausages to stick to a plant based meal, they are delicious!
• Use more shredded cabbage and some chopped carrots in place of half of the mushrooms.
• Add some chopped canned bamboo or chopped water chestnuts to add a little crunch.
• Add cooked glass noodles in place of half of the mushrooms to load up on carbs.
• Add chopped Thai chilies or some red pepper flakes to add some heat.

How to Make Dumplings

1. Place all the ingredients for the filling in a bowl and stir well.
2. Place a frying pan on a burner over medium heat and add the oil and filling. Cook for 7-10 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked through. Return the filling mixture to the bowl and let cool to room temperature.
3. Let’s make the first dumpling! Grab a wonton wrapper and hold it near the palm of your hand.
4. Scoop about 1 tablespoon of the mushroom and cabbage filling and place it in the center of it.
5. Wet your index finger and run it around the edges of the wrapper. This helps the dough to seal better.
6. Fold the dumpling in half and start by pinching the center of the wrapper opposite the palm of your hand, and press it against the flat side. The half of the wrapper that is in the palm of your hand stays flat the whole time, it never gets pinched. Now keep on pinching the same side until you get a fan like shape and press it against the flat side of the wrapper after each pinch.
7. When all the dumplings have been made, it’s time to cook them! You can either steam them, pan fry them, or boil them.

How to Steam Dumplings

1. Grab your bamboo steamer, or other steaming device, and line it with napa cabbage leaves or a couple of layers of cheesecloth. My bamboo steamer came with liners so I’m using that to prevent the dumplings from sticking to the bottom. You can also use cooking spray for metal baskets which works pretty well.
2. Place the dumplings in the steamer basket in a single layer, making sure to leave a little space between each piece. Repeat for the second basket (if you are using a bamboo steamer) and put the lid on.
3. Fill a skillet with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Place the bamboo steamer in the skillet and let the dumplings steam for 7-8 minutes.
4. Take the dumplings out of the baskets as soon as they are ready, otherwise they will start to stick.
5. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

How to Pan Fry Dumplings

1. Add 1 tablespoon of neutral oil such as grapessed or vegetable oil to a skillet and turn the heat to medium high.
2. When the oil is hot, place the flat side of the dumplings in the pan in a single layer and leave a little space between each of them.
3. Add 3 tablespoons of water and cover the skillet with a lid.
4. Cook for 6-7 minutes or until all the water has evaporated. The dumplings are ready to eat at this point but I recommend leaving them in the pan for a little longer, until the bottom of the wrappers turns golden brown.
5. Flip the dumplings and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until the skin turns golden brown. Crispy dumplings are so yummy!
6. Transfer the dumplings to a plate and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

How to Boil Dumplings

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 6 to 8 dumplings.
2. Boil for 3-4 minutes, until they are cooked through and transfer the dumplings to a plate.
3. Repeat the same step for the second and third batch.
4. Serve with dipping sauce.

What to Serve with Dumplings 🥟

Are the dumplings the star of your meal or are they more of a side dish?

If they are the star of your meal, serve them with other small dishes such as:

• Chinese tea eggs
• Vegetable egg rolls
• Chinese broccoli with garlic sauce
• Chicken egg foo young
• Chinese shredded potatoes with vinegar and chili

If they are a side to an Asian style dinner, serve them with:

• Eggplant with garlic sauce
• Vegan mapo tofu
• Sweet and sour tofu
• Vegan dan dan noodles
• Shrimp fried rice

Did you like this Mushroom Cabbage Dumplings Recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!

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