Veg dumplings for Lunar New Year

Working with The University of Sheffield

Season: AutumnWinter

On Sunday 22 January, it’s Lunar New Year aka Chinese New Year. It’s Year of the Rabbit!

If you’ve ever wanted to make your own dumplings, now is the time. There’s a lot of recipes online, but we’ve gone for one by vegan food blogger Bianca Zapatka. Her veg combo is bang-on seasonally perfect for our boxes: cabbage, leek, mushrooms, carrot, onion – plus garlic and ginger.

Readymade dumpling wrappers can be bought at one of Sheffield’s many Chinese supermarkets. If you want to make the dumpling dough by hand, check out her website. She has a gluten-free option and a video guide.

If you’re a fish eater, have a drool over Yotam Ottolenghi’s Lunar New Year recipe for Steamed fish with vinegar and soy in The Guardian. It features a seasonal vegetable – a venerable leek – and a delectable set of spices (star anise, chilli, cumin and fennel seeds, garlic and ginger).

Ingredients

1 pack of pre-prepared dumpling wrappers

VEG FILLING:

1-2 tbsp sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp ginger, minced

1 onion, diced

100g carrot, shredded

200g mushrooms, finely chopped

60g leek, finely chopped

200g cabbage, shredded

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp sriracha (optional)

DIPPING SAUCE:

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp agave syrup (or honey)

¼ tsp sesame oil

½ tsp sriracha

GARNISH (optional):

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

2 tbsp spring onions, sliced

Method

Finely chop the veggies and heat oil in a large pan.

Add the mushrooms, onions, carrots and fry for 2-3 mins until lightly browned. Then add the leek and cabbage with a little salt and cook for a further 5-7 mins, or until veg are soft and cooked through – stirring occasionally and adding a little water if needed.

Add the garlic, ginger and seasonings and cook for a further minute to combine the flavours.

Set veg aside to cool. Meanwhile, mix all the dipping sauce ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

Fill the dumplings: add 1 heaped teaspoon of filling to the centre of the dumpling wrapper. Brush the edges with water and fold the dumpling, making sure to seal the seams. Repeat until wrappers are all used up.

Cook the dumplings: Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the dumplings and fry for 2-3 minutes or until the bottoms are nicely browned. Pour in about 1/4 cup of water and cover with a lid. Steam for 7-8 mins or until the water has evaporated.

Sprinkle the dumplings with sesame seeds and chopped spring onions and serve with the sauce.