Spinach, water chestnut and tofu dumplings

I am fully aware that I have a problem with trying to stuff tofu into everything I make. This dumpling filling recipe was my attempt to rectify that until I decided it ‘could use some added protein’. You could omit it and add extra spinach or water chestnut if you wish, or you could relax into it with some smoked firm tofu for an added flavour hit.

Credit: Georgia McDermott

• makes

  50

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 500 g frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
• 60 ml (¼ cup) vegetable or peanut oil
• 40–50 g fresh ginger, peeled, finely grated
• 3–4 large spring onions, green part only, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp Chinese five spice
• 150 g firm tofu, crumbled finely
• 200 g water chestnuts, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp gluten-free dark soy or tamari
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 60 dumpling wrappers (1–2 quantities of dumpling storebought wrappers or homemade dough, see recipe here)

Instructions

1. Thoroughly defrost and wring out your spinach. A wet mixture will wreak havoc on your dumpling skins.
2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook ginger and spring onion greens for 2–3 minutes or until softened and fragrant. Add a splash of water if anything starts to stick.
3. Add the spinach, Chinese five spice, tofu and water chestnuts and stir to combine. Stir in the dark soy or tamari. Add sesame oil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set mixture aside to cool.
4. To fill your dumpling wrappers, place a teaspoon or two of filling in the centre of each wrapper. Using your finger, moisten the outer edge of the wrapper. There are a number of different ways to shape a dumpling, and I’m an expert on zero of them. The simplest way is a half-moon shape, made by folding one half of the circular wrapper onto the other and pressing thoroughly to seal the edge.
5. For other methods, I recommend watching tutorials from experts online.
6. You are now ready to boil or steam fry! To boil the dumplings, bring a medium pot of water to the boil. Reduce it to a very gentle simmer and lower in 4–5 dumplings at a time. Move them around to ensure they don’t stick to the bottom of each other. Cook for 2–3 minutes or until the wrappers start to look a bit translucent. Remove and drain. I like to sprinkle my colander and cooked dumplings with a little toasted sesame oil to stop them from sticking.

 

Intolerance-Friendly Kitchen by Georgia McDermott has been published by Penguin Random House Australia. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.