Asparagus Tofu Dumplings ~*Recipe ReDux*~

On Friday, I hopped on a bus and went to Philadelphia for the day. After a full day of eating, walking, and meandering the Philly streets, I arrived back at my apartment at 9:30 PM. I was still feeling energized from the day, and somehow found more room in my stomach for food. So began my late-night dumpling-making extravaganza.

I can’t believe it has taken me this long to make dumplings. I purchased the gyoza wrappers (baby steps), but I made the filling and crimped the dough myself.

Crimped dumplings are just so darn cute. And, they fit the bill for this month’s The Recipe ReDux theme–a healthy take on small bites and finger food. 

One of my favorite places to eat in New York City right now is Mimi Cheng’s. They make dumplings from quality ingredients, and they have a special dumpling each month i.e. a truffle mushroom risotto dumpling or a s’mores dumpling. After trying my hand at the dumpling making process, I understand why they want to dumpling-ify everything.

The filling for these dumps involves a ton of chopped asparagus, scallions, and tofu with garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and salt. I chopped everything into small pieces because I like being able to tell what I am eating when I bite into a dumpling. To make a more cohesive filling, pulse the ingredients in a food processor for a finer chop.

It feels good to make a big batch of dumplings, eat some right away, and know that I can have extra chilling in the freezer for whenever a craving hits, or a quick snack for ‘guests’ is needed.

If you do not end up using all of the dumpling wrappers (aka you run out of filling before the end), you can tightly wrap the remaining wrappers in plastic and keep in the fridge for another day or two.

*Eat these with chopsticks, toothpicks, a fork, or…your fingers!

Asparagus Tofu Dumplings

recipe from Smitten Kitchen, with a few of my own modifications

Filling: 

1 tablespoon canola oil or other neutral cooking oil

3/4 bunch scallions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon minced ginger

3 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 large bunch asparagus, woody ends trimmed, remaining stems sliced into thin circles

7 ounces firm tofu, finely chopped (I used half of a 14-oz package)

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Assembly: 

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 cup water

50 dumpling/gyoza wrappers

Sauce:

Remaining 1/4 bunch scallions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce (I used Bragg’s Liquid Aminos)

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon chili garlic hot sauce (optional)

Cook: 

1 tablespoon canola oil or other neutral cooking oil

3 tablespoons water

Filling: Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of oil and heat, then add scallions, ginger and garlic. Cook for 1 minute, then add asparagus and cook 4 minutes. Add tofu and sesame oil and cook about 1 minute more. Season with salt and transfer to a bowl to cool for 15 minutes.

Wipe the pan clean.

Assembly: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Remove first wrapper from package and put it on a plate; place a damp towel or piece of plastic wrap over the unused ones to keep them from drying out.

Brush wrapper with cornstarch-water mixture. Mound 1 to 2 teaspoons filling in the center. Fold the wrapper in half over the filling, sealing the center edge shut. Make a few small pleats down each sides to seal in the rest of the filling, while trying to press out as much air as possible. Rest the dumpling, pleats up, on prepared tray and repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

You can now freeze the dumplings on their trays, then transfer them to a freezer bag once they will no longer stick together, or cook them right away.

Sauce: Mix ingredients together.

Cook: Re-heat the non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and once hot, arrange gyoza in a single layer and cook until browned at the bottom. This will take about 1 minute for fresh ones and up to 5 minutes for frozen ones. Carefully and quickly add water and cover the pan. Put a lid on the pot and cook dumplings for 2 to 3 minutes more (plus an additional minute if your dumplings were frozen to begin with). Remove lid and simmer until any remaining water has cooked off.

Transfer to serving plate; garnish with extra chopped scallions and serve with the sauce.