Dumplings are so much fun to make and there are a lot of things you can stuff them with.  I’ve already shared my recipe for my classic pork and cabbage dumplings but if you love vegetables and are looking to eat a little healthier, these steamed veggie dumplings a creative way to start.

Of course, you can make these veggie dumplings with whatever vegetables you like. I made this batch with lots of colorful veggies: purple cabbage, carrots, asparagus, yellow bell pepper, shitake mushrooms, and zucchini.

The thing to remember with dumplings is that a little bit of filling is going to go a long way.  This recipe calls for only 2 1/2 cups of veggies and it makes around 70 dumplings. It’s easy to get carried away with tons of filling but then chances are good that you’re going to:

1. Run out of dumpling wrappers
2. Run out of patience

Consider yourself warned.

I like to make my filling a day ahead of time so that I can easily put the dumplings together when I’m ready.  If not making a day ahead, allow at least an hour for your filling to cool before assembling your dumplings.

You will need a steamer to make these – there are a number of different kinds of stovetop and electric steamers out there. In a pinch, you can also use a colander over a pan of boiling water, you just won’t be able to steam as many at one time.

Steamed Vegetable (Vegetarian) Dumplings Recipe

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1/2 cup shredded and chopped red cabbage
• 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup finely chopped asparagus
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced zucchini
• 3/4 cup finely chopped shitake mushrooms
• 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow (or red or orange) bell pepper
• 3 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• Wonton or Dumpling wrappers
• Dipping sauce (recipe below)

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add garlic, ginger, and mushrooms and saute for about 3 minutes, until all start to soften
3. Add the cabbage, carrot, asparagus, mushrooms, and bell pepper and saute, stirring often, 2minutes
4. Cover and cook for 1 more minute
5. Remove from heat
6. Transfer to a glass or heat-proof dish, add scallions, toss and let cool

You barely want to cook your vegetables – just enough to cook the garlic and ginger and basically steam the rest of the veggies just a bit. When you remove it all from the heat, the vegetables should still be bright and colorful. They will continue to steam a bit as they sit and cool.

When your veggies are cool and you’re ready to start making your dumplings:

1. Add sesame oil and soy sauce to your veggie mix and stir well.

To assemble your dumplings:

1. Have a large clean counter area or cutting board ready to assemble your dumplings on.
2. Have a shallow bowl or short glass of water ready to moisten the edges of the wrappers. I just use my finger to dampen the edges but you can also use a small pastry brush.
3. Spoon a small amount of filling onto a wrapper.
4. Moisten the edge of the wrapper and gently fold and press, fold or crimp the edges together until well sealed.
5. Set your finished dumpling aside and repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers (Alternatively, you can also start steaming a batch and then wrap more as each batch steams)
6. Steam dumplings for 10 minutes in the steamer of your choice
7. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a serving dish
8. Serve with dipping sauce (recipe below)

Now, I make dumplings enough that I invested a whopping couple of bucks in an inexpensive dumpling maker, which actually works pretty well.  Before that, I always hand-pinched my dumplings and here’s an example:

Not perfect but works beautifully and proof that no cheapo dumpling maker is necessary.

Here’s my high-tech dumpling maker and a couple of dumplings made with it:

As you can see, they’re a little more uniform but basically the same, the dumpling maker just makes faster work of these. Of course, if you’re a pro dumpling maker, you can probably make handmade ones as fast as I do with my dumpling maker.

And here’s my dumpling dipping sauce:

Dipping Sauce Recipe

• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced

Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl and stir well. Top with sliced scallion before serving.

That’s it! You’ve achieved veggie dumplings and dipping sauce and trust me, these are not only delicious, they’re a little addicting.

Again, you can make these with whatever veggies you love, so feel free to mix things up and add what you like.

Of course, you can also add tofu to these, if you’d like.  Shrimp is a delicious addition, too. Don’t be afraid to play with your food!

Enjoy!