How to Make Vegetable Dumplings (or Potstickers)

Things You'll Need:

• Cabbage (2 1/2 cups)
• Black or Shitake Mushrooms (2 ½ cups)
• Tofu (Brown, firm, teriyaki or five spice flavored, 4 squares)
• Bean thread Noodles (also called cellophane noodles, bean thread, bean vermicelli, or slippery noodles) (2-3 bundles)
• Carrots (2)
• Brown Sugar
• Sesame Oil
• Rice Vinegar
• Dumpling Wrappers (1-2 packs)
• Food processor
• Cheese Grater
• 4 quart pot
• Small bowl of water
• Small pot
• Large non-stick pan or wok

1. Pre-preparation:
   

   If you plan on making the dumplings the same day you buy the dumpling wrappers, put the wrappers in the fridge. Otherwise, put them in the freezer and defrost them by putting them in the fridge the night before you want to make the dumplings. (Get thick, round wrappers).

   Soak the mushrooms in water for about an hour until they soften. 

2. Prep Vegetable Mix:

   If you have a food processor, this will make things go much faster and easier. Throw each item (mushrooms, cabbage, tofu, carrots) into the processor separately. Chop, slice, or shred them until they are in very thin pieces. DO NOT grind or puree, as this will take all the flavor and texture out of the vegetables. (It's much better to cut the vegetables by hand, if possible. You will notice a difference in taste). You will mix and cook them together later.

3. If you don’t have a food processor, this will be more time consuming, but still very doable (I personally don’t have a processor, and it still works fine). Chop and cut the mushrooms, cabbage, and tofu into very thin pieces. Shred 2 carrots using a cheese grater (sometimes I don’t have the arm strength for this, so I just throw 1 carrot in).

4. Cook the noodles in boiling water for about 3-5 minutes until they are soft. Drain and put them aside. 

5. Put about 3-4 tsp. of sesame oil in the bottom of the 4 quart pot. Pour the cabbage into the pan and cook. Add a little bit of brown sugar (1-2 tsp) to offset the bitter taste. Cook until almost soft.
   Add mushrooms, tofu, and carrots. Add about 1-2 tsp more sesame oil. Cook until vegetables are soft.
   Add the noodles to the mixture and toss until fully mixed. (If you prefer, add a little more sesame oil). Add salt to taste. If you like ginger, you can also add about 1 tsp of ground ginger.

   You are now ready to wrap the dumplings!

6. Wrapping the dumplings:

   Put a spoonful of the vegetable mix in the center of the dumpling (careful not to put too much).
   Put a ring of water around the edges (the water will help stick the edges of the wrapper together).

7. Fold one side of the dumpling over, and pinch the sides together. It should look like the picture. Note: some people like to make little folds. It is a bit hard to explain, so if you don’t know how to do this, don’t worry. Pinch the sides together so they are tightly closed, otherwise when you cook them, the “seams” will fall apart.

8. Repeat 1-3 until you have the number you want! I usually go through about 2 packs in one sitting (makes 60-70).

9. If you plan on making more, put the ones you don’t want to eat right away on plates, and put the plates in the        freezer. After they have frozen, you can put them in plastic bags to store. (Don’t put them in bags before          freezing though, because they will stick together).

Cooking the dumplings:

1. Put the number of dumplings you want to cook in the pan. Add about 2 cups of water—just enough so that the water level is at mid-line of the dumpling. Make sure you pour the water over the top of the dumplings to moisten them.

   Put about 1-2 tsp of sesame oil on the bottom of a non-stick pan or wok—just enough to cover the bottom of the pan.

Cover and set the heat on medium high.
Let the dumplings cook for about 20-25 minutes. When most of the water has evaporated, let the dumplings cook for 1-2 minutes longer until the bottom turns a bit brown and crispy.

Turn the heat off, take the dumplings out and enjoy! Dip in soy sauce or rice vinegar.