Vegan Pan Fried Dumplings

Prepare the Dough. In a large mixing bowl, first combine flour, instant, yeast, sugar, and sea salt. Slowly stream in the warm water, and mix until a dough forms. Once a soft dough forms, turn it onto a generously floured surface and knead until smooth, around 5 minutes. Place the smooth dough back into the bowl, then cover and let rest for 30-40 minutes.

Prepare the TVP. Soak the TVP in warm water for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, drain the water and squeeze out excess liquid from the re-hydrated TVP. Set aside.

Prepare the Vermicelli. Do as the package instructions — usually this involves soaking in room temperature water (around 10 minutes) and boiling in water (around 3-5 minutes). Roughly chop the noodles into 0.3 – 0.5 cm long strands. Set aside and prepare the rest of the filling.

Prepare the Filling. Prepare all the vegetables as instructed. In a large pan on medium heat, start by sautéing mushrooms, garlic, and ginger together until most of the mushrooms’ moisture evaporates. Add the TVP and fry until lightly browned, around 5 minutes. Add all remaining filling ingredients (except for vermicelli) and continue to sauté until cabbage is cooked, around 5 minutes. Once finished, take off the heat and stir in the chopped vermicelli. Taste and adjust seasoning, then place finished filling in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the dumpling wrappers.

Make the Dumplings. Take your rested dough and first gently press it down to squeeze out excess air. Roll the dough into a long log and use a knife to evenly divide it into around 22-25 pieces. Roll each piece of dough into round balls. Take a ball of dough and first gently press it to flatten. Then take a floured rolling pin and roll the dough out on all sides into a round sheet, thickest at the center. Take each wrapper and place around a tablespoon of filling in the middle. Fold the dough up by pleating the sides (like an accordion) in a counter-clockwise motion. Towards the end, keep your thumb in the middle and press down while spiraling to seal. Place the completed dumplings on a floured surface and loosely cover them while you prepare the rest.

Fry the Dumplings. Heat up around 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil on medium-high heat in a non-stick pan. Place each dumpling in the pan (don’t over-crowd the pan as they will expand!) and fry until lightly browned around 1-2 minutes. Then, add 3 tablespoons of water and quickly cover with a lid to trap steam. Note: if your lid doesn’t have a built-in hole, leave a small hole so the dumplings won’t burst when you open the lid. Remove the lid once most of the water has evaporated, around 5 minutes. Turn the heat up to high and cook for an additional 2 minutes, or until crispy and golden-brown. Top the finished dumplings with sesame seeds and chopped scallions. Serve warm.