Vegan friendly potSticker with eggplants, coriander, green onion, shitake mushroom and Chinese mung bean noodles as filling.
The bad news today is that I get really thick and tough dumpling wrappers today, so please forget about the shaping. But the good one is the yummy final taste. My family cannot even figure out this is a vegan friendly pot stickers.
Recently I am thinking about creating more vegan-friendly or vegetarian friendly recipes on this blog. Although vegan Chinese recipes are not so famous, they deserve the notice! There are indeed many vegan friendly recipes in Chinese cuisine. Many of them even taste better than dishes with meat. This vegan potsticker is a great example.
I use stir-fried eggplants as the replacement of meats. In fact, I guess chicken leg mushroom can do the same. Besides, chopped coriander, chopped green onions and shopped shitake mushroom are also added for a more combined taste. In case you are not familiar with mung bean noodles, I would love to introduce it a little bit. Mung bean noodles is made from healthy green mung beans and present a crystal appearance. It is also named as glass noodles in China. You may find them in local stores or skip this ingredients. But I high recommend using some in the filling.
I was given a bag of potsticker wrappers so I skip this ingredient today. However when I get the first wrapper on my hand, I was really frustrated because those wrappers were so thick and tough. You may see from the pictures that it was really hard for me to press the edges together. But this does not influence the final taste very much because I am making potstickers. We have one potsticker assembling method, leaving the wrapper sealed incompletely so the filling inside can be cooked quickly and completely. Since I get “bad” wrappers today, I add around 1 tablespoon of warm water after the bottom side are sautéed to golden brown during the cooking process in order to make sure that other parts are cooked completely (the power of vapour). Then we need to continue cooking until all the water added are evaporated, and then the pot stickers become crispy again.
- 1 package of wrappers , around 50
- 1 middle size eggplants , peeled and cut into small cubes
- 1 garlic clove , mashed
- 1/2 cup chopped coriander
- 1/2 cup chopped green onion
- 1/2 cup chopped shitake mushrooms
- 1 small bunch of mung bean noodles , soak in warm water for around 15 minutes and then cut into small sections
- 1 tablespoon vegetable cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
- 1 tablespoon warm water
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Peel the eggplants, cut into small cubes and then soak the cubes in salted water for around 10 minutes. Transfer out and drain. This will help to reduce the oil absorbed by the eggplants in stir-fry process.
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In a sauce pan, heat up around 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable cooking oil and then stir fry eggplants with mashed garlic until soft. Transfer out.
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In a large bowl, mix stir-fried eggplants, mung bean sections, coriander, green onion and shitake mushroom with salt, light soy sauce and Chinese five spice powder.
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Assemble the potstickers one by one.
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Brush some oil on a pan; lay the potstickers and sauté with medium fire until golden brown. In order to make sure the potstickers are cooked toughly, I would suggest pouring around 1 tablespoon warm water after sauté the bottom side to golden brown. The theory is to steam other parts of the potstickers with vapour. Turn the potstickers over from time to time.
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Transfer out when the water added are evaporated and potstickers become crispy again.
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Serve immediately or with chili sauce you prefer.
I love pot stickers but have never made my own from scratch before (I’m usually really lazy and buy them frozen from the store). You have definitely inspired me to make this recipe, your pot stickers look delicious!
Thalia, I love homemade version because of the varieties. Each time, I will change the recipe for the filling a little bit (sometimes seasonal)to search new,healthy and yummy taste.
I’ve never tried making potstickers at home but will definitely do it after seeing this!
Thea,
Making potstcikers at home is really enjoying and it is kind of family activity in China.
I hope you will post more vegetarian and vegan recipes as you said you were thinking of doing. I do eat meat but I cook it only once a week for health and environmental reasons. I make vegetarian food 2-3 days a week and vegan food the other days, so I am always looking for new dishes I haven’t tried, especially vegan ones. I like foods which are naturally vegetarian instead of using some strange meat substitute. For that reason I cook a lot of Indian food, but I am trying to learn Chinese cooking as well, which is why I have been looking at your blog – a Chinese friend recommended it.
Hi there,
That’s a good suggestion. In fact, I do not eat too much meat too. I love vegan and vegetarian dishes as most of them are really easy to prepare and quick to cook and the most important healthy benefits. You have my words.
Ahhj that exciting im a new vegan (two months) my husband isnt so i make your meat dishes for him and veggie for me! I love your recipes and would love this!!
Lol sorry ahhhh*
Is it possible to dim sum these?
Do you mean to steam them? They can be steamed for sure.
Yes, please recipes that are your favorite ancestor recipes handed down. Appreciate Cavan potstickers and will use as appetizers for parties. Luv your blog very positive
i really love your blog … i have tried many recipes and they all have come out amazing
Thanks Pragya for all the sweet words. Happy cooking in the coming 2016.
Can you use won ton wrappers – I don’t think we get potsticker wrappers in South Africa. These look delicious, would love to make them.
Hi Barbara,
If dumpling wrappers are not available, you can make them at home https://chinasichuanfood.com/how-to-make-dumplings/. Wonton wrapper will create a different texture as it is much softer than dumpling wrappers. They may end as this one https://chinasichuanfood.com/pan-fried-wonton/.
Thanks so much for this recipe Elaine! I turned mine into soup dumplings and used the base from your spicy wonton soup recipe. I also used your five spice and dumpling wrappers recipes for this. All came out fantastic!
Thanks so much for this recipe Elaine! I turned mine into soup dumplings and used the base from your spicy wonton soup recipe. I also used your five spice and dumpling wrappers recipes for this. All came out fantastic!
Good to hear that. Thanks for your feedback on those recipes.
These look amazing! Are they freezable to be saved for later?
Yes, they can be frozen for later cooking.
HI Elaine,
Just wanted to write in to say THANK YOU for your website! We have been fans of cooking, and of Chinese food, for a long time, but were always so intimidated by trying to make authentic Chinese food. We have made a lot of your recipes now and we are learning so much and they are turning out as good if not better than the food you get in restaurants! Thank you so much, and love from Wales xx
Wow, this is such an encouraging comment. Thank you so much Carrie! Happy cooking!