Vegan/Vegetarian Soup Dumpling
Looking for a truly magical culinary experience? Look no further than homemade vegan/vegetarian soup dumplings or xiaolongbao! These delicious dumplings are not commonly found in restaurants, making them a rare treat that's worth learning to make yourself. I have actually never been able to try them in restaurants which made me make them at home because this dish is magical. And the best part? These dumplings actually contain soup inside, which is truly mind-blowing. With each bite, you'll experience the unique sensation of slurping up the savory soup before enjoying the delicious dumpling and dipping sauce. For this recipe, we'll be using tofu as the filling and agar agar to set the soup jelly. Get ready for a taste sensation that's out of this world!
Happy Cooking!
Servings: 24-28 pcs
Prep Time: 45-60 mins
Cooking Time: 20-30 mins
Cooling Time: 6-8 hours
Total Time: 10-11 hours
Ingredients:
Soup Jelly:
2 cups vegetable stock
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sriracha
1 tbsp vegan oyster sauce
1/2 tsp Salt as per taste
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp Sugar
1 tbsp 1 tsp Agar agar powder
1/8 tsp Ajinomoto; optional
Dough:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 1/2 tablespoons hot water
4-6 tablespoons room temperature water
Filling:
6 oz firm or extra firm tofu
3 scallions chopped
1 inch Ginger grated
3-4 cloves of Garlic grated/minced
1/2 tsp Salt as per taste
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/2-1 tsp Chili flakes as per taste
1/8 tsp Ajinomoto; optional
Dipping Sauce:
2-3 tbsp chili crunch
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp rice/black/red vinegar
1 inch ginger cut in very thin slices (julienne)
Directions:
Soup Jelly- In a saucepan add vegetable stock and agar agar powder. Mix it in well. Once mixed well, put the heat on to medium.
Add salt, pepper, sugar, Ajinomoto, soy sauce, sriracha, and oyster sauce, and mix well. Bring the soup to a boil.
Pour into any dish and let it come to room temperature. Set in the fridge for 6-8 hours. I like to make this a day before and let it set overnight.
Dough: In a bowl or stand mixer, add flour and salt. Add hot water and mix it into the flour. Add room temperature water as needed (start with 4 tbsp water first then add more) and mix into a shaggy dough. Start to knead into a dough. Knead well for 4-5 minutes. Wrap with cling wrap and let it rest for 30-60 mins.
Sauce: In a bowl add all the ingredients and mix. Sevre with the thinly sliced ginger over it.
Filling: Press tofu for 20 mins at least. Check notes if you don’t have a tofu press.
In a mixing bowl add tofu and crumble it. Add chopped scallions, ginger, garlic, salt, pepper, chili flakes, ajinomoto, and mix.
Take the soup jelly out and cut it into small cubes. Add the chopped jelly cubes to the tofu mixture and mix well so it’s spread out evenly.
Assemble- Divide the dough into two divisions. Keep the dough covered as you work with one part.
Roll a part into a log and cut it into smaller divisions, about 12 pcs.
Work with one division at a time, keeping the rest covered. Roll the dough into a circle, keeping the edges thinner. Sprinkle little flour if it sticks. Place about 1.5 tbsp of filling in the middle of the wrapper. Start pleating from one end of the wrapper all around the edges and closing it towards the center. Bring all the pleats together to the middle and twist and seal them close. If its too much dough in the twist remove some excess dough.
Repeat for all dumplings. Keep them under a damp towel to prevent them from drying out.
Cook- Place the dumplings in a parchment/cheesecloth lined steamer (ideally bamboo steamer but stainless steel also works) that’s slightly greased. Do not overcrowd it so it doesn't stick to each other.
Place the steamer in the wide pan and steam for 8-9 minutes till completely cooked. Time depends on the steamer and the size of the dumplings
Serve with dipping sauce.
Notes/Tips:
If you don’t a tofu press- drain the tofu water that comes in the container. Wrap the tofu block in a paper towel. If it’s a thin paper towel, double wrap it. Place something that is a little heavy on it that presses it down slightly. Let it sit for 20-30 mins.
Make sure the jelly is set well.
While shaping the dumpling make sure it is sealed shut.
If you don’t have a bamboo steamer, you can use a stainless steel steamer that comes in a lot of pots and pans sets. Layer with parchment paper on the base and grease it and then place the dumplings.
Do not overcrowd the steamer.
Practice makes perfect, as you shape them, the better it will get.
Do not skip the dipping sauce.
You can freeze these for 3-4 months!
