For most of my life potstickers have been one of those foods that’s reserved for restaurants or takeout. They’re too fancy and fussy to make myself, right? Actually, no. Homemade potstickers are pretty easy to make. There are a few steps involved, but the process is petty simple, and fun! Let’s talk about what makes a potsticker! It’s an Asian style dumpling. I’ve shared a recipe for tofu dumplings on this site in the past, and they’re pretty similar to potstickers. But potstickers are cooked in a specific way: they’re pan-fried in a bit of oil, then steamed. This gives them amazing texture! The bottoms are crispy and golden brown, thanks to the frying step, while the tops are tender and soft from the steam. They’ve really got the best of everything going on. These particular vegan potstickers are stuffed with a veggie filling that’s seasoned with garlic, ginger, and Chinese five spicy. Each one is a little flavor-bomb on it’s own, but even more so when dipped in my sesame soy dipping sauce.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Peanut oil. You can substitute another neutral high-heat oil if you’d like. Canola oil, corn oil and vegetable oil will all work.Shiitake mushrooms.Scallions. Also known as green onions.Garlic.Ginger.Cabbage. I’m using green cabbage, but red should work just fine as well.Carrots.Water chestnuts. These are typically sold in cans and can be found in the international aisle of most supermarkets.Soy sauce. Tamari or liquid aminos will also work.Brown sugar. Use organic sugar to keep the recipe vegan.Sriracha sauce. This adds the tiniest bit of heat to the filling. It can be omitted if preferred. I used Kitchen Garden brand sriracha, which is vegan.Toasted sesame oil. Look for this in the international aisle at the store.Cornstarch.Chinese five spice. Dumpling wrappers. We’re using Shanghai-style wrappers, which are the round kind. Check the ingredients to ensure that your wrappers are vegan. I used Twin Marquis brand.Sesame seeds.Rice vinegar. This is for making the dipping sauce, so you can cross it off you’re list if you’re planning to use a premade sauce.
How They’re Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!
There’s a good deal of prep work, so make sure to get it all out of the way before you begin cooking: chop the veggies and measure out the seasonings for your filling.Cook the mushrooms. Lightly oil the bottom of a medium skillet and place it over medium heat. Add finely chopped shiitake mushroom caps and cook them for a few minutes, until they start to brown. Flip them once or twice to get them browned all over.Take the mushrooms out of the skillet and transfer them to a plate.
Heat up a bit more oil in the skillet and add your aromatics: chopped scallions (white parts only — we’ll use the greens later), minced garlic, and grated ginger.Cook everything briefly until the mixture becomes very fragrant. Watch it carefully and stir it frequently to prevent burning.
Raise the heat a bit and add finely chopped cabbage, carrots and water chestnuts.Cook the vegetables for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until they start to soften.
Return the mushrooms to the skillet and add the green parts of your scallions along with the soy sauce, brown sugar, sriracha, sesame oil, cornstarch, and five spice.Use your spatula to flip everything rapidly and mix up the ingredients. After about a minute more of cooking you can take the skillet off of the burner.Taste-test the filling and season it with salt to taste. Keep in mind that the dipping sauce is salty, so you may not need to add any salt to the filling.
Fill a small bowl with water and place one of your dumpling wrappers on a work surface.Use a finger to wet the edges of the wrapper, then place a heaping teaspoon of filling in the center.Fold the wrapper in half over the filling and pinch the edges of the wrapper together at the center when they meet. Make little pleats along the left and right of the pinched area as you close the wrapper, but just on the side of the dumpling facing you. This video tutorial is really helpful if you need more guidance on folding your potstickers.Repeat the process until all of your filling is used.
Coat the bottom of a nonstick skillet with some oil and place it over medium heat. You’ll need a skillet that you can cover, but not too tightly, as some water needs to escape. A lid is ideal, but foil will do in a pinch.Add your potstickers to the skillet, placing the flat (non-pleated) sides down. Pan-fry the vegan potstickers until they’re golden brown on the bottoms.
Add some water to the skillet, cover it and let them steam for a few minutes, until all of the water has evaporated. Be super careful here, as the water can sputter when it hits the hot cooking surface.
Tip: Avoid crowding the skillet. Even though they’re called “potstickers” I find their tendency is more to stick to each other. You’ll probably need to cook them in batches.
Sprinkle your vegetable potstickers with sesame seeds and serve them with dipping sauce.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover potstickers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
More Vegan Asian-Inspired Appetizers
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