These mushroom dumplings are a savory bite of moist filling that is absolutely irresistible.
I know I like cookies, but I think my teeth are going to rot from the sweet, so I decided to switch to a savory recipe! I love dumplings but I don’t feel like there is always a vegetarian option. And sometimes the vegetarian option feels lackluster compared to the meat options. Thus, I began my quest to make a vegetarian option that was juicy and tender and just melted in the mouth.
Mushrooms are my go-to replacement for meat. I feel like they can be blending into a texture that sort of resembles meat. But now that I think about, blending just makes everything one texture. Anyway, I went with a mushroom and spice blend because it felt like a good approach to making mushroom dumplings.
Check out the Make section of MCG for more fun recipes like desserts and savory dishes.
Ingredients
Not too many ingredients with this recipe, just mushrooms, onions, and garlic for the filling. The most interesting piece of the recipe is the wonton wrappers. I have not worked with wonton wrappers before, so I wanted to buy them premade and see what it was like before even thinking about attempting to make my own (maybe in the future).
Process
The Filling
I started with the filling because it takes the most time and you can’t really start anywhere else. Not sure why I decided to draw attention to that… Anyway, I started with the food processor. I wanted to see how little cutting I could do so I used pre-chopped mushrooms and cut the onions into fairly large chunks.
Then it was time to blend (although I did add the garlic here as well). It took me a little bit to get the mixture down to the consistency that I really wanted. After I got the mushrooms grinded down, I added in the salt, chili powder, and garam masala. And then it was back to blending.
Finally, it was time to cook off the filling. I decided to cook off the filling to make sure it got fully cooked. The dumplings don’t cook for too long so having the filling partially to fully cooked before they go into the final form.
I used a lid cover the pot in order to purposefully encourage the water to come out quickly, then I removed the lid to let all of the water evaporate off over the heat. Because the lid brought out so much water, I was able to use a spoon to remove a good amount of the water since it pooled together.
Making the Dumplings
The wonton wrappers that I bought came in a square shape, but I didn’t think that was the best shape for what I wanted. I ended up using a round cutter to get the wrappers into the circular shapes that I wanted.
Then I put a tablespoon of the mushroom filling dead center on the wonton wrapper. I wanted to be careful about not adding too much filling or the wonton wrapper might explode from being too full. To wrap up the filling, I folded the wonton wrapper in half like a taco. Finally, I crimped the edges in order to make sure the filling doesn’t fall out during the cooking process.
Boiling
Now here is where I was a little limited in my approach. I do not have a bamboo steamer… which I am pretty sure is the classic way to make dumplings. But I did find that boiling the dumplings can work as a secondary method. So that’s what I did!
First, I brought a pot of water to a full boil and then I gently placed each dumpling into the water. The dumplings immediately sunk to the bottom of the pot. I guess the dumplings were heavier than the water. As they cooked, the dumplings rose to the top of the water and that was basically the way I knew they were done.
Reflections
So, so good. I thought that these mushroom dumplings would last me at least two meals. Nope. They were gone in one sitting. It was a flavor and a texture that I have missed. The mushroom’s crumbly texture mixed with the moisture of the wrappers made every bite like a slice of heaven.
I am very curious to try other dumpling recipes and play around more with wonton wrappers. They feel like a very versatile carrying package. While these dumplings leaned more on the classical texture side of dumplings, I am curious to see how well they might work with other textures.
Lessons
Thinking About Shape
One this that I didn’t really think about beforehand was the shape of the dumplings. Their final shape really dictates the shape I needed to start out with. Since I knew I wanted a scalloped top with a semi-circle shape. Ending with a semi-circle means that I should start with a circle. But for some reason I bought a square. It’s important to think about these things when buying the ingredients.
recipe
Mushroom Dumplings
Equipment
- 1 Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 16- oz Package of Mushrooms
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- 2 Onions
- 1 Tablespoons Chili Powder
- 1 Tablespoons Garam Masala
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- Olive Oil for cooking
- Wonton Wrappers
Instructions
- Chop the mushrooms and onions into large chunks. In a food processor, combine the mushrooms, onions, and garlic cloves. Blitz until the mixture is of fine grain.
- Add in Chili powder, Garam Masala, and salt. Blitz until combined.
- In a large sauté pan, heat up a splash of olive oil (enough to coat the base of the pan). Add in the mushroom mix. Cook for 5 minutes with the mixture covered.
- Remove the lid and let the water cook out. Use a spoon or other apparatus to remove liquid when possible. Stir occasionally until most of the water has been removed.
- For square wonton wrappers, cut into circle. Place 1-2 Tablespoons of the mushroom mixture into the center. Fold the wanton in half, enclosing the filling in a semi-circle. Crimp the open edges.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. In batches, add dumplings to the water and let cook until floating (about 3-5 minutes). Remove from pot and pat off extra water.
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