Veggie Dumplings with Chili Oil

Hey ya'll!! So a few weeks back I tried out these delicious veggie dumplings and perfected the recipe for you all!! You can call these momos or dumplings LOL. I was craving Din Tai Fung and just had to make dumplings at home. These turned out so great and I am so pleased with how easy they are. Although rolling out the dough and folding the dumplings takes time and effort, the end result is absolutely delicious! I am no expert at folding the dumplings so do not worry if they are not shaping out correctly. I definitely suggest getting your family our friends to help with this dish as it can take some time. Also watch a few dumpling pleating videos to visualize the process.

The best part is you can basically stuff them with whatever you want! And to add to this, I made home made chili oil with pickled ginger to hit the spot. Pickled ginger is super easy to make, just mix together a few tablespoons of white vinegar and thinly sliced ginger and add salt to taste. I hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as I do!! Enjoy!

Serving Size: 5 - 6

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups hot water

1 tbsp oil

2 carrots

1/2 of a cabbage

7-8 spring onions, chopped

4-5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 serrano pepper, minced

1 in. ginger, grated

1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp black pepper

Salt to your taste

Chili Oil:

1 1/2 cups of vegetable oil

2 bay leaves

5 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 cup crushed red chili flakes

3 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns

1 tsp salt (to taste)

Instructions

1. Prepare your dough by combing 3 cups of all purpose flour with 1 1/2 cups of hot water. Knead the dough for around 5 minutes until nice and soft. Next, add in the oil and set aside to rest for 15 minutes.

2. In a food processor, finely chop the carrots then the cabbage. Set aside in a mixing bowl and add in the chopped spring onions, garlic, ginger, and serrano pepper.

3. Mix in the sesame oil, salt and pepper. Stir well and set aside the filling.

4. While the dough is resting, prepare the chili oil. Start by heating up the oil, star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and Sichuan peppercorns on low heat for approximately 20 minutes. Make sure to keep a watchful eye and not let the oil heat too high as that can burn the spices.

5. Once the oil is done cooking for 20 minutes, let it cool for around 5 minutes. Next, strain out the aromatics. In a separate bowl, add in the chili flakes and salt. Slowly pour the oil over the chili flakes and stir well. The heated oil will cook the chili flakes.

6. Divide the rested dough into small balls. Cover the dough balls with a moist towel.

7. Take each dough ball and on a lightly dusted surface, roll the dough into a thin circle. The key here is the edges have to be thin enough for you to see your fingers through them and the center needs to be a little thicker.

8. Place around 1 or 2 tbsp of the filling in the center. Lift one side of the dough and start pleating. Next, join all the pleats in the center and give it a twist to seal all the edges together.

8. Follow the above step for all the dough balls and set aside.

9. In a large pot, fill with water and place your steaming rack. The water level should never touch the rack. Line the rack with parchment paper or cabbage leave to prevent sticking.

10. Once the water has boiled, place the dumplings on the rack. Be sure to leave space around them as they inflate when they steam. Cover with the pot with a lid and steam for around 3-4 minutes or until the dumplings are translucent.

11. Enjoy the dumplings with a mixture of the chili oil, pickled ginger, scallions, and black vinegar or soy sauce.

*The cabbage leaves are the best trick for steaming!