This is my interpretation of vegetarian siu mai. The Asian dumplings are often filled with meat, so this is my attempt to create a toothsome, equally flavorful appetizer without meat. To do so, I prepared and filled the siu mai pockets with bean curd, jicama, shiitake, wood ear mushrooms, green onions, rice wine, soy sauce and sesame oil.
Shaping dumplings with a vegetarian filling while preventing them from collapsing once they were steamed was a bit challenging. I used silicon mini muffin liners to avoid a possible culinary disaster and keep them appealing. Sometimes, thinking outside the box can be a life-saver for the home cook that I am!
1. Info for Vegetarian Siu Mai Recipe
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: 6
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Vegetarian Siu Mai Recipe
- 1 (16-ounce) package fresh, round pot sticker wraps
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon mushroom seasoning salt (see tips)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ jicama
- ½ cup wood ear mushrooms, chopped
- 4 shiitake mushrooms, chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 (16-ounce) package fresh bean curd, crumbled
- 1 tablespoon rice wine
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ cup panko
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fried garlic
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
3. Directions:
- For the jicama: Peel and slice the jicama horizontally into ½-inch thick pieces. To a non-stick pan, add oil and fry all the jicama slices until golden brown. Once they are cool enough to handle, cut the pieces into ½-inch cubes. Let cool to room temperature. For the mushrooms: To the same pan, add the green onions, shiitake and wood ear mushrooms. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
- For the filling: In a bowl, season the bean curd with 1 teaspoon of fried garlic, salt, red chili powder and black pepper. In a food processor (or a mini-blender if you have one), blend the bean curd with the panko and jicama. Add the green onions, rice wine, soy sauce and sesame oil. Add the mushroom mixture. Mix well. Check the seasoning. Add more mushroom seasoning if necessary. Form 3-tablespoon-sized vegetarian dumplings, placing each on a pot sticker wrap; bind it to the veggie filling by gently cupping the bottom. Insert each dumpling into a silicon muffin liner.
- Cooking the dumplings: Line a large steamer basket with parchment paper. Place the dumplings, pot sticker wrap down, in one single layer, inside the basket. Pour boiling water into the bottom of the steamer. There should be at least a 3-inch-high level of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Place the dumpling layer, ensuring the base doesn’t come in contact with the water. Steam dumplings for 30 minutes or until tender and cooked through. Unmold the siu mai appetizers.
- When ready to serve, heat a bit of oil in a pan and sear the tops to form a crust. Serve immediately with Sriracha or tamarind dipping sauce on the side (see tip section for the recipe).
- Bon appétit!
