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Vegetarian Dumplings

Vegetarian dumplings made with carrots, tofu, mushrooms, spinach, cabbage, garlic, cilantro, egg, ginger, soy sauce, cornstarch, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, salt, served with soy‑vinegar‑sesame dipping sauce.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 20 ingredients
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Why it works: Spinach and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,435 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓

Vegetarian Dumplings

Timeabout 4 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the filling

  1. Dry carrots, tofu, mushrooms, spinach, cabbage, garlic, and cilantro thoroughly.

  2. Put them into a food processor and chop very finely.

  3. Put vegetable mixture into a large bowl.

  4. Mix egg, ginger, soy sauce, cornstarch, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and salt.

  5. Stir egg mixture into bowl with vegetable mixture.

  6. Drain any excess liquid from mixture.

Wrap the dumplings

  1. Place dumpling wrappers, one at a time, on a flat work surface.

  2. Place a spoonful of mixture on the center, brush water around edges of wrapper, and crimp shut to seal.

  3. Repeat until all ingredients are used up.

Cook and serve

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

  2. Add dumplings, 12 at a time, to water, and cook for about 4 minutes, or until dumplings float to the surface.

  3. Use a slotted skimmer to remove dumplings from water, and set aside in a bowl. Keep from touching while still hot or dumplings may stick.

  4. Combine all dipping sauce ingredients, mixing well, and set aside.

  5. Arrange dumplings on a platter, and serve with dipping sauce.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

858Calories
36 gProtein
26 gFat
122 gCarbs

Counts 15 of 18 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 15 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Sesame1 tbsp (14g)120
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Tofu100g firm76
Broccoli1 cup chopped (156g)55
Carrot1 medium (61g)25
Mushroom1/2 cup sliced (35g)15
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Spinach1 cup raw (30g)7
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Cilantro1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0
Saucenot in our table0
Wonton Wrappernot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Spinach + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,435 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  2. Carrot + clovetop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,873 recipes

    Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).

  3. Carrot + spinachtop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together870 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).

  4. Mushroom + spinachtop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together778 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).

  5. Tofu + spinachtop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together118 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Tofu
Adds soft body and moisture to the filling, giving it a tender bite.
Egg
Binds the chopped vegetables together so the filling holds its shape when wrapped.
Cornstarch
Absorbs moisture in the filling, helping it stay thick and prevent a soggy wrapper.
Mushrooms
Contribute deep, savory umami flavor to the filling.
Cabbage
Adds bulk and gentle sweetness while its moisture is controlled by draining.
Hoisin sauce
Adds sweetness and rich, fermented savory depth to the filling.

The step that matters

Drain any excess liquid from mixture.. Vegetables release water when chopped and salted. Excess liquid makes the filling wet, which weakens the wrapper seal and can make dumplings tear or turn soggy.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (carrot, tofu, mushroom, spinach, cabbage, garlic, egg):

  1. Parsleyfits better
  2. Turmericfits better
  3. Cuminfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against carrot, tofu, mushroom, spinach, cabbage, garlic, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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