The last few days I have had a wonderful houseguest, visiting all the way from Melbourne, Australia. She’s vegetarian, and I had promised her vegan Chinese dumplings, so last night we made vegan wonton.
There are a couple different ways you can roll with a vegan dumpling filling and still have it be pretty solidly traditional. You can go the meat-like route, with seitan or pressed tofu for a meaty chew. You can go the greens route — there are several types of traditional Chinese dumplings whose fillings are mostly greens, including ones with watercress and garlic chives. Or you can go the mushroom/fungus route. We chose the fungus/mushroom option.
I am not very fond of vegan cookery where things are presented as being “just like” something that they’re not. Case in point: vegan cheese. It isn’t cheese. Which isn’t to say some of it isn’t tasty. But it isn’t cheese. It isn’t even close. And I would like it better and enjoy it more if I weren’t being encouraged to believe that it’s “just like” cheese when any idiot with two taste buds to rub together can tell that it’s not.
So when I make veg dumpling fillings I’m not trying to mimic meat. I’m not trying to make a sophistication that’s “just like” a “normal” dumpling filling. Vegetarian food is normal food, thankyouverymuch.
Anyhow. I haven’t any photos of last night’s dumplings because we ate them.
But, roughly speaking, I can tell you how to make a lovely savory deeply mushroomy filling for wonton.
First, heat a wok or other pan and add a bit of vegetable oil, enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Then add:
- 1 medium onion, minced
Saute until transparent and add
- About a pound of crimini mushrooms, cleaned and coarsely chopped
Saute over high heat until the mushrooms begin to give up their liquid. Cook off a bit of the liquid and then add
- a large fistful of garlic chives, minced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- a teaspoon or two mushroom soy sauce
- a small skosh sesame oil
Continue to saute until the mushrooms are well cooked but not until they have shrunken into nothingness.
Puree this mixture in a food processor with about 2 Tablespoons vegetarian “oyster” sauce (which is also made with mushrooms) and a tablespoon or so of cornstarch or potato starch or some other kind of very fine starch powder. Let cool to a workable temperature and then use to stuff your dumplings.
Because this is a robustly flavored filling, you can also serve the dumplings with a good vigorous dipping sauce. Perhaps one with chiles. Mixing a bit of chili garlic sauce with a bit of soy sauce and a little sesame oil is easy and good.
