With a chewy exterior and peppery umami filling, these Vegan Steamed Crystal Dumplings are a classic dim sum delicacy! They’re super easy and quick to make at home, yet they yield a pretty crystal-like appearance.
Most crystal dumplings contain dried shrimp to make a flavourful filling. Dried shrimp is added to almost every dish in Chinese cooking (or maybe just my grandmother’s cooking haha) because it makes the food super fragrant. Fret not, because dried shiitake mushroom is the secret ingredient to a delicious vegan dumpling filling!
Fresh isn’t the best in this case! Dried mushrooms give an incredible depth of flavour to the filling that fresh ones don’t. I made this recipe twice with fresh mushrooms and feeling like there wasn’t any oomph to the filling, ya know? After I switched to dried mushrooms my parents and I agreed that the dried mushroom made all the difference. Simmering the filling in the soaked mushroom water is also a crucial step. Dried shiitake mushrooms + soaked mushroom water = umami-infused goodness!
Step-By-Step Pleating:
If you can’t figure out the pleating by looking at these photos, head over to my Instagram for a video tutorial on making the dough and pleating!
Tips to Make Vegan Steamed Crystal Dumplings (Chai Kueh 菜粿):
- Cutting the jicama and carrot into thin matchsticks is very very important!! I personally like to have a bit of chew to my food but if you cut them too thick, they’ll be too stiff. Believe me, you don’t want them breaking through the dumpling skin. You also don’t want to shred them as that will encourage the water from the jicama and carrots to seep out.
- USE DRIED SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS and let the filling simmer in the soaked mushroom water.
- I learned this from my grandmother – drizzle in the sauces around the edges of the pan before mixing into the filling, instead of pouring it directly on top. This enhances the flavours of the different sauces.
- Use boiling water in the dough, not hot water as it will just turn everything into a liquid mixture.
- Always keep the dough covered with plastic wrap or a clean damp cloth to prevent it from drying out.
- Pat the dough with oil as you roll them out to prevent them from sticking.
I’m really happy with how these dumplings turned out and I guarantee you guys will fall in love with them too!
Check out these other Asian-inspired recipes:
If you’ve made these Vegan Steamed Crystal Dumplings (Chai Kueh 菜粿), let me know! Leave a comment and rating below, tag me on Instagram @eatwkriss or Facebook @Eatwkriss. Remember to use the hashtag #eatwkriss so that I can see your amazing recreations
Vegan Steamed Crystal Dumplings (Chai Kueh 菜粿)
Ingredients
Filling
- 200 g jicama cut into thin matchsticks (around 1/4 a whole jicama)
- 1 small carrot cut into thin matchsticks
- 3-4 dried shiitake mushrooms re-hydrated and diced
- 40 g scallions diced, (5 stalks)
- 1 shallot sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¾ tsp five spice powder
- ½ tsp white pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp chinese cooking wine
- 1 tsp sesame oil more for brushing dumplings later
Dough
- ½ cup (60 g) wheat starch
- ½ cup (60 g) tapioca starch
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup (175 g) boiling water
- 1 tsp cooking oil more to prevent sticking
Instructions
- Soak dried mushrooms overnight in ⅓ cup of water. Save the water for cooking the filling later.
- In a large pan with some oil over medium heat, cook the shallots first. Stir in the minced garlic and white parts of the scallions until fragrant.
- Add in the jicama, carrots, mushrooms and spices, cooking for one minute. Stir in the sauces until everything is well combined. Pour in the mushroom water, turn the heat to low and cover the pot with a lid. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid and let the excess water has evaporated. The vegetables should have softened by now. Turn off the heat and stir in the remaining scallions. Set aside to cool.
- Sift the dry dough ingredients together. Pour in boiling hot water and mix with a spatula until a sticky dough forms. Once the dough is cool enough to touch, knead it with your hand to incorporate the flour better. The dough should look slightly translucent. Drizzle in the cooking oil and continue kneading until a white, pliable dough forms. It's normal to have small lumps of starch still in the dough.
- Roll the dough into a log and divide it into two parts. Roll out half of the dough into a log and divide into 6 pieces. Repeat with the other half and you should get 12 pieces of dough, 25 g each. Roll each piece between your palms to form a ball.
- Cover the dough balls with plastic wrap or a damp cloth to prevent them from drying out as you work. With a small rolling pin, flatten a dough ball out into a small round, turning the dough in between each roll. Pat the dough with oil if it starts to stick. You should just be able to see the colour of your palm through the dough. Don't roll it out too thin, or it will tear later on.
- Continue to roll only the edges of the dough. Use the same turning and rolling method as above. The edges should be thinner than the center of the dough.
- Place one heaping tablespoon of filling in the center. Pinching the opposite sides of the dough together with your left hand, pleat the dough 3-4 times with your right hand from the center to the right. Repeat with the other side.
- Steam the dumplings on a parchment paper lined/oiled pan with boiling water for 5-8 minutes. Brush the steamed dumplings with sesame oil and top with sesame seeds. Serve fresh with a dipping sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
SAVE THIS PIN FOR LATER ⇓
