My kids and husband can all attest to my unending love of dumplings, gyoza, potstickers, ravioli, and any other foods that include a filling stuffed inside of carbohydrates. For Mother’s Days, I often request a bag of premade dumplings and feast on them all day and night.
But the premade version could never compare to these!
This recipe was a combination of leftovers that needed to be used up (dumpling wrappers and mapo tofu) but I loved them so much I started making them regularly. These mapo tofu inspired dumplings combine all the spicy, sweet, and umami flavors I love about mapo with the comfort of a bite sized wheat wrapper.
As usual, I’m using my favorite Mori-Nu Silken Tofu for this. I love having their tofu on hand for dishes like this because it stays fresh on the shelf and it has the perfect texture for slipping into some crispy and chewy dumplings. Unlike water packed tofu, Mori-Nu Silken Tofu doesn’t require a lot of pressing or draining to cook which makes it more accessible and quicker to prep!
There are many types of wonton or dumpling wrappers you could use for this, just be sure to check the ingredients for eggs! If you can find round wrappers, those will work as well, just do a traditional crimping fold to keep them shut.
For my mapo tofu I always use ground Szechuan pepper and a spicy broad bean paste. My brand of choice is Lee Kum Kee, but there are many different options you can use-just adjust the taste based on your spice tolerance!
For folding these, it’s quite simple, just wet the edges of each wrapper, fold corner to corner, and then gently pinch the outside tips together (see above.) You can also look up videos on YouTube for different folding methods if you’d like another shape of dumpling.
Make sure to use a fully hot skillet and a neutral oil for cooking these. The splash of water in the pan helps steam the wrappers and gives them a soft texture, but will splatter everywhere if not covered. I love my cast iron skillet for cooking these because it holds so much heat and the bottoms crisp up perfectly.
Click on read more below to get the recipe!
Ingredients:
• 1 12.3 ounce block Mori-Nu Silken Tofu Extra Firm, drained
• 6 ounces mushrooms, chopped finely
• 4 ounces rehydrated texturized vegetable protein (sub veggie crumbles)
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
• 1/4 cup fermented black beans (douchi)
• 1 tsp freshly ground Szechuan pepper
• 1 green onion, green parts only
• 1 package vegan dumpling wrappers
• 1/3 cup water
Sauce:
• 1/4 cup spicy broad bean paste
• 1 cup cold water
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp Szechuan chili crisp (optional)
Directions:
- Drain your tofu and gently pat dry. Rehydrate the texturized vegetable protein in one cup of warm water. Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl and stir until mixed completely.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large wok over high heat and add mushrooms, texturized vegetable protein, and black beans. Cook for several minutes until mushrooms release their liquid and smell flavorful.
- Pour in sauce and stir until it thickens, about 3 minutes. Add tofu and gently toss to combine. Sprinkle with Szechuan pepper.
- Let the mapo tofu cool until it’s easy to handle. Spoon a tablespoon of filling into each dumpling wrap, line edges with water, then fold to seal edges. Pinch together ends of wrapper to seal tightly.
- Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat and add one tablespoon of vegetable oil. Place each dumpling in pan seam side up and cook until bottoms are lightly browned. Add 1/3 cup of water and cover pan. Dumplings are finished with the water evaporates.
- Serve and enjoy!
Avocados and Ales 
Looks amazing! Bring me some!