These are vegan, gluten-free, super crispy, chewy, and filled with delicious Asian-flavored veggies and tofu. This appetizer takes less than 30 minutes to make which is pretty quick than traditional dumplings. Plus they are super adaptable to use whatever leftover veggies protein you have in your fridge, and did I mention that they taste heavenly good too? I love dumplings but making them from scratch is a bit time-consuming. But when I saw dumplings made with rice paper on Instagram, I had to try them immediately. And to my surprise, it turned out so good and crispy. If you’re an Asian food lover, you NEED to give these rice paper dumplings recipes a try! In this post, I will show you how to crisp the dumplings using the pan, and instant pot air fryer lid with step-by-step process shots and video. Also, I am sharing very useful tips to get this recipe right at the first trial. So read the whole blog post and then try making them.
Ingredients required
Rice Paper Sheets / Rice Paper Wrappers are the main ingredient of the dumplings. I have used a 6-inch rice paper sheet. You can use medium or large rice paper sheets (adjust the amount of filling used accordingly). These are easily found in many supermarkets and Asian markets.Aromatic – I used a combination of grated ginger and grated garlic along with spring onion. Try to use fresh.Tofu – Use Firm tofu.Mushrooms – It has a nice umami flavor along with a meaty texture so they’re great to add in the filling.Bell pepper and Carrots give a nice sweetness and color, just ensure you chop them finely so they cook quickly with the rest of the vegetablesCauliflower is also great as it goes with all vegetables and gives a little crunch.Garlic and Ginger brings a beautiful flavor to the fillingSesame oil, Soy sauce, and black pepper are used to flavor the filling. You don’t need to add much as you will also have a dipping sauce. Use Tamari instead of soy sauce for a gluten-free version. I don’t add salt due to the saltiness of the soy, but feel free to adjust to your liking.Oil – just a little of any neutral cooking oil is needed to sauté the filling and pan-fry/air fry the rice wrapper dumplings.
Step by step process
Dipping sauce
For the dipping sauce, take soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, chili oil, spring onion, and sesame seeds in a bowl. Mix everything very well and keep it aside.
Pre-prep work
Open a tofu package, drain all the water and wash the tofu block with water. Wrap it in a kitchen napkin or paper towel; place a heavy pan on top and let stand for 15 minutes to press out the excess liquid.Finely dice cauliflower, carrots, bell pepper, mushroom, green onions, and tofu.Grated fresh ginger and garlic.
Cook filling
Heat oil in a wok or pan. Add ginger and garlic. Saute for a few seconds. Now add all the vegetables and sauté for 2 minutes. Add tofu, salt, pepper, and soy sauce. Mix and cook for a minute. (image 1 to 5)Turn off the flame and let the filling cool down. (image 6)
Make the dumplings
Dip a rice paper sheet in cold water for 10 seconds and place it on a damp or oiled surface. (image 7)Add a spoon of the filling mixture in the center of the sheet in a rectangle shape. (image 8)Fold both the sides, and then starting from the top, fold over the rice paper sheet to cover the filling and roll it until the end. So you will be left with a square/rectangle shape pocket. Refer below image or video for better understanding. (image 9 to 11)Dip a second rice paper sheet in the cold water for 10 seconds, place it on the damp surface, and place the pocket in the middle. Wrap the pocket the same way by folding from the sides first and so on, to double wrap the filling. Place the prepared dumpling in a oil greased plate. (image 12 to 14)
Repeat this process until all the filling has finished. You will be able to make 15 to 16 dumplings. Make sure to keep the gap between each dumpling. Otherwise, they will stick to each other.
Pan-fry dumplings
Heat cast iron pan or nonstick pan. Add 1 teaspoon oil and pan-fry the dumplings on medium heat for a few minutes on each side until lightly golden, a few at a time. Don’t overcrowd the pan. (image 15 and 16)
Air fry the dumplings. (I am using Instant Pot Air-fryer lid)
Grease the dumplings with oil from both sides. Place them in the air fryer basket. Cover the lid. Set the air fryer on 400 degrees F. for 14 minutes. Turn then halfway. (image 17 to 20)
Serve with a dipping sauce, and enjoy your crispy Rice Paper Dumplings
Do not over soak the rice paper. Dip them in cold water for about 10 seconds. They continue to soften out of the water. Over soaking the rice papers will cause them to break when pan-frying them.When wrapping the second layer, keep the folded side down so that the thickness of the skin is the same on both sides.Don’t over-crowd the pan or air fryer pot. Rice papers tend to ‘stick’ when they touch each other so when pan-frying or air frying, do not let the edges of the dumplings touch one another or they may cause tearing.Make sure to cut your vegetables and tofu in similar sizes so that they are mixed in well together and will cook evenly.Don’t overcook the filling as you don’t want it to be soggy in the middle. You only want to cook them halfway.When wrapping the rice paper dumplings, ensure on a wet or oiled working surface. This will prevent the sheets from sticking.Rice paper sheets are quite delicate so be gentle when wrapping and handling themCover the dumplings with a slightly damp paper towel to keep the rice-wrapped dumplings from drying.These dumplings taste the freshest and crispy when they are fresh out of the pan so enjoy them right away or they’ll turn soft.Don’t overstuff the veggie dumplings.To save time chopping, you can use a food processor.
More Asian Inspired recipes
Chinese samosaManchow soupKorean braised tofuSummer rollsHot Pepper cauliflower
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