FAIR WARNING! This recipe is not necessarily for the Impoverished Vegan, as it is relatively expensive. As of late, and in an attempt to recreate the traditional meals of a specific culture, I hereby submit a recipe that would not normally be vegan. This is a blog post attempting to recreate a meat-filled dish without the meat. It will be 100% vegan. As a traditional Chinese dumpling, I had never consumed Shu Mai or Siu Mai, even as an omnivore. These pork, chicken, or seafood dumplings are served for the Chinese New Year on January 31. Yes, I have had Crab Rangoon or Crab Wontons, as has every civilised human in the modern world. When I joined the exclusive community known as foodies+ on Google+, I had NO idea they were definitely a force to be reckoned with. They are a super active community that supports and encourages new recipes and ideas! JUST MY NICHE! Be sure to check out the page and plus one them! I fit in very well there and am very proud to announce my first commissioned piece as a member of foodies+! Introducing, VEGAN ShuMai Chicken and Prawn Dumplings!
Ingredients:
- 2 cups chicken (meatless grill strips) ($3.99)
- 1 cup shiitake mushrooms ($1.99)
- 2 tbsp. shrimp seasoning ($0.21)
- 2 cups no-chicken broth ($0.35)
- 2 tbsp. woodear mushrooms ($1.00)
- ½ tbsp. fresh shredded ginger ($0.17)
- 1 tbsp. scallion root (white part) ($0.12)
- 1 carrot, finely peeled ($0.10)
- ⅛ tbsp. sesame oil ($0.01)
- 3 dashes white pepper ($0.01)
- ½ tbsp. corn starch ($0.02)
- 2 dashes salt ($0.01)
- peas for garnish ($0.05)
- vegan wonton wrappers ($3.50)
- hoisin garlic sauce ($1.50)
Preparation:
At first, I tried to make my own wonton wrap because it was difficult to find a vegan version without egg. It failed. It was exceedingly dry and fell apart extremely easily. I eventually stumbled upon a wrap that just so happen to not contain egg! It was slightly smaller than a wonton wrap but that was fine with me.
For the shrimp, I used shiitake mushrooms marinated in no-chicken broth and shrimp seasoning; the chewiness of the mushrooms imitates actual shrimp. For the mushrooms, I had to rehydrate dried woodear mushrooms by soaking them in no-chicken broth and I added some shrimp seasoning to these mushrooms as well. Simple Truth makes a wonderful frozen chicken breast imitation. Strain the mushrooms after about an hour. Thaw the frozen chicken breast strips. Place them in a food processor with the mushrooms, ¼ cup no-chicken broth, ginger, scallion root, carrots, sesame oil, white pepper, corn starch, and salt. Puree until finely chopped or desired consistency. Heat the leftover marinate from the mushrooms in a pan on medium until it starts to bubble. Place 1 tablespoon of the mixture in the center of a wonton wrapper and wrap up tightly. Make a few and place them in the pot a few at a time. Steam for at least 5 minutes. Garnish with the peas, a few sliced carrots, and hoisin garlic sauce!
As healthy as I try to eat, I still love fried food! I had an urge to throw these dumplings in some hot oil and fry them up! It was a success! I turned the traditional dumpling into an Americanized treat! Eastern tradition meets Western gluttony with these fried Shu Mai. I actually went a step further and topped them with my vegan cheese sauce too. Enjoy!
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| See? They even somewhat look like prawns… haha |
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This broth has a wonderful, deep flavor, without the meat!
The woodear mushrooms have a captivating suble taste. |
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| Soak for about one hour and they will absorb the liquid and rehydrate |
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| Soak these for one hour as well and they absorb that shrimpy sea flavor |
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My ginger was a little old so the skin was tough to peel off but
there is nothing like fresh ginger to kick start any recipe |
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| Beautiful, natural vegetables |
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| Pulse, pulse, scrape down the sides, pulse, pulse |
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| Looks like chicken, tastes like chicken, does not contain chicken! |
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| Be careful not to overfill the dumplings or they will fall apart |
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| Soft dumplings |
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| FRIED DUMPLINGS! |
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| WITH VEGAN CHEESE! |
Happy Year of the Horse! May it be filled with good fortune and good eats. Cruelty free eats that will reduce your cholesterol to zero, I may add. Even if you still consume meat and dairy, try this recipe out and you will fall in love with vegan food!
Impoverished Vegan 