I’ve remained Asian-inspired after recently trying out green tea noodles. About a month ago, I ordered a bamboo steamer from Amazon and hadn’t used it. I was thinking of steaming some winter squash, which my friend loves. I thought of preparing  asparagus and snap peas-- adding some ginger to the water, and drizzling them with a little bit of toasted sesame oil and salt (and steamed rice –of course). But I decided to try out some dumplings instead. I have always loved dumplings. They are so tasty, delicious, and light. This  resulting recipe takes a little time to prep but SO worth the wait.

Steamed Tofu and Shitake Mushroom Dumplings

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the dumplings:

• 1 package of won ton wrappers *see note
• 1 lb. shitake mushroom
• 1 package of firm tofu, pressed
• 4 tbsp. of chopped green onions
• 1 tbsp. Grated ginger
• 3 garlic cloves, grated
• 4 tbsp. tamari sauce
• 3 tbsp. of toasted sesame oil lettuce leaves (or parchment paper)
• For the dipping sauce:
• 2 tbsp. grated ginger
• 3 tbsp. of chopped green onions
• 3 tbsp. tamari sauce
• ½ Cup water
• 4 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 sachets stevia *optional
• 1 whole fresh jalapeño, seeded, deveined and minced

For the dumplings:

1. Dice mushrooms and tofu into tiny cubes.
2. In a large bowl, mix mushrooms and tofu with green onions, ginger, garlic, tamari sauce and sesame oil. ¨Let the mixture stand for an hour until the tofu soaks in all the flavors.
3. Place one heaping tablespoon of dumpling filling in the center of the dumpling wrapper. Wet the edges of each wrapper with a bit of water. Press the edges firmly to seal each dumpling. Repeat procedure until the entire filling is gone, setting them on a pan and covering them with a damp cloth.
4. Line the bottom of each basket with lettuce leaves and place the dumplings, without touching each other.
5. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Dumplings are ready when skins are translucent.
6. Serve warm with the dipping sauce.

 For the sauce:

1. Blend all ingredients and cook at medium heat for five minutes.

If you prefer crispy dumplings, you can fry them with sesame oil until lightly browned. I like mine steamed. Dumplings can be made ahead of time, frozen and then re-steamed.

*Note: Some commercial won ton wrappers have egg in them. Read the labels carefully. Egg-less wrappers are “white-ish”, whereas the ones that contain eggs are “yellow-ish”.