Tofu Dumplings 08 June, 2012

There are some boxes left, scattered around the apartment, waiting for a few final items to top them up before sealing. My dishes are packed, the fridge is almost empty. I have eaten my way through jars of pickles, mustard, and ketchup, because I am too lazy to pack them into a box. Meals have consisted of pizza mostly, and wine. The last meal to be had in this apartment was dumplings. A meal to remember. I made a few extras, stored them in the freezer. I will pull them out next week, when I have eaten all the pizza my body can handle. By then, I will be a little sad to have left a place once called home, but excited to start a new journey. A new home.

I'd like to tell you about a time, my first real experience with dumplings. Mother's Dumplings in Toronto's Chinatown district, a special place. It was a cool winter's afternoon, famished from a day of walking, drooling over merchandise gently laid out in the store front's on Queen St. Rummaging through the racks of clothing, looking for treasure, poking my head down alley ways in Kensington market. Excited by new things, forgetful of basic physical needs such as eating, I found myself woozy and seeing stars. A recommendation from my sister-in-law, a few blocks away, we sat down at a large round table, eager to fill our bellies and warm our hearts.

Passing around the hot and sour soup, steamed buns, pan cakes, and dumplings, I am surrounded by family, it is a nice treat. I can't help but fidget with the chopsticks while trying to gracefully pick up a dumpling, my patience wears thin and I grab it with my fingers. I dip it into a bowl of extremely delicious sauce, sweat and savory. Covering it from head to toe, people don't mind that I've left a trail of sauce from the bowl to  my dish, I am in good company. That day, I fell in love with dumplings. Ever since, I have been imagining, well dreaming really, about dumplings. The soft chewy exterior, stuffed with tofu, asparagus, and mushrooms. A perfect vessel to soak up the dippings sauce, which also needs to be discussed. Rice wine vinegar, lime juice, Tamari, honey, and Sriracha. I'm not sure there could be a better combination of flavors. Immediately after I dipped my first dumpling, I started to wonder about other foods worthy of its dipping. The filling is delicious on its own, and I enjoy pouring on a bit of sauce and eating it as is, sans wrapper. 

TOFU DUMPLING RECIPE (print)
makes 60 dumplings
recipe adapted from Edible Biology 

INGREDIENTS
16 oz firm tofu, pressed
1 large shallot, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
14 small asparagus spears, thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
60 round wonton wrappers

DIPPING SAUCE INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp honey
1/4 tsp Sriracha Hot Sauce

Remove the tofu from its package and drain off any excess water. Wrap the tofu in 4 or 5 paper towel sheets and place under a cutting board or something similarly flat. Place a heavy object, like a cast iron frying pan, on top of the cutting board. The weight will help press the tofu and drain the excess water. Let the tofu press for 30 minutes. *note, the tofu will drain around a 1/4 cup of water, which can get slightly messy.

Chop the shallots, garlic, asparagus, and carrots. Crumble the tofu with your hands and add it to the vegetables. Fry in 2 tbsp sesame oil for 5 minutes, or until the carrots have softened. Drain any excess water. Add the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and salt. Set to the side and let the vegetables and tofu soak up the sauce for 5 minutes or so.

With either a bamboo steamer or small colander, place inside a large pot. Fill the pot with water, 1 inch from the bottom. Cover the pot with a lid and bring the water to a gentle boil on medium heat. The water will evaporate within 10 minutes, so you will need to top up occasionally.

While the water is heating, start filling the dumpling with 1 tbsp filling each. Here is a great tutorial demonstrating different dumpling folding techniques. Make sure to moisten the edges with water before folding, this will ensure that the filling does not spill out during steaming.

Place the dumpling onto a cutting board and cover with a cloth. The dumplings will dry out quickly when exposed to air. If you choose to freeze them, do so now. If not, place 8 dumplings into the pot and steam for 6 - 8 minutes. Try to not let the dumpling touch, or they will stick together and become difficult to separate. Remove them from the steamer and serve immediately.

In a small bowl, whisk the tamari sauce, lime juice, rice wine vinegar, honey, and Sriracha. Serve as a dipping sauce.