Dumpling is basically dough outer covering with some kind of filling inside. Filling can be meat, cheese or vegetables. Dumplings can be steamed, baked, pan fried or even deep fried. Every country has their own version of dumplings which includes both savory and sweet varieties.

My family loves steamed veggie dumplings especially Niki. Chinese restaurant PF Chang’s had steamed veggie dumplings on their menu many years back. When Niki was a toddler she loved this dish and we always ordered it for her. But we don’t see it on their menu now….

I have always wanted to make veggie dumplings for a long time. I used store-bought dumpling wrappers, which makes life very easy as you don’t have to go through the hard work of making the dough, kneading and rolling. It is ready to use.

Dumplings are perfect served as a snack or even at a party as an appetizer. The best part of making it at home is you can control the amount of salt added to the dish. Chinese food in particular can be very high in sodium. The amount of oil and salt used in the recipe is also minimal making it a very healthy dish. 

Again the dish is very customizable in terms of what vegetables you want to add. I used carrots, cabbage and tofu in my recipe. Mushroom or celery can be added as well.

I use bamboo steamer to steam the dumplings. If you don’t have one you can use any pan lightly oiled inside a bigger dish filled with water and steam. You can alternatively pan fry the dumplings after steaming for some crispiness. But my family prefers the steamed variety. There are many ways to shape the dumplings but i like this style (in the picture). 

Without wasting any more time let’s get started.