Steamed Vegetable Dumplings
1/4 ounce active dry yeast
1/2 cup very warm water
2 cups unbleached flour
2 tablespoon Sucanat
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon garlic, minced well
2 green onions, trimmed and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped finely
4 medium to large dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated and diced coarsely
3 sun dried tomatoes, rehydrated and chopped coarsely
1 small zucchini, diced coarsely
1 head baby bok choy, leaves seperated from core and shredded well
4 cups baby spinach
1 tablespoon yellow miso paste
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
1 teaspoon Bragg's liquid aminos
1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and allow to sit for approximately 10 to 15 minutes until it is frothy (do not stir!). In a large bowl, mix together the flour and Sucanat. Add the yeast mixture and the 1 tablespoon olive oil to the flour mixture and stir well. Begin kneading when stirring no longer combines the ingredients; you may find another 2 tablespoon or so of warm water are necessary to make the dough moist enough.
2. Once the dough is well blended, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead well for 5 minutes or so, until the dough is soft and elastic. Lightly grease the bowl, and form a ball out of the dough. Put dough put into the greased bowl and roll around to lightly coat the outside of the dough ball. Cover the bowl an dough with a damp towel, and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour (until doubled in size more or less).
3. While the dough is rising prepare your filling. In a deep pan, heat the canola oil over medium heat, and then add the garlic, sauteing it until the scent is rich and mellow (the garlic should be lightly golden). Add the green onions and celery at the same time and saute an additional minute to soften the celery, and then add the mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes.
4. Saute all of the ingredients for approximately 3 minutes, and then add the bok choy and toss well. Cover and allow to cook for another 3 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the bok choy has begun to soften nicely, and then add the spinach and cover again until spinach shrinks down (2-3 minutes). Uncover and continue to saute for another 2-3 minutes, mixing well.
5. To make the sauce, simply mix miso paste, tamari, and the liquid aminos. Add this sauce to the sauteing vegetables and combine thoroughly, and then remove the pan from the heat and leave it to cool to touch. When the dough for the dumplings has risen sufficiently, punch it down and let it rest for 15 minutes. Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it into a 12" long log which you will then cut into 24 equal pieces. Using a well floured rolling pin, roll each piece out into a very thin circle about 3" across.
6. In the center of each circle, place 1 heaping teaspoon of the vegetable filling, then gather up the edges around the filling to form a peak at the top which you will twist and push down on slightly to seal the dumpling. Repeat this process for each dumpling and as you finish them, place them on a sprayed cookie sheet. Once all of the dumplings have been formed, cover them and the cookie sheet with damp towel and allow to rise again for a additional 15 minutes.
7. Once the dumplings have become "fluffy", line the bottom of a steamer with washed cabbage leaves, and set the dumplings inside in batches that allows for a decent amount of space between them (they will rise/grow even more as they steam!). Steam the dumplings for 10-12 minutes until the surface is shiny and tender to the touch but not pasty. Serve warm with dipping sauce.
Source of recipe: This recipe was inspired by "Moneybags" or Steamed Vegetable Dumplings by Beverly Lynn Bennett at "Vegan Chef" http://www.veganchef.com/moneybags.htm, which I modified.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
What kind of steamer do you use? I have a large metal tamale pot, would that work? I have a small kitchen and don't want to buy any more stuff for it if I can use what I have. I remember finding the original recipe for this and thought it sounded good, but your picture really looks tasty! :D I'm also wondering/thinking about using whole wheat pastry flour and a little gluten instead of the white flour.