Curry Tofu Dumplings
Ingredients
- 14-ounce package of firm tofu
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil, plus more for frying dumplings
- 1/3 cup chopped shallots
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups finely sliced napa cabbage
- 2 scallions, finely sliced
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 2 tablespoons coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 40 to 50 round dumpling wrappers
- water for wrapping dumplings, plus more for cooking
- Dipping Sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sugar
Instructions
Press the tofu: Drain the tofu from the package and wrap the tofu with a layer of paper towels. Place the block of tofu on top of a plate and place a small stack of plates over the tofu. Let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Unwrap the tofu block and divide it into 2 pieces. Crumble the tofu by squeezing it in your hands. Set the crumbled tofu aside.
Cook the filling: Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan. Add the shallots and cook for 2 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook a minute more. Next, add the cabbage and scallions and cook until the cabbage starts to wilt, about 2 minutes. Transfer the tofu to the pan. Add the red curry paste, coconut milk, and salt to the pan, and stir to coat the tofu and vegetables. Turn off the heat. Transfer the filling to a large bowl and let it cool for 15 minutes.
Make the dipping sauce: Mix the dipping sauce ingredients together, until the sugar dissolves. Set the dipping sauce aside.
Prep the dumpling-making station: Fill a small bowl with water for wrapping the dumplings. Grab a baking sheet for the finished dumplings and a towel to cover the dumplings to prevent them from drying out. Get a spoon for scooping the dumpling filling.
Wrap the dumplings: Dip the dumpling wrapper into the bowl of water. Rotate the wrapper so that the entire rim of the wrapper is wet, creating a wet border about 1/2-inch wide. Place the wrapper on your left hand. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of filling onto the center of the wrapper. Pinch the right side of the wrapper. Using your index fingers, create a pleat and fold it to the right to seal. Create another pleat and fold it to the right to seal it. Hold on to the finished pleats and drag everything toward the center of the dumpling. Create pleats to the left and right of the initial pleats and seal. Hold onto the pleats you just created and drag them toward the center of the dumpling. Create pleats to the left and right of the finished pleats and seal. Keep doing this until you reach the end. Pinch the end together to create a pointed “tail” for the dumplings. I highly recommend referring to the photos above or watch this video to get a visual of the folding technique.
Cook the dumplings: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add the dumplings to the pan. Let them cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the bottom of the dumplings are lightly golden brown. While holding onto the lid of the pan (to use as a shield), pour 1/2 cup of water into the pan. The water will sputter everywhere, so use the pan to keep the water from hitting you. Cover the pan with the lid and let the dumplings cook for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and check to see if the bottoms of the dumpling are deep golden brown. If the color is still pretty light, let them cook for a minute more. Transfer the dumplings to a plate. Add another 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and cook the remaining dumplings.
Serve the dumplings with the dipping sauce.
Notes
Typically, I like cooking pan-fried dumplings in my cast iron pan because it blisters the dumpling wrapper the best, creating an extra crispy skin. However, if you use thinner wrappers, the dumplings won’t lift off from the pan too well, so you’ll get a lot of dumpling wrapper stuck onto the pan. For these dumplings, I used wrappers of medium thickness and used a non-stick pan to cook the dumplings.