Sweet Potato Dumplings
Love sweet potatoes? These vegetarian potstickers are my favorite plant-based dumplings and easy to prepare. You can make them for a dinner at home or for a large gathering. The dumplings store well in the freezer and you can pan-fry them straight out of the freezer, no need to defrost.
- Prep time
- 1 hr 30 min
- Cook time
- 8 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 3 lbs sweet potatoes
- 3 scallions, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pack dumpling wrappers
- 2 tablespoons high-heat cooking oil for pan-frying (Grapeseed, peanut, canola, vegetable, grapeseed, sunflower, or safflower oil, about 1 tablespoon per dozen)
- If you are using olive oil instead, cook over medium heat instead of medium-high.
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 to 2 teaspoon chili crisp or chili oil (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 435 degrees F.
- 2
Scrub the sweet potatoes well and poke holes in a few places using a fork. Rub the potatoes with oil and place in a roasting pan or baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, until very soft.
- 3
Remove the potatoes from the oven and allow to cool until cool enough to handle. Scoop out the insides and place in a large bowl. Stir in the scallions, soy sauce, garlic powder, and salt.
- 4
Line 2 dinner places with parchment paper cut to fit the plates.
- 5
Put a tablespoon of filling in the center, leaving about 1 inch of wrapper empty all around the filling.
- 6
Dip your finger in the water and moisten the edges all around. Take the thumb and index fingers on both hands, and make a ½ inch pleat and fold it down to the left. Hold the first pleat down with your left hand, and make a second pleat with your dominant hand and fold it down to the left, overlapping the first pleat by about half-way. Make a third pleat that overlaps the second pleat in the same manner. Continue making the pleats, turning the dumplings as you go, until you have at 5 pleats total. Bring the back (part without pleats) up to meet the front (part with pleats) and seal. The dumpling should be in a crescent shape. Dust the bottoms with extra flour and transfer them to the plates.
- 7
In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, sesame oil, and optional chili oil or chili crisp for the dipping sauce.
- 8
For pan-frying, make sure to use a large flat-bottomed skillet or a wok with a wide flat surface area, and have a lid ready. Heat the skillet or wok over medium-high heat until a bead of water sizzles and evaporates on contact. Add the peanut or vegetable oil and swirl to coat the bottom. (Don’t skimp on the oil; the amount is integral for the pan-fried dumplings to develop their signature brown and crispy bottoms and not become glued to the pan.) Working in batches, line the dumplings in the pan, smooth side down. Cook for 2 minutes, or until the smooth side starts to brown. Lower the heat to medium. Carefully add about 1/2 cup of water to the pan, and immediately cover with a lid to contain the spitting oil. Allow the dumplings to steam for 5 to 6 minutes, until all or most of the water has evaporated. Remove the lid, and loosen the dumplings with a spatula. They should be golden brown on the bottom. Turn off the heat.
- 9
If you are doing repeated batches, wash and dry the pan or wipe it out so there is no residual water when you pan-fry your next batch. Repeat the pan-frying process with the remaining dumplings or freeze any remainders for a rainy day.