Edamame Ricotta Dumplings with Green Tea Dashi

If I’ve learned one thing from cooking (more specifically, working with gluten free doughs), it’s RESILIENCE. In my life gluten free dough is that ex who keeps on breaking my heart but I just keep coming back for more anyway. Not going to lie and say this dumpling skin recipe will be any less of an exercise in patience than other gluten free doughs, but it is most definitely resilient. My best advice when working with gluten free doughs is to be gentle, take your time, and pay attention to how it feels (same advice goes for handling that ex I know you thought about when reading the second sentence). Don’t be afraid to add more water if it’s dry/crumbly, add more tapioca starch if it’s sticky, and to sprinkle your work surface liberally with tapioca starch as well. You’ll also want a few damp paper towels/clean kitchen towels around your dough at every stage of the process to avoid drying out. You got this!

GREEN TEA DASHI:

INGREDIENTS:

6 cup water

2 sheets of kombu

3 1/3 Tbsp. matcha powder

1 Tbsp. white miso paste

sprinkle of bonito flakes (optional — using will make this dish non-vegan, and using more will impart more of a fish flavor)

handful of dried shiitakes (optional)

STEPS:

Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Stir miso paste well to ensure it dissolves and doesn’t get stuck to burn on the bottom of the pot. Lower heat and simmer with the lid on for at least 3 hours, but the longer the better! Strain before serving or storing.

EDAMAME RICOTTA FILLING

INGREDIENTS:

~2 Tbsp. avocado oil

1 inch piece of ginger, roughly chopped

3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

2 cup edamame, shelled (fresh or frozen)

1/4 cup scallions, roughly chopped (I used to white part for more flavor but the green part is fine too!)

1 cup vegan ricotta (1 cup slivered blanched almonds or cashews blended with 1/2 cup water in a high speed blender or food processor OR use store bought Kite Hill brand)

1 Tbsp. white miso paste

3 1/2 Tbsp. mirin

1/2 tsp. ground white pepper

1/4 cup Thai basil, finely chopped (optional)

salt to taste

STEPS:

Place a large frying pan on medium heat and coat with avocado oil. Once oil is hot, add ginger, garlic, and scallions. Stir well to avoid burning. Dissolve miso in ~2 Tbsp. hot water, and add mixture to the pan. Lower heat to medium-low and stir well. Add edamame (frozen or fresh) and ground white pepper, continuing to stir. If using frozen edamame, cover pan with a lid for 2-3 min. Pour mirin into the pan, and use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape caramelized miso off the pan (the acid in the mirin will help to loosen these bits from the pan and help create a sauciness around the edamame — this is called deglazing a pan). Cook on low for ~5 more minutes.

Transfer all ingredients from the pan into a high speed blender or food processor, being sure to scrape all the goodness off the bottom of the pan (unless it’s super burnt, then leave it out). Add ricotta to the edamame mixture and blend to combine. You may need to do this a few times, using a rubber spatula to scrape the mixture off the sides of the food processor or blender in between. Do not add liquid to help move along this process, if absolutely necessary, add more ricotta to reach a smooth consistency. Once your mixture is blended smooth, add salt to taste. If using Thai basil, stir into the edamame ricotta mixture at this point.

If not using immediately, transfer to a sealed container and store in the fridge for up to 10 days. Also freezes well in a sealed container.

DUMPLING SKINS

INGREDIENTS:

Note: I HIGHLY recommend weighing ingredients when creating gluten free doughs, because each brand’s products vary in density. A little difference in weight can make a huge difference in the outcome of your dough!

150g chickpea flour (~1 1/4 cup)

125g tapioca flour/starch (~3/4 cup + 3 1/2 Tbsp.) Note: Expandex brand modified tapioca starch works really well for dumplings & ravioli

125g sweet rice flour (~1/2 cup + 3 1/2 Tbsp.)

1 1/2 tsp. xantham gum or 7 Tbsp. finely ground chia seeds (add an extra 2-3 Tbsp. of water if using chia seeds)

1 cup + 1 Tbsp. warm water

Mixture of turmeric & butterfly pea powder for green coloring (optional)

STEPS:

Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk well (if you will be using the green coloring mixture, add now). Add the warm water, a little at a time, whisking thoroughly to ensure there are no clumps once you are done. Prepare your work station with a liberal sprinkling of tapioca starch to ensure your dough does not stick. Dump the dough out onto your work station and work the dough until it becomes one smooth ball. Place dough back into mixing bowl and cover dough with a damp towel. Fill a separate bowl with warm water, and another with tapioca starch. To cut the dumpling skins to size, you’ll want a cookie cutter ring or mug with about a 3-4 in. diameter (I use a mug). I also really like to have a bench scraper handy to help me carefully handle the dough once it’s been rolled thin.

Take a piece of dough about half the size of your fist, place on work station, and flatten with your palm. If dough appears cracking or dry, remember to add a dab of water and massage into the dough. Dust each side of the flattened dough with tapioca starch to ensure it does not stick to your work surface or rolling pin. Working from the center of the dough, roll outwards with a rolling pin (or other smooth, cylindrical apparatus) until very thin (as thin as you can without the dough ripping). Use a mug or cookie cutter to cut out as many 3-4 in. diameter circles as possible. Using your bench scraper or a spatula, remove formed dumpling skins from work station and place off to the side, on a dry surface, until a damp towel. Place leftover dough scraps in a separate bowl and cover with another damp towel. Repeat with remaining dough until all you have left are scraps, being sure to keep your unformed dough, scraps, and cut dumpling skins under a damp towel at all times to prevent them from drying out. NOTE: when your stack of dumpling skins starts to get tall (~3 inches), CAREFULLY wrap those babies up in some plastic wrap then place in a sealed container, and in the fridge.

Now for the scraps. Scraps will likely be super dry and crumbly to the touch at this point because of the water and tapioca starch that has been added through the rounds of rolling and cutting the dough. That’s ok. Add warm water, 1 tsp. at a time, while stirring with a fork, until a cohesive dough begins to form again. Once again, dust your work station with tapioca starch to prevent dough from sticking and then dump dough out onto your surface and work until a smooth ball forms (just like in the beginning). Repeat steps from the previous paragraph until none remains (or until your patience runs out).

Dough stores well in the fridge for up to 2 days as long as it is tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and kept in a sealed container. Otherwise, these also freeze very well stored in the same way. That being said, I do recommend filling them the same day you make them because they will be the easiest to handle without drying out, cracking, or ripping. If you do choose to use them after being refrigerated, they must be separated extremely carefully (I like to use my bench scraper for this), and kept under a damp paper towel to slightly moisten before use (~15 min.)

TO FILL DUMPLINGS:

Remove one dumpling skin at a time from under a damp towel (to ensure the dough doesn’t dry out). Place ~1 1/2 tsp. of filling in the center of the dumpling skin (less is more at first — once you get the hang of sealing these, you can add more filling). Dip your finger in a cup of water and wet the outer 1/4 in. edge of the dumpling skin. With DRY fingers, fold the dough in half and press the moistened edges together until they stick and seal. If the dough is not sticking together, you may have too much or too little water on the edges. Wait a moment, adjust, and try again. If your dumpling skins are ripping or cracking upon handling, you need to get some more moisture in them — do this by leaving the dough under a damp towel for longer, OR (this is so wrong but can salvage your dumplings so hear me out) steam them for ~1 min before filling. Adding moisture to your dough will counteract any drying out that took place and make your dumpling skins fillable. Place filled, sealed dumplings on a piece of waxed paper or parchment paper to avoid sticking, and keep covered with a damp towel until ready to cook.

Once dumplings are ready to cook, bring dashi to a simmer in a covered pot with a steaming basket on top. Once dashi is steaming, place as many dumplings as can fit on the steaming basket without touching each other. Cover pot/steaming basket and steam dumplings for ~3-4 minutes. Place in bowl and pour dashi on top — bon appetit!