Mushroom Dumplings with Spicy Black Garlic Soy Sauce

Vegans and carnivores alike will love these mushroom dumplings filled with a mixture of Shiitake mushrooms, cabbage, water chestnuts, and fragrant garlic and ginger, then dipped in a spicy black garlic soy sauce.

Jessica Halverstadt is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

When it comes to food, dumplings are one of my favorites. Give me some soup and a side of dumplings and I am one happy camper.

Admittedly I don’t make them very often, because they are a bit time-consuming and with work, kids, housework, etc I am often a wee bit exhausted.

No more excuses though. Today, Wednesday, December 2nd, 2020 I am vowing to make them more often.

Because it’s really not that bad once you have the folding/wrapping part down. And after lots of practice, I can say somewhat confidently that I’m pretty ok at it.

The way to do it is to make a whole bunch at once. That way you can freeze some for later and the next time you need them you can simply pull ’em out of the freezer and cook ’em up.

And believe me, you are going to fall SO in love with these dumplings that you will want to have some available to you at all times.

The filling is a mixture of earthy and smoky Shiitake mushrooms that have a great meaty texture, crunchy water chestnuts as well as cabbage.

Remember when I said that even carnivores will love these dumplings? There are two reasons: they taste AMAZING and you can hardly tell they don’t contain meat. The combination of textures does a great job of mimicking animal protein.

Mixed in with veggies is a good amount of fresh ginger and garlic for some zing and zest, which is amplified even more with the fantabulous sauce. Yes, I said fantabulous, because there is really no other word fit to describe the spicy black garlic soy sauce.

And every good dumpling deserves an equally good sauce. Am I right?

This full-bodied sauce is salty, tangy, and spicy. And once you’ve added the green onions for a little bit of crunch and it’s downright drinkable. Yes, it’s that good. If you don’t believe me, ask my family.

---

Ingredients (+ notes & substitutions)

---

• Soy sauce: One of the key ingredients for the sauce and also used to flavor the dumpling filling. If you would like to avoid soy, you can swap it out for coconut aminos.
• Sesame oil: For sautéing and for the sauce.
• Rice wine vinegar
• Sambal oelek: If you’re not familiar with Sambal Oelek, it is an Indonesian ground chili paste. It’s spicy, vinegary, and oh so good. It can be found at most supermarkets and Asian markets. Chili garlic sauce or sriracha would also work.
• Black garlic cloves: Black garlic is essentially just aged garlic. It is slowly heated in a humidity-controlled environment over the course of several weeks to several months. As the enzymes in the garlic break down a Maillard reaction is produced. This chemical reaction is responsible for giving browned food its unique (and delicious) flavor. Personally, I’ve never seen it at a grocery store, however, I’ve heard that it is available at Trader Joes. If you are not able to find any locally, it is available for purchase through Amazon. I have included a link below.
• Green onions: The perfect finishing touch for the sauce.
• Green cabbage: It should be finely shredded. The simplest way to do this is with a food processor, which you will use to process the mushrooms and water chestnuts anyway.
• Shiitake mushrooms: An obvious choice, these earthy smoky mushrooms are the perfect substitution for meat.
• Water chestnuts: They add the perfect crunch. You’ll need an eight-ounce can and it doesn’t matter whether they are whole, sliced, or diced since you will be processing them.
• Fresh garlic
• Fresh ginger
• Ground white pepper
• Dumpling wrappers: A 36-count package of round dumpling wrappers is perfect. They can be found at many grocery stores, often in the produce section, or in Asian markets.

---

How to make mushroom dumplings w/ spicy black garlic soy sauce ( + tips)

---

Begin by adding all the ingredients for the spicy black garlic soy sauce, to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and pulse until smooth.

Pour into a bowl, top with green onions, and set aside.

In a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, process the Shiitake mushrooms and water chestnuts until finely chopped. Set aside.

Heat one tablespoon of sesame oil in a medium to large sauté pan or skillet to medium heat.

Then add the mushroom/chestnut mixture and cabbage and sauté for three minutes then stir in the garlic, ginger, and white pepper and sauté another one minute.

Next, add the soy sauce and cook for one more minute. Remove from heat.

Prepare to wrap the dumplings, by gathering a small bowl of water, the wrappers, and the filling.

Using your finger, rub water around the edge of a dumpling wrapper. Scoop approximately two teaspoons of the filling and place it in the center of the wrapper. Pleat one side of the wrapper then fold it in half and pinch it closed.

Make sure it is tightly sealed so none of the fillings leaks out. For more information on folding dumplings and different folding techniques check out this guide. Repeat until all 36 dumplings are folded.

In a large skillet with a lid, heat one tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot place the dumplings smooth side down in the pan and fry in batches of 8-12 for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Pour in 1/4 cup water, cover with a lid, and steam for 3-4 minutes. Repeat.

Serve warm with spicy black garlic soy sauce for dipping.

---

Storage

---

Refrigerate leftover cooked dumplings in an airtight container for up to two days. To freeze uncooked dumplings, arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper so that they are not touching and place them in the freezer. Once they are frozen, remove them from the freezer, transfer the dumplings to an airtight container, and put them back in the freezer.

---

Recommended Products

---

---

More Asian inspired recipes:

---

• Asian Pork Tacos: These Asian pork tacos are the stuff dreams are made of. They start with crispy wonton shells filled with flavorful juicy shredded pork then topped with fresh slaw and spicy chili mayo. Great for an appetizer or dinner.
• Spring Roll Bowls with Shrimp & Ginger Garlic Lime Sauce: Fresh and vibrant spring roll bowls featuring rice noodles, shrimp, and veggies tossed in a ginger garlic lime sauce. Simple and nutritious lunch or dinner. Gluten-free and dairy-free.
• Spicy Thai Carrot Soup: This quick and easy creamy carrot soup is bursting with flavor, including fragrant ginger, garlic, and Thai chile peppers. It’s a tad bit sweet with plenty of heat and is topped with a lime pickled red onion relish and cilantro. Naturally gluten-free, and vegan.

If you make these mushroom dumplings w/ spicy black garlic soy sauce I’d love your feedback. Please leave a comment and/or a rating below as I greatly value your opinion. Or snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @taoofspiceblog. Love, light, and happy cooking ya’ll ♥