Dumpling filling ideas recipe for rice paper
5 dumpling filling ideas for rice paper wrappers, with tips to prevent tearing and keep every bite flavorful and crisp. (Each filling makes about 10–12 dumplings with 2 to 2.5 tablespoons of filling per dumpling)
Servings: 10 dumplings
Equipment
- rice paper wrappers 8.5-inch (22 cm)
Ingredients
Vegan vegetables and mushroom filling
- 8 oz. coleslaw mix finely shredded cabbage and carrots
- 3.5 oz. fresh shiitake mushrooms diced into small bits
- 0.3 oz. ginger grated
- 0.3 oz. garlic grated, about 2 medium cloves
- 3 scallions diced
- 1 to 1.5 tbsp avocado oil
- ¼ tsp coarse sea salt plus a small pinch, or to taste
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce or 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1/4 tsp sugar skip if using coconut aminos
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
Vegetarian Chive egg dumpling filling:
- 4 oz. fresh shiitake mushroom caps about 4 large caps
- 3 oz. garlic chives
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ tsp coarse sea salt
- 1.5 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tsp light soy sauce or coconut aminos
- ½ tsp sugar omit if using coconut aminos
- ⅛ tsp ground white pepper
- ½ tsp shiitake mushroom powder or chicken bouillon powder
- A small drizzle of toasted sesame oil
Shrimp har gow-style fillings:
- 1 lb Shrimp peeled and deveined (26-30 count per lb)
- 2.5 oz Shiitake Mushrooms finely chopped (4 large caps)
- 3 Scallions finely chopped
- 1 oz Shallots finely chopped (half of a medium shallot)
- 0.5 tsp coarse sea salt
- 1.5 tsp light soy sauce or 1.5 tbsp coconut aminos
- ½ tsp sugar skip if using coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 2 tsp Shaoxing wine or Taiwanese michu or Japanese sake (optional)
Korean chicken & glass noodle filling
- ¾ lb ground dark meat chicken or a mixed of white and dark meat
- 0.3 oz garlic cloves finely minced, 1 large clove
- 0.5 oz ginger root finely minced, 1 chubby thumb size
- 1 oz Shallots finely chopped (half of a medium shallot)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp gochujang paste
- ¼ tsp coarse sea salt
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 3 scallion sliced
- 1 tbsp toasted black sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp starch optional
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1.5 tbsp oil
- 1 bundle dry glass noodles
Pork & Shrimp "Siu Mai" Style filling
- 0.5 lb shrimp
- 0.5 lb ground pork
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 2 scallions finely chopped
- ½ tsp coarse sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- ½ tsp mushroom bouillon or chicken bouillon optional
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- A small splash chinese cooking wine or Taiwanese michu
- 1-1.5 tbsp oil
Instructions
Vegan vegetables and mushroom filling
- Prepare the vegetables and shiitake: If your coleslaw mix isn’t finely shredded, slice it into long, thin strips. Add it to a bowl with the diced shiitake. In a separate bowl, prepare the ginger, garlic, and scallions.
- Sauté the filling: Preheat a large sauté pan over medium heat until it feels warm. Add the oil, then sauté the garlic, ginger, and scallions with a small pinch of salt until fragrant, about 10 seconds.
- Add the coleslaw mix and shiitake to the pan. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt, coconut aminos, and sesame oil. Sauté for about 3 minutes, just until the vegetables release some moisture but still stay crisp. Avoid overcooking. The filling should be softened but dry, not watery. Set aside to cool to room temperature before wrapping.
Vegetarian chive egg dumpling filling
- Prep the vegetables: Dice the shiitake caps. Trim the garlic chives and slice them into 1-inch pieces.
- Scramble the eggs: Whisk the eggs with the salt. Preheat a large nonstick pan over medium heat and add the oil. Sauté the mushrooms for about 2 minutes, then add the chives and cook for 1 minute. Season with soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, and mushroom powder.
- Pour in the eggs and gently scramble until cooked through, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and drizzle with sesame oil. Let the filling cool to room temperature before wrapping.
Shrimp har gow-style dumpling filling
- Prep the shrimp: Peel and devein the shrimp, then mince them in a small food processor until finely chopped and slightly sticky. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Combine the filling: Add the shiitake, scallions, shallot, salt, coconut aminos, sesame oil, white pepper, and wine, if using. Stir in one direction until the mixture is well combined and slightly sticky.
- Because this filling is made with finely minced shrimp, it cooks quickly and does not need to be pre-cooked. Use about 2 to 2.5 tablespoons of filling per 8.5-inch rice paper wrapper. Pan-fry until the dumplings are crisp on both sides and the shrimp filling is cooked through.
Korean chicken glass noodle dumpling filling
- Combine the chicken mixture: In a large bowl, mix the chicken, garlic, ginger, shallot, soy sauce, gochujang, salt, sesame oil, scallions, black sesame seeds, starch, and egg. Stir until well combined.
- Cook the mixture: Preheat a large nonstick or ceramic pan over medium heat until the pan feels warm. Add the oil, then add the chicken mixture. Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat into small bits as it cooks. Sauté until the chicken is cooked through.
- Soften the glass noodles: While the chicken cooks, place the glass noodles in a large bowl and cover them with hot boiling water by about ½ inch above the bundle. Soak for 4 to 5 minutes, or until softened. Drain well, then use kitchen shears to cut the noodles into shorter pieces.
- Add the noodles to the cooked chicken mixture and stir to combine. Let the filling cool to room temperature before wrapping.
Pork shrimp siu mai style dumpling filling
- Prep the shrimp: Peel and devein the shrimp, then mince them in a small food processor until they form a sticky paste.
- Combine the filling: In a large bowl, mix the shrimp paste with the ground pork, ginger, scallions, salt, white pepper, bouillon, and sesame oil. Stir until well combined.
- Cook the filling: Preheat a large sauté pan over medium heat until well heated. Add the oil, then add the pork and shrimp mixture. Sauté until the meat breaks into small bits and is cooked through. Add a small splash of cooking wine to deglaze the pan, if using.
- Let the filling cool to room temperature before wrapping.
Notes
- Keep the fillings dry: For all fillings, use a large, wide pan so the moisture can evaporate quickly. Preheat the pan well before adding the ingredients. You want a steady sizzle, but not a harsh, violent sizzle. A splatter guard is helpful because it lets steam escape while keeping the stovetop cleaner.
- For meat fillings: For extra crunch and texture, add a small amount of carrots and/or celery. Pulse them a few times in a food processor so they are finely minced. Avoid large or sharp chunks because they can tear the rice paper wrappers. Sauté them with the meat until tender but still slightly crisp.
- Rice paper wrappers: I recommend using rice paper sheets that are about 22 cm or 8.67 inches wide.
- For how to wrap dumplings using rice paper, see my post on how to use rice paper wrappers.
Nutrition
Serving: 1dumpling | Calories: 33kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 114mg | Potassium: 88mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 58IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.2mg
