These are truly the best vegetable potstickers ever. This recipe has been my go-to for years and it is so delicious. We always eat a lot of potstickers and dumplings on Chinese New Year for good luck. I love homemade potstickers because I feel like the flavor is way better than store bought. Also, you don’t have weird ingredients in them.

Of course I learned all my potsticker making skills from my mom. This recipe is a variation of hers and it reminds me of home. They are vegan and filled with a variety of vegetables. I love adding Chinese chives in dumplings/potstickers because it gives it so much flavor. This makes a big batch, so it leaves me with a lot in the freezer. It makes for a quick and healthy meal when you don’t have time to cook dinner.

The filling is also very versatile. You can literally just put whatever vegetables you like in them. You can use this filling for egg rolls too! The filling comes together fairly quickly if you use a food processor. Making potstickers is actually pretty easy. The hardest and most time consuming part is wrapping each individual one. I usually just turn on a show and get wrapping!

Potstickers are my comfort food and I always have them on hand in the freezer. It’s everyone’s favorite in my family and no one will ever complain if we have them for dinner. If you make these amazing potstickers, tag me @nutsaboutgreens on Instagram so I can see your creations!

Ingredients

8 oz mushrooms (I used portobello, but any would work too)
1/2 head of small cabbage (3-4 cups chopped really small)
3 carrots
2 cups Chinese chives, chopped really fine
1 inch knob of ginger, minced
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 oz pack clear vermicelli
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp mushroom seasoning
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce (I used low sodium)
1/2 tsp black pepper
10 oz extra firm tofu, pressed for 20 minutes
2 packs of potsticker wrappers
1 tbsp oil for cooking (I use avocado or olive oil)

Instructions

Soak the clear vermicelli noodles in hot water for 30 minutes. Press tofu during that time as well.
While the vermicelli noodles are soaking, pulse the mushrooms in a food processor until finely chopped. Put it in a large bowl. Next, add the cabbage to the food processor and pulse a few times. Add it to the bowl with the mushrooms. Add carrots to the food processor and pulse until it is finely chopped. Add it to the bowl of vegetables. (I used a food processor here to get the vegetables chopped really finely and to save time. However, if you don’t have a food processor, using a knife and grater works just as well. It just takes more effort and time.)
Add your chopped chives, ginger, and garlic to the bowl of vegetables. Once noodles are done soaking and have softened, drain in a strainer. Then chop them up really small (I used kitchen scissors) and add it to the bowl of vegetables. Finally, add the salt, mushroom seasoning, black pepper, sesame oil, and soy sauce to the same bowl. Mix and combine everything with a wooden spoon.
In a large pan or wok, heat oil on medium high heat. Crumble in the pressed tofu. Saute the tofu, breaking it apart with your wooden spoon or spatula, for 5 minutes until it starts to turn golden. Add in the vegetable mixture. Saute for another 5-7 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Place in a large bowl. Let it cool.
Take one wrapper and place about 1 heaping tablespoon of the filling in the middle. Dip your finger in water and run it around the edges of the wrapper. Form the potsticker by bringing the two sides of the wrap together to form a half moon shape. To pleat the edges, begin by pinching the center of the potsticker and work your way from the center out to both sides, pinching and creating folds as you go to seal. Place on a parchment lined or foil lined baking sheet dusted with all-purpose flour. Repeat with remaining wrappers. You can place the baking sheet in the freezer for a couple hours, and once frozen, put the potstickers in a ziploc bag. Or you can cook them immediately.
Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium high heat. Place each potsticker in the pan and line them up close together. Let it cook and have the bottoms start to brown (about 2 minutes). Pour about 1/3 cup of water over the potstickers, enough to cover the bottoms of the potstickers. Once the water starts to boil, place a lid over the pan and reduce heat to medium and cook for about 7-8 minutes or until the water is gone, or mostly gone. Make sure to keep an eye on it! (If water is not gone, turn the heat up a little more.) Remove the lid and let the bottoms brown more and the excess water to evaporate. Once done, place a plate on top and carefully hold onto the plate and flip the pan so the bottoms are exposed.
Serve hot with some soy sauce and black vinegar (add to taste). Enjoy!
***If you are cooking the potstickers after you freeze them, cook the same way as above. You may need to add a little more water though. No need to defrost them beforehand.

Author: valeria.chao

The Best Vegetable Potstickers