How to Make Vegan Teochew Crystal Dumpling - WoonHeng (2024)

You may have seen these vegan Teochew Crystal Dumpling 潮州粉果 (Cháo zhōu fěn guǒ) or Teochew Hoon Kuih (Chiu Chow Fun Guo) at dim sum places. They are normally served in a bamboo steamer and have translucent dumpling skin.

In Malaysia, there are many versions of vegetable dumplings or Chai Kuih with different fillings inside. Some of my favorites are filled with jicama (Kao Ji) or Chinese chives.

As a Teochew myself, I never attempted to make this version before but I always make the one filled with jicama. I’m a big fan of crystal skin dumplings because they have a slightly chewy texture with a soft mouthfeel.

To create the crystal dumpling, I’m using two main types of starches: wheat and tapioca. The next most important ingredient is boiling water as the water will immediately cook the starch and turn them into a moldable dough.

Teochew dumpling’s filling consists of a variety of chopped ingredients that are sautéed until fragrant and seasoned with a simple sauce. They are then mixed with finely chopped Chinese chives and crunchy peanuts.

As you can imagine, the texture combination and flavor is so inviting and now you are wondering how many can you eat in one sitting.

How to Make Vegan Teochew Crystal Dumpling

Part 1: Cook the filling

To make the filling, chop all the ingredients into smaller bits so they will cook evenly and will be easier to wrap. Then, prepare the seasoning sauce and set it aside until ready to use.

Sauté tofu and mushrooms until golden brown. Then, continue to stir-fry the rest of the ingredients until fully cooked through. Season with the prepared sauce and stir in the cornstarch slurry to thicken.

Transfer the mixture into a bowl and mix it with chopped Chinese chives. Finally, fold in the toasted peanuts. Let the mixture cooled down while you work on the wrapper.

Part 2: Make the wrapper

To create the translucent wrapper, boiling water is crucial in this step. Mix both starches in a bowl and season with a little salt. Using a rolling pin and stir continuously while pouring in the hot water.

The dough will immediately turn translucent. Try to gather as much flour from the bowl as possible to form a shaggy dough. If the dough seems too dry, add room temperature water, one tablespoon at a time.

Stop adding water once there are no dry spots of flour left in the bowl. Cover the dough with a tight lid and let the steam from the hot water continue to cook the dough for 5 minutes.

Now, you should be able to knead into a soft dough. Add a drizzle of oil and continue to knead until all the oil is incorporated.

Lightly dust the work surface with tapioca starch and roll the dough into a log. Then, divide into 20 pieces. Place these pieces in a bowl and cover with a lid to prevent them from drying out.

Part 3: Wrap into dumplings

As usual, work with 1 piece of dough at a time and place the rest back into the mixing bowl and cover it tightly with a lid.

Flatten the dough and roll into a circular wrapper about 4-inches in diameter while keeping the middle part thicker. Please check the video for the visual step.

Place a heaping spoonful of filling in the middle and pleat to seal. You can make the pleats pretty by smoothing out the top with scissors or leave just as-is.

Part 4: Steam and Serve

Place wrapped dumplings onto the inner steamer rack. Fill the steamer with water and bring it to a rolling boil. Transfer the inner steamer rack to the steamer and steam over high heat for 8-10 minutes.

Turn off the heat and remove the lid. The dumplings will slowly turn from matte white to translucent. Brush the dumplings with a thin layer of shallot oil to prevent them from drying out. Serve with a side of chili sauce.

Vegan Teochew Crystal Dumpling Cooking Tips

Dumpling Wrapper

The dumpling wrapper is made from wheat starch, tapioca starch, and potato powder. Below is some other starches combination that I’ve tried.

• 120g wheat starch, 80g tapioca starch, a pinch of salt, 225ml hot water, and a drizzle of oil – recipe inspired by NasiLemakLover.
• 200g sweet potato starch⁣, 85g tapioca starch, 50g rice flour (plus more for dusting), a pinch of salt, 250ml hot water. You can check out the picture here.

Boiling water is definitely needed in this recipe or it will not cook the starch right away. You’ll end up with a thick glue paste if the water is not hot enough.

Filling Ingredients:

• This recipe includes common ingredients for Teochew Crystal Dumplings, but you can fill them with other vegetables as well.
• Adding some nuts definitely gives the filling an extra crunch but you can skip it or use other types of nuts if you like.

Why You Need this Vegan Teochew Crystal Dumpling Recipe

• It’s easily customizable – fill it with your favorite vegetables and don’t forget to add some crunch to it too.
• The dumplings have a chewy and soft texture
• Tasty when steamed and can be cooked using the potsticker method.
• These dumplings are perfect for a light meal or snacks
• Perfect for family or friends cook-out together

If you try this recipe, I would love to hear your feedback and see your beautiful re-creation. Leave me a comment, rate it, and tag @woon.heng and #woonheng to your photos on Instagram or Facebook. Happy cooking, friends!

Feel free to pin the below picture on your Pinterest Board for easy reference.