Ingredients
| 400g vegetables of choice (see introduction) | |
| 2 tablespoons plain oil | |
| 100g fresh shiitake, finely chopped | |
| 300g firm tofu | |
| 4 garlic cloves, grated or crushed | |
| 20g (1 tablespoon) grated ginger | |
| 3 spring onions, finely chopped | |
| 2 tablespoons miso paste | |
| 250ml vegetable stock | |
| 2 tablespoons soy sauce | |
| 1 tablespoon mirin | |
| 2 teaspoons sesame oil | |
| 300g wonton wrappers |
I am always frustrated by the lack of good plant-based dumplings on the market, as they usually contain just cabbage. But making dumplings is too fiddly for weeknights, so here I have done a layered lasagne-like bake, packed with vege filling. You can use any finely chopped or grated vegetables you like – at this time of year I like a mix of finely chopped broccoli stem, spinach or silverbeet and grated pumpkin. For a summer version, use eggplant and zucchini. As this bake has the flavours of Japanese gyoza, I like to serve it with chilli and garlic crisp for a bit of heat, soy or ponzu sauce and a fresh salad of edamame, radish, red mustard greens and cabbage with a light dressing of soy, mirin and rice vinegar.
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Instructions
| 1. | Heat the oven to 200°C. |
| 2. | Cut or grate your chosen vegetables finely, keeping them in batches of the slowest to cook to the fastest. |
| 3. | Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over a medium heat. |
| 4. | Start by stir frying any veges that need a longer cooking time (such as eggplant) and cook until wilting nicely, then add the shiitake along with the veges that need a medium time (such as pumpkin) and cook for 5 minutes. Towards the end, add the fast-cooking veges (such as spinach). You are looking for the veges to wilt down and get rid of any excess water. Set aside. |
| 5. | Crumble the tofu into a bowl and add the garlic, ginger and spring onions then add the cooked veges and mix well. |
| 6. | In a jug mix together the miso paste with a little stock to loosen, then mix in the remaining stock along with the soy, mirin and sesame oil. Set aside. |
| 7. | Grease a 20 x 20cm baking tin with a little oil. |
| 8. | Arrange 6 wonton wrappers over the bottom, overlapping a little and cutting wrappers in half to fit where needed. |
| 9. | Spread over a quarter of the filling, repeat another layer, then pour over half the stock mix. |
| 10. | Repeat another two layers of wrappers and filling then pour over the remaining stock. |
| 11. | Cover the top completely with the remaining wrappers and brush well with remaining oil. |
| 12. | Bake for 35 minutes, rest for 5 minutes before serving. |
Recipes & food styling Fiona Smith
Photography Aaron McLean
Styling Fiona Lascelles