Growing up Chinese American, family and friends would gather around the table at get-togethers and make dumplings. Chinese New Year especially was an auspicious occasion to make dumplings, which resemble old Chinese money. One person rolled pillowy little wrappers while others filled them, then lined them up on sheets in neat little rows. We boiled them or made potstickers, and we froze all the leftovers for quick meals in the following weeks. This type of gathering is typical for northern Chinese families, for whom dumplings are an everyday food eaten at home. These home style dumplings are less common in southern Chinese cooking, which comprise the regional influences most commonly found at Chinese restaurants throughout North America.

When I went gluten free, I missed dumplings. It's impossible to find gluten free dumplings at most western grocery stores. I've come across some recipes online for dumpling wrappers that unfortunately do not capture the essence of the dumplings I grew up with, which had a balanced thinness at the pleats and in the body, had pillowy and thin wrappers, and were designed to be eaten in at least two bites: the first bite to release the heat and the second bite to savor the rest. Between the two bites, the filling and wrapper should stay together, and you should not have to chase them around with your chopsticks to reunite them!

That's why I developed this recipe. These gluten free dumplings have wrappers that are thin, don't disintegrate when cooked, and hold their fillings when you bite into them! I developed this recipe using ingredients that are readily available in most Western grocery stores throughout the United States and Canada.

Filling Substitutions

Ground Turkey This recipe is written with ground turkey, which is readily available at North American supermarkets. Dumplings are most commonly made with pork in Chinese households, however I find that ground pork is not always available at North American grocery chains. Pork or chicken can be substituted for this flavor profile. For stronger flavored meats like lamb and beef, I recommend a completely different approach to seasoning with spices and aromatics like garam masala, cumin, and garlic.

Shrimp is a special celebratory addition to this dumpling. You can substitute it for a smaller amount of rehydrated dried shrimp, or skip it altogether.

‍Vegetarian The biggest consideration when making a vegetarian version of this, besides replacing protein content, is texture. The replacement filling needs to be sticky enough to hold together and should not release so much liquid during the cooking process that the dumplings leak. Because tofu products generally do not stick together, I recommend considering a binder such as additional starch to help the filling ingredients stick together. If eggs are an option, I would consider mixing in raw eggs to stick the filling together. I also recommend using salt to release liquid from vegetables prior to cooking: Add salt to your shredded vegetables, then wait 30 minutes and squeeze the liquid out using a cheese cloth. Alternatively, you may also pre-cook vegetables to release the liquid before wrapping the dumplings.

Dried Shiitake Mushrooms I recommend dried shiitake mushrooms for their concentrated flavor and the fact that they will not release more liquid during cooking. I would not substitute dried shiitake for fresh shiitake mushrooms. Instead, I would substitute these for a different kind of dried mushroom.

Wrapper Technique

These Chinese dumpling wrappers are gluten free using a dough of rice and tapioca flours. I've provided special instructions for working with gluten free dough in the video.

A beautiful hand-rolled dumpling wrapper, unlike machine pressed ones, is thicker at the middle of the purse and thinner around the edges. When the wrapper is pleated shut, this results in an even wrapper thickness around the dumpling, avoiding a dumpling that has an overly thick edge and thin purse. This is achieved by using a dowel-style rolling pin and working the edges more than the middle. This dough must be rolled. I experimented with cutting wrappers out with molds, and the result was too thick around the edges.

Dumpling diversity and terminology

What we call "dumplings" in English can refers to wide range of food from various regions across China. There are many styles of dumplings in China, and the one we are making in this recipe is Jiǎozi 饺子. A combination of mealtime, cook method, wrapper ingredients, shape, filling, and even region determine the specific names of dumplings in Chinese. These are unclearly differentiated in English. Take, for example, the difference is between a wonton and a dumpling. In English, a wonton is a type of dumpling. However, wontons in Chinese typically refer to a dumpling made with an egg noodle wrapper, served in a broth, often at breakfast.

In conclusion: There are many types of dumplings from across Asia and the Middle East, and I developed this recipe using my experience of dumplings we made at home!

Cooking Technique

Growing up, we cooked both pot stickers and boiled dumplings. Boiling was off the table for this recipe because without gluten, the thin wrappers do not have a strong seal that can stand up to being submerged. I also experimented with pot stickers and steaming. Steaming had the best result, showcasing the texture of the thin wrapper becoming the closest texture to the boiled dumplings I miss the most. With gluten-free food, there are so many ways to achieve a crispy shell, but it is more difficult to make a thin, pillowy wrapper. If you would like to pan-fry these as pot stickers, I recommend rolling the wrappers thicker.

Strongly Recommended

Chinese dowel style rolling pin

Food scale

Wax Paper

10-inch Bamboo Steamer

Nice to Have

Mixing bowl

Santoku knife

Cutting board

Compost bin

1. Make the filling. Combine turkey, minced ginger, minced scallion whites, cubed shrimp, minced shiitake, white pepper, sesame oil, gluten free soy sauce in a bowl. Use chopsticks to keep the mix loose. Season to taste by cooking a small piece of the filling in a skillet.
2. Make the wrapper dough. Combine white rice flour, tapioca starch, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. In a separate bowl combine boiling hot water with neutral oil. The water must absolutely be boiling hot. Mix the hot liquids with the dry ingredients. Using a fork, mix until all clumps are hydrated. A shaggy dough will form. Once all clumps are hydrated, use hands to knead the dough until it forms a ball. The ball will feel dryer than expected until it finally comes together. This is the key to preventing the dough from sticking to the cutting board, so that you can roll thin wrappers.
3. Portion each piece. Weigh the dough ball and divide into 36 even portions.
4. Roll wrappers and fill dumplings. Dust a surface with white rice flour. Squeeze and roll a portion of dough between your hands until there are no cracks and the dough is smooth. Place on the floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll one edge of the wrapper, then rotate it to roll another section of the edge. Continue rolling and rotating until the dough starts to stick to the rolling pin, or until the desired thinness is reached. Then, place filling inside the wrapper and pleat the dumpling to close. For detailed demonstration, see video.
5. Freeze leftovers (optional). Line a baking sheet with wax paper and line dumplings in rows so that they're not touching. Freeze for at least 24 hours. Once dumplings are frozen solid, they can be placed inside a bag to be heated up later.
6. Steam dumplings. Set up a steamer with a flat bottom and bring water to a boil. Steam dumplings for 10 minutes or until the meat reaches a safe temperature to consume. Serve with your favorite sauces and enjoy!