Vegan Kimchi Potstickers

Kimchi, also spelled Kimchee or Gimchi, is a Korean fermented cabbage.  Kimchi was stored underground in jars to keep cool during the summer months and unfrozen during the winter months.  Today of course, it is readily available in most grocery stores (just be sure it’s vegan-friendly) and it works beautifully in this preparation of Vegan Kimchi Potstickers.  Served with a soy dipping sauce, the potstickers are savory, a bit salty and depending on the level of heat you choose, have a little bite to them.  I don’t do spicy, so I chose the mild kimchi.  Pan fried, then garnished with a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds and scallions, this dish is one of my new obsessions!

The traditional recipe calls for pork, but mushrooms were the perfect substitution.  I just sliced and sauteed them to remove most of the moisture before chopping them.

The Kimchi generally comes in larger pieces, so you’ll want to drain the liquid, chop and add to the pan with the mushrooms.  The goal here to to cook just enough to wilt that cabbage a bit.  Add the remaining filling ingredients until the mixture thickens.  Allow to cool slightly.

While the kimchi is sauteeing, combine all ingredients for the soy dipping sauce.  Set aside.

And also toast the sesame seeds over medium high heat.  Give this pan your full attention as these little seeds can burn in the blink of an eye.  Keeping the pan moving helps to gauge how much color you are getting on them. Remove from the heat and place into a bowl to cool.

Now that our kimchi has cooled slightly, lay the wonton wrappers onto your surface so you can work production-style.  Have a small bowl of water handy for sealing the edges.  I used about 1 heaping teaspoon per wrapper.  I lightly moistened my fingers and traced the edges of the wrapper.  Bringing two opposite points together, I created two pleats on either side of this center point.  Pinch lightly to seal.

Put a small amount of oil into a hot saute pan and lightly fry the potstickers on all sides until golden.  The filling is already cooked, so we are just reheating and going for a bit of color.  I love the crispy edges!

Garnish your serving plate with the toasted sesame seeds and scallions.  Serve with the soy dipping sauce.

You can use chopsticks, but I like to eat them with my fingers.  Less chance of dropping them 🙂

If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment below.  You can also tag me on Instagram @theveglife1

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Vegan Kimchi Potstickers

Author Veg Life Staff

Ingredients

• FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE:
• 1/2 tsp Sesame Seeds not toasted
• 1/3 C Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
• 1/4 Rice Wine Vinegar
• 2 Tbl Water
• 1/4 tsp Minced Garlic
• 1 Scallion sliced
• *
• FOR THE POTSTICKERS:
• 8 oz . of Mushrooms chopped and sauteed
• About 1 C of Kimchi be sure it's vegan, there are several readily available brands in supermarkets and Asian markets, drained, chopped and sauteed
• 2 Scallions sliced
• 1 Tbl Cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp Sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Won-Ton Wrappers
• 2 tsp Oil for pan-frying
• Water for sealing the edges
• *
• Toasted Sesame Seeds
• Scallions for garnish

Instructions

• To begin, saute the mushrooms (without oil) in a hot pan to remove as much moisture as possible. Chop and return to the saute pan.
• Drain and chop the kimchi, adding it to the saute pan until cabbage wilts slightly. Add the remaining ingredients cooking until the cornstarch thickens the mixture. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Combine all ingredients for the soy dipping sauce, set aside.
• In a small saute pan over medium high heat, toast the sesame seeds. Set aside to cool.
• Lay the won-ton wrappers out and place 1 heaping teaspoon of the mixture into the center of each.
• Using your fingers, dip into water and trace the edges of the wrappers. This will act as our "glue" that holds everything together.
• Bring two opposite points together and create two pleats on each side of that point, pinching lightly to seal.
• In a large saute pan, add a small amount of oil over medium high heat. Pan fry the potstickers on all sides until golden. Drain any excess oil on paper towels.
• Serve with a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds and sliced scallions.