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Ginger, Garlic, Scallion, and Textured Soy Protein Dumplings

I was walking through the grocery store a few weeks ago and came across a bag of dried textured soy protein. While I have eaten this product as a meat substitute in places like Chipotle (I believe they use this as their vegetarian meat substitute option but am not sure) I had never tried cooking with it at home until recently.
Since then, I’ve become slightly obsessed with the textured soy protein, as it has so many uses and contains none of the saturated fat found in traditional ground beef.
The recipe below includes dumplings stuffed with a mixture of ginger, garlic, and scallions, along with some textured soy protein and onions.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups dried textured soy protein
  • 1 white onion (small dice)
  • 2 tsp Kosher salt
  • 3 Tbsp sunflower seed oil
  • 1 two-inch piece of fresh ginger root (peeled and minced)
  • 8 cloves garlic (peeled and finely minced)
  • 5 scallions (very finely sliced)
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 40 wonton wrappers (defrosted)
  • 1 whole egg

Instructions 

  • Place the dried textured soy protein and the white onion into a medium-sized sauce pot, and cover with 3 cups of warm water.
  • Add two teaspoons of Kosher salt, and bring the contents to a simmer.
  • Reduce the heat to low, and continue to cook for thirty minutes.
  • Drain and discard the excess liquid from the textured soy protein and onions.
  • Lightly chop the cooked textured soy protein and onions, and place them in a large mixing bowl.
  • In a medium-sized sauté pan, add one Tablespoon of the sunflower seed oil, and increase the heat to medium-high.
  • *The remaining sunflower seed oil will be used later, once the dumplings are assembled and are ready to be pan-fried.
  • When the oil is hot, add the minced garlic, ginger, and scallions.
  • Cook while stirring for a few minutes, and then remove the pan from the heat.
  • Add the ginger, garlic, and scallions to the large mixing bowl with your cooked soy protein and onions.
  • Add the red pepper flakes, along with some soy sauce.
  • Mix the contents together until everything is evenly distributed.
  • Taste the mixture, and add more soy sauce if desired.
  • Lay out your wonton wrappers, and add a small Tablespoon of filling in the center of each one.
  • Whisk one whole egg in a small bowl, and lightly use the tip of your finger to brush the edges of the wontons with some egg wash before sealing the edges together around the filling.
  • When you have added the light egg wash layer around the exterior of the open wonton, carefully fold the wonton in half, removing any air pockets that are around the filling by squeezing them out gently with your fingers.
  • Seal the edges of the wontons together tightly by pressing with your fingers.
  • When all of the wontons are filled, add some sunflower seed oil to a nonstick sauté pan, and increase the heat to medium-high.
  • When the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium, and pan-fry the dumplings on all sides over until perfectly golden-brown.
  • *You will have to do this in batches, as the dumplings will not fit in one pan at the same time.
  • When the dumplings are golden brown, serve with a dipping sauce made up of a mixture of equal parts lime juice, white granulated sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame seed oil.

Notes

You can find premade frozen wonton wrappers in most Asian grocery stores.
You can make the dumplings in advance, and keep them stored in the fridge, wrapped in plastic wrap, sitting on parchment paper.
If you prefer, you can use a deep-frying or steaming method, instead of the pan-frying method described above.