Spicy butternut squash dumplings

Spicy butternut squash dumplings

spicy butternut squash dumplings portion

Potsticker dumplings are one of my favourite things to eat so I thought it’s high time they made an appearance on the blog. The dough is very similar to Polish pierogi, which I grew up on, so perhaps that is why I love them so much. They seem strangely familiar yet exotic at the same time.

There is something nice about biting into a crispy dumpling filled with a delicious, spicy filling. I filled my dumpings with my favourite pumpkin: butternut squash, making these awesome spicy butternut squash dumplings. The sweetness of butternut squash goes so well with the saltiness of soy sauce and hotness of chilli that I find them utterly irresistible.

What I find genius about potstickers is their cooking method. If you want to eat crispy pierogi, you need to cook them in boiling water first, let them cool down and only then they are ready for some pan-frying action. The end result is the same but it is so much more time consuming.

I love Chinese pragmatism when it comes to making sure that their potstickers are nice and crispy. You crisp the bottoms up in a hot pan first, then add a bit of water and pop a lid on to let them cook in their own steam and finally cook them uncovered for another minute or so to ensure that they turn out crispy at the bottom. The entire process takes no more than 12 minutes. It’s genius and I’ve now taken to making Polish pierogi the same way (just don’t tell any Polish grandmas that!).

ready spicy butternut squash dumplings

making spicy butternut squash dumplings

spicy butternut squash dumplings in a pan

spicy butternut squash dumplings close up

spicy butternut squash dumplings with dipping sauce

serves
40
PREP
75 min
COOKING
12 min
serves
40
PREPARATION
75 min
COOKING
12 min
INGREDIENTS
DOUGH

  • 2 cups plain flour
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 tbsp / 15 ml plant oil
  • approx. 150 ml hot water

FILLING (best to make the day before)

  • 3 spring onions, white part finely chopped
  • 4 tsp grated ginger
  • 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 3 cups of roasted butternut squash / approx. ½ squash, mashed*
  • 2 tbsp / 30 ml soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • ½-1 tsp hot chilli flakes / 2-3 tsp Sriracha sauce
  • 1 tbsp of high smoke point oil, for frying (I used peanut oil)

DIPPING SAUCE

  • 2 tbsp / 30 ml dark soy sauce
  • 1½ tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • fresh chilli, finely sliced or pinch of chilli flakes
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds
  • 2 cm of finely sliced spring onion
METHOD
  1. In a mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Add ½ cup of hot water and 1 tbsp of oil. Once combined roughly with a wooden spoon, start combining the dough with your hands. It will need a bit more water but it is very important to add the water in gradually, tablespoon by tablespoon. In my experience it takes another 1-2 tablespoons of water to make the correct consistency dough. Knead it for a few minutes with your hands and then set aside for 30 minutes under a clean kitchen towel or pierced (so that it can breathe) cling film so that the dough doesn’t dry up.
  2. Heat up olive oil in a pan. Fry spring onions, garlic and ginger. Keep on stirring to make sure they don’t burn. After 1 min, add in mashed butternut squash. Season with soy sauce, rice vinegar and chilli. Leave it to cool down. If you can, make the filling a day in advance as it gives all the flavours a chance to marry up and makes the filling taste better.
  3. Once the dough has had a chance to rest, roll it out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface. You want it to be about 1-2 mm thin; the thinner the dough the tastier the dumplings. With an upside down glass, cut out circles in the dough. Place a heaped teaspoon of the mixture in the centre of each circle and seal the dough over the filling at the top. Go over each dumpling twice to make sure everything is sealed completely.Put the finished dumplings on a lightly floured surface and cover them with a kitchen towel while making the rest so that they don’t dry out.
  4. Heat up a little peanut oil in a lidded frying pan. Once the oil is hot, place as many potstickers as you can on the pan without them touching each other. Fry for 2 minutes, then add a splash of water to the pan (1 cm) and put the lid on. Let the dumplings cook in their own steam for about 6-8 minutes – depending on how thin your dough is. Once all the water has cooked out, take the lid off and leave the potstickers on heat for another minute or two so that the bottom is nice and crispy.
  5. Mix all dipping sauce ingredients in a bowl. Serve potstickers immediately with the dipping sauce on a side.

NOTES
*I do recommend using butternut squash for this recipe as it has denser flesh and a lower water content. I tried using a different pumpkin once and the filling ended up too wet.

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NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories
36
2%
sugars
0 g
0%
fats
1 g
1%
saturates
0 g
1%
proteins
1 g
2%
carbs
6 g
2%
*per dumpling
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5.0
5 reviews, 21 comments
REVIEWS & QUESTIONS
Madeline:
It says it serves 40 - is that 40 dumplings or 40 people?
    Ania
    Ania:
    It makes approximately 40 dumplings. I am sorry, I will correct that now. Ania
Magalee Hanna:
Made these dumplings with my grandma and they were super delicious! We loved them. Will definitely make these again!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thanks Magalee! I'm so pleased to hear that, especially that granmas can usually be quite harsh food critics, right ;) ?
Rachel:
Just made these and your mushroom char siu bao - so delicious and so much fun to make! Thanks for the great recipes!
    Ania
    Ania:
    I'm delighted to hear that, Rachel! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave such a nice comment and rate the recipe - it helps my blog grow! x Ania
Maia:
Hi Ania, these look great. Going to make them tonight, could I ask whether it's Uk or US cup measurements you use? Thanks!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Maia,
    I use US cups. Hope you'll like these! Ania
Sarah:
Just made these, and they are delicious!!! I added two cups of chickpeas (for some protein) and blended it all until smooth in a food processor. I will definitely be making these again. Great recipe!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Sarah, that's lovely to hear! Adding chickpeas sounds like a great idea too! :) Ania
These sound delicious! I'd like to make a large batch and freeze for quicker meals. Would you recommend freezing these?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi PJ,
    While they are probably nicer fresh, I think they should freeze well. I would boil them for a few minutes (you'll need to test one or two as it depends on the thickness of the dough), then cool them down, portion and freeze. Once thawed they will only need light pan-frying in a little bit of oil. Hope that helps! Ania
Sandra:
These look AMAZING, Ania!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thanks so much, Sandra! :)
Melody:
Hi, do you think it would be possible to a/use non gluten flour (I see your recommendations below) b/steam these like dumplings and c/substitute the oil for something else? I try not to use oil on the Forks over knives, whole food, plant based way of life/nutrition. Thanks in advance!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Melody,
    Let's start from the simple one, steaming will definitely work so that's no problem at all. As for the other two, it may be tricky if you sub both flour and oil as gluten and oil give the dough much needed elasticity. I'm sure there is a possible work-around, but it will need some experimenting. Perhaps adding aquafaba (chickpea water), which behaves like egg white, instead of the oil may be the way to go? Having said that I have not tried it so I cannot guarantee it will work. Good luck!
Kris:
Can't wait to try this recipe! What is your recommendation for a substitute Gluten-Free flour... a 1-to-1 baking blend?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Glad to hear that like the recipe, Kris. I have not tried making gluten-free dough myself but I'm GUESSING that it is doable with a mixture of rice flour, tapioca and xanthan gum maybe (for elasticity).
    Good luck!
    Ania
    PS: (I'm planning to make gluten-free dumplings in the future so stay tuned for those)
Rachel L:
I just discovered your blog through Finding Vegan today and I'm already a fan! It's hard to stop scrolling through all of your recipe archives because there are so many fabulous recipes I want to try; I've pinned many of them already. Thanks for sharing!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thank you so much for such lovely feedback Rachel! You made my day!
Helen:
Marinated the squash yesterday and made them today. They were amazing, such great flavour! I had to stop myself from eating too many. Thanks for your great recipe.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Helen, that's so lovely to hear! I know what you mean, I always overeat when I make those:)
Amanda Hamilton:
Love this ... Have you tried it with gluten free flour?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Amanda, thank you. No, I haven't unfortunately. It's the gluten in the flour that makes the dough elastic and pliable so you may need to add something to gluten-free flour to mimic that effect. I reckon a mixture of rice flour and tapioca could work but that's just a guess. Will look into it when I make dumplings next:)
Rosanna:
I just found your blog and I'm so impressed about the recipes and photography!.. I will be making some of your recipes that I have already pinned !.. Thanks for the ebook, gorgeous!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much Rosanna! Your feeback made my day. Hope the e-book comes in handy.
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