Vegetarian Fried Taro Dumplings (Wu Gok)
When Chef Neil Tomes did a demo at our dim sum workshop, he made a vegetarian version of one of Hong Kong’s favourite dim sum, fried taro dumplings (wu gok), which taste just as good as the original ones that are typically filled with meat. Here’s how you can make these delicious dumplings at home:
Ingredients
Dough:
- 600 g taro root
- 115 g wheat starch
- 115 ml hot water
- 115 g vegetarian margarine
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
Filling:
- 30 ml vegetable oil
- 45 g wood ear mushroom diced
- 75 g white mushroom diced
- 165 g white onion diced
- 120 g shiitake mushroom diced
- 12 g ginger diced
- 14 g garlic minced
- 19 g garlic chive diced
- 110 g potato diced
- 12 g spring onion diced
- 88 g bamboo shoot diced
- 10 g veggie seasoning
- 10 ml sesame oil
- 2 g salt
- 1 g white pepper
- 15 g black bean paste
To deep fry:
- 2 L vegetable oil
Instructions
For the dough:
- Peel and cut the taro into 1-cm-thick slices, cover and steam for around 20 minutes, or until soft.
- Using a motorised mixer with paddle attachment, add the wheat starch and hot water along with the steamed taro slices and beat until combined.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until combined. This should form a smooth dough. Set the dough aside while making the filling.
For the filling:
- Heat the oil in a thick-bottomed pan, add all the ingredients and stir-fry (adding the bean paste last). Cook for 8 minutes, covered, or until the potato has softened.
To assemble:
- Form the dough into rounds the size of a golf ball, smaller if you prefer, then flatten them using a bit of flour.
- Place a dollop of filling in the centre of each disc. Don’t overfill or underfill them – add just enough filling to allow the sides to come together. The final dumpling shape should look like a small rugby ball.
- Heat 2L vegetable oil to around 170°C, then slowly submerge the dumplings to deep-fry them, cooking a few at a time.