Gluten Free Dim Sum Recipe: How To

Last Updated on June 27, 2022

Today, we’re going to be looking at a gluten free dim sum recipe. Dim sum is usually very small, and the perfect appetizer when having Chinese takeout. However, if you’ve ever tried to order gluten-free food from a Chinese restaurant – you’ll likely already know that it’s virtually impossible. In fact, I’ve found that Chinese food is the hardest cuisine to find gluten-free…they really use wheat in almost everything! But are dim sum typically gluten-free? And how do we go about making our own gluten-free dim sum? Let’s take a closer look.

What Is Dim Sum?

You may think that dim sum is one particular Chinese dish; however, the name is actually used for a large selection of small dishes you’ll find in Chinese cuisine. For example, spring rolls, dumplings, bao buns, prawn toast – and so much more. But today we’re going to be focusing on some of my favorite dim sum – dumplings!

What Is Dim Sum

Read more about Do Spring Rolls Have Gluten?

Ingredients In Dim Sum

The ingredients in dim sum will differ massively depending on which dim sum you’re making, and which recipe you’re following. Our dim sum recipe contains the following ingredients:

  • sesame oil
  • tofu
  • carrot
  • onion
  • ginger
  • white pepper
  • sugar
  • salt
  • cornstarch
  • rice flour
  • tapioca starch
  • water
  • canola oil
  • potato starch
  • sriracha sauce
  • tamari
  • date syrup
  • red pepper flakes

Nutritional Information Of Dim Sum

If you’re wondering what the nutritional value is of the dumplings, each serving contains the following:

  • Calories: 400
  • Fat: 15g
  • Sugar: 5.4g
  • Carbs: 59g
  • Fiber: 2.3g
  • Protein: 8.2g

Is Dim Sum Gluten Free?

Unfortunately, dim sum is not typically gluten-free. This is because wheat flour is one of the most common food ingredients in dim sum. As well as this, dim sum are usually prepared in a kitchen that handles gluten, so it’s very unlikely to be gluten-free – particularly if they share a fryer with other gluten-containing foods.

Gluten Free Dim Sum Recipe

The recipe we’re going to be looking at is inspired by Vegan V Vocals. That’s right – not only is this recipe gluten-free, but also vegan too! Let’s take a look at how to make these bite-sized appetizers.

Ingredients

The ingredients you’ll need for this recipe are:

for the filling:

  • 3 tablespoons of sesame oil
  • 230g of diced tofu
  • 120g of finely chopped carrot
  • 2 tablespoons of finely chopped onion
  • 1 tablespoon of grated ginger
  • 1 teaspoon of white pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 4 teaspoons of cornstarch

for the wrappers:

  • 1 1/2 cups of rice flour
  • 6 tablespoons of cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons of tapioca starch
  • 1 cup of hot water
  • 2 tablespoons of hot water
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons of canola oil
  • gluten-free flour to work the dough

for the sweet chili sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons of sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon of sriracha sauce
  • 1 tablespoon of tamari
  • 1 tablespoon of date syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger

Recipe

Now all you need to do is:

Step 1: Make the Filling

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook for around 2 minutes. Add the tofu, ginger, and carrot and cook for a further 5 minutes. Now reduce the heat to low and add the pepper, salt, sugar, and cornstarch. Cook for around a minute and then remove from the heat to cool. Keep in the fridge until ready to use – it must be cool.

Step 2: Make the Sauce

Combine all of the chili sauce ingredients into a bowl. Stir well and your sauce is ready to serve alongside your dim sum.

Step 3: Make the Dough

Add the tapioca, cornstarch, and rice flour to a food processor or blender. Gradually add the boiling water whilst the blender is on a low speed. Now add the canola oil. This should now start form a dough. Add additional flour or water if it seems too sticky or too dry. Once the dough is ready, knead on a floured surface for a few minutes. Make around 20 4″ circles with your dough.

Step 4: Add the Filling

Place around 1 1/2 tablespoons of filling into the center of every circle. Moisten your fingers with water and make the outer edge of half the dumpling damp. Now fold in half and make 4 pleats by pinching your fingers into the dough. Store under damp paper towels until ready to steam.

Step 5: Steam

Place the dumplings into a lined steamer with some space to expand and add the lid. Leave for a few minutes and then place the steamer on high. Once you can see steam, turn to medium and leave for around 6 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave in for a further 5 minutes, with the lid still on.

Step 6: Serve

Remove dumplings from the steamer and serve with chili sauce. Enjoy!

Read more about: Gluten Free Rolled Dumplings: How To Make

Conclusion

I hope this article has helped to give you a gluten-free dim sum recipe. There are plenty of gluten-free dim sum recipes available, and the best substitute for wheat flour in most of these recipes is rice flour.

Do you have any tips or tricks when it comes to making gluten-free dim sum as authentic as possible? If so, please feel free to let me know in the comments below. Sharing is caring!

FAQs