Gather your mis en place; get together all of the equipment needed for the recipe and gather your ingredients.

Open package of dumpling wrappers, and cover with a clean towel. Set up a small bowl filled with water for sealing the dumplings.

Thinly slice ½ pound of napa cabbage with a chef’s knife.

Peel carrot, and grate finely.

Put tofu into cheesecloth and squeeze firmly to remove as much liquid from the tofu as possible. It is okay if the tofu breaks while doing this.

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and discard (or save for mushroom broth), place them in a food processor and process until they are finely chopped.

Finely chop the chives with scissors or a chef’s knife.

Remove the skin from the garlic, and finely mince using a rasp. Alternatively, finely chop with a chef’s knife.

Measure out the tamari, sesame oil, white pepper and grapeseed oil.

Measure out the ingredients for the dipping sauce; black vinegar, chili oil, and sesame oil.

Preheat wok over medium heat, and add the grapeseed oil. Cook the cabbage and carrots until wilted, about 3 minutes. Do this in batches if needed, and transfer the cooked vegetables into a colander. Let cook for a few minutes, and then squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Chop the cabbage finely, and then set aside.

Add the sesame oil to the pan, and saute mushrooms, chives, and garlic for about 3 – 4 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Crumble the tofu, and mix in the cabbage, mushroom mixture, tamari, white pepper, and salt to taste.

To fill the dumplings, line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the middle of your dough wrapper, leaving an edge all around. Dab one finger in water and run it around the outer edge of the wrapper to wet it. Crimp the edges of the dumpling by pinching and folding into half moon shapes (this can be a little tricky at first, but is easy with practice!). Repeat with all of the dumplings, and by the end you will be very good at making dumplings!

Fill the wok halfway with water, and put the steamer basket on top. Bring to a boil, and then remove the lid and load the dumplings into the steamer basket. Cook for 10 minutes, until the dough is cooked through.

To make dipping sauce, mix together the black vinegar, chili oil, and sesame oil and Adding flavour to a food to enhance its taste. It can be as simple as salt and pepper or herbs, spices vinegars and condimentsseason with salt to taste.