Vegan baked purple yam and sweet potato dumplings with peanut sauce let you satisfy your dumpling cravings in a healthy way!
MORE DUMPLINGS!!
Because you didn’t think that I would eat a meal that consisted solely of carbs, oil, cheese, and nutella, did you?!
*GASP* I have standards.
Also, I really like my coronary arteries. So there’s that.
Thankfully Ashley has a similar eating ethos, so when we were planning our #Dumplingpalooza menu, we unanimously agreed that at least one dumpling had to be totally virtuous: veggie-stuffed, baked, preferably with a leafy green or two…and sweet potatoes. Obviously. (I mean, look who you’re talking to.)
We couldn’t just go with your regular orange variety, though, because HOW PREDICTABLE. So instead, we pretty much used everything but, which included purple yams and white oriental sweet potatoes. With some choy sum (a distant, leafier relative of Chinese broccoli) thrown in for good measure.
These may have been baked, but they still had just as much crunch as their fried buddies…but healthier. The filling was a perfect mix of sweet and earthy, and I felt like its fresh flavors did a good job of balancing out the heavier dumplings. Of all the dumplings that we made, though, these were the ones that I felt really needed a dip to bring all of the filling flavors together and our homemade peanut sauce, with it’s slightly sweet nuttiness and hint of spice, did just that.
Ashley and I had actually intended to make a fourth dumpling filled with even more veggies and lots of crunch but, um, we got lazy and so we turned that filling into an awesome Triple Crunch Asian Salad! Filled with watermelon radishes, water chestnuts, and the choy sum stems, and dressed in a light citrus sesame vinaigrette, it was the perfect light bite in the midst of all of this dumpling mania. Check out the recipe on Ashley’s blog!
- 2½ cups purple yams, peeled and diced small
- 3 cups Oriental sweet potatoes, peeled and diced small
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger, grated or minced
- 3 tablespoons shallots, thinly sliced
- 3 cups choy sum leaves (or other leafy green), sliced
- Dumpling wrappers
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil, plus a little brushing over the dumplings
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, grated or minced
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 (13.66 ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- Place yams and sweet potatoes in a large saucepan, covering them with cold water by a few inches. Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 10-15 minutes. Drain.
- Meanwhile, heat peanut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger and shallots and sauté until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Add choy sum leaves and cook until wilted, stirring occasionally, about 4-5 minutes. Add potatoes back in, stir to combine and set aside to cool slightly. Season to taste with salt.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Get a small bowl of water ready. Scoop a heaping teaspoon of the potato mixture into a dumpling wrapper. Dip a finger in the water and run it around the perimeter of the dumpling wrapper. Fold it in half and press the edges firmly to seal around the filling. Set on a baking sheet and repeat with remaining dumpling wrappers until you run out of wrappers or filling.
- Brush each dumpling with a little extra peanut oil, and bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.
- While the dumplings are baking, prepare the peanut sauce. Heat peanut oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant. Add remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth and heated through.
More recipes to get your Asian food fix!
Crispy Kung Pao Tofu and Vegetable Stir Fry
Spicy Miso Soup with Korean Rice Cakes
Rice Noodle Salad with Grapefruit and Peanuts
From Around the Web:
Crunchy Asian Ramen Noodle Salad from Gimme Some Oven
Asian Steamed Buns with Kale and Bok Choy from Love & Olive Oil
Ginger, Citrus and Black Sesame Carrots with Edamame from The First Mess
Kale & Sesame Salad with Scallion Pancake Croutons from My Name Is Yeh
Sesame-Ginger and Cucumber Soba Noodles from Cookie + Kate
Stop the dumpling madness.
But really, don’t stop.
So adventurous! I’ll be coming along for the dumpling ride – delicious! 😀
I’ve never had purple yams before, but sweet potato anything is enough for me. Especially dumplings! And OMG PEANUT BUTTER SAUCE.
I have never seen a purple yam here in the UK. I need to find one as I love anything that is purple.
Ooooo…I love this, Joanne! As a sweet potato (especially the one Japanese kind) fiend here, I am so digging this. Love that purple surprise…and the dipping sauce is a treat! What serious fun!
I love purple sweet potatoes or yams or whatever you want to call them. In my grad school lab a coworker had a neighbor that grew them and she brought a bunch in for me one day and I was beyond excited. I’ve never found them in stores though but I should check out an Asian market.
Eeekkk! Love! Anything that is that color is good in my book. I want to eat all the pretty, colorful foods! And dumplings all day, every day is OK with me!
The purple color is gorgeous! And you shaped the dumplings so that they look adorable! My med school class wants to do a dumplings party and we were JUST talking about it last night, crazy coincidence!!
I knew you would make some veggie baked dumplings too! They look great. I’ve never had purple yams but I’ll be on the lookout now. I bet these beauties were tasty dipped in the peanut sauce. YUM!
these are wayyy too cute! great flavors too 🙂
Well, anything with peanut sauce on and I’m sold. And anything with ‘dumplings’ in the title and I’m sold, too. So basically I’m sold on this recipe! 🙂
Dumplingpalooza?!!! How do I sign up for that?! love these gorgeous little dumps with purple yam! So pretty and tasty. Could I please have 12 slathered in that tasty peanut sauce you speak of? Mkay, thanks!
xo
Oh my gosh! These dumplings look amazing! & I would drink that sauce 😉
I cannot get enough dumplings. White and purple sweet potatoes/yams are my favorite. Such a great idea for the filling!
please never let go of dumpling week!! Sweet potatoes are just the best stuffing!!
Yum! I’m loving all these dumpling recipes so much, Joanne! Gotta try these too!
Yay for the healthier additions to Dumplingpalooza! These were sooooo tasty. Can’t wait to see what we come up with next time!
Ok – so – how cool would it be for you and Ashley yo get together and throw a Dumplingpalooza for all y’alls readers? I know I would have to get seconds of all y’alls goodies! L
uv that these are baked – such pretty coloring too!
Oh please, you don’t have standards. Pfft. Oh wait, maybe that’s me. I love these! Who doesn’t like dumplings? It’s even a fun word to say.
The inside color is such a pleasant surprise!
I adore dumplings. Especially when they are filled with such goodness. I do wish I lived next door to you and your kitchen. It would be fun cooking alongside you I am sure.
What a wonderful dumpling idea, Joanne! They sound delicious and I love the peanut dipping sauce.
I’ve purchased a few purple yams recently, I used them to make enchiladas (they were delish!) I love this recipe you have shared – and I’m kind of obsessed with the rice noodle + grapefruit recipe as well 🙂 xox
Hello pretty little dumplings! I think I love you. Is double dunking allowed? Because that peanut sauce.
This is such an interesting recipe! I can’t wait to try it!
I love the color of the purple yams, but I don’t think I have ever seen them before. I love the dumplings.
These look great!
These dumplings are so unique! Love that purple yam filling.
I love how you added so many veggies to this! Sooo totally delicious!
These dumplings are perfect! I love that they’re baked and that purple sweet potato and choy sum filling sound incredible with the peanut sauce! <3
Never heard of purple yams – but who cares! these look amazing! have to go over to Ashleys blog and catch some new recipes! Thanks Joanne.
I love the continued dumpling theme! I am planning a weekend of dumpling making.. will definitely look to your blog for inspiration. These look so amazing 🙂
Ashley was one of my partners for the Big Cookie Swap!! What a coincidence. The use of purple yams in here is SO spectacular. Wish I could be the designated taste tester for the two of you!
purple dumplings – oh they look so delicious and fun – we had dumplings on Friday night but more green and liquidy so I think maybe some sweet potato would be a good thickener (it was made for me so I wasn’t really involved in the making but later we talked about what would thicken it)