Checking out cookbooks from the library offers some fantastic inspiration. We are fortunate to have a wonderful library in the town close to where we recently moved. It is super jam packed with hundreds (thousands!) of cookbooks. I only pay attention to the books with beautiful color photos. I flip through them frantically… and I drool.

So, as I was browsing through my recently borrowed Cafe Vietnam* cookbook by Annabel Jackson, a beautiful trio of dumplings caught my eye.

They made me think of mochi, and how I have been DYING to make mochi since I was 16! Given that mochi often pops up all over vegan blogs, I should have made some by now…

but, I never had rice flour.

And then I thought to myself, “I have rice flour now (slap to the forehead). I always have rice flour now!”

So without any further hesitation I knew I had to make some little rice dumplings- of some sort.  On my way to the kitchen I saw a perfectly ripe banana… which is a rarity at our house because they tend to get eaten up quite fast.  So I wondered, “what would happen if I just combined everything that was going through my brain at this exact moment?”

Well, folks… this recipe happened.

And, it was good. Very. Very. Good.

Rice Dumplings with Sweet Banana Sauce

makes about 8 dumplings

Ingredients:

Dumplings:

• 2 cups white rice flour
• 1 1/4 cups almond milk (or other non dairy milk)

Filling:

• 1/2 cup black beans, well drained
• 1 tsp granulated sugar

Sauce:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp vanilla
• 1 medium ripe banana
• dash or two of turmeric
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

Directions:

Dough:

Using a fork, and then your hands, combine rice flour with almond milk to make a firm dough.  Set aside.

Filling:

Smash beans with a fork until a paste forms. Add sugar. You can smash them as smooth as you would like- I was lazy and made mine “hearty”.

Assemble:

Pinch off pieces of your dough and press into a patty about two inches wide.  Make a second patty.  Place about a 1/2 tsp of bean paste inside and assemble like so:

You will probably need to wet your hands slightly when working with the dough.  The touch of water helps to form the dumpling into a nice and smooth ball, and it prevents the dough from drying out.

Once you have assembled all of your dumplings, drop them into a pot of boiling water.  Keep at steady boil for about 12-14 minutes, or until they float.  Remove with slotted spoon and set aside.

To make Sauce:

First, puree your banana in a food processor to make it extra smooth.

Next, combine the rest of the sauce ingredients with the banana puree into medium sized saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 7 minutes… or until slightly thickened.

Place one dumpling into a small bowl and drown with banana sauce.  Garnish with fresh grated ginger and serve hot.

* I cannot recommend or not recommend this cookbook.  I have never tried any of the recipes. Like most cookbooks I hoard- I just use them for their photos. :)

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