As a vegetarian, it’s easy to be envious of my meat-eating counterparts with the number of options available to them in every cuisine, at every restaurant. Many a time I’ve wished to indulge in Korean barbecue or a juicy steak, just because of how delicious it looks and is advertised to be, but I instead imagine it as being made of paneer or tofu or cauliflower. 

One dish in particular that I grew obsessed with this past year was the Din Tai Fung (DTF) xiao long bao (soup dumplings). While I adore the noodle dishes there, my mind often craves greater subsistence. After my first DTF visit, I left dejected, thinking I could never count myself a member of the XLB (xiao long bao) club. 

Then, on a fateful night this fall, I happened upon the Trader Joe’s vegetable soup dumplings. I couldn’t believe my eyes, and I checked the ingredients list three times before having the courage to place it in my car. After my disastrous experience with the Trader Joe’s French onion soup (another failed attempt at finding a typically non-vegetarian dish in vegetarian form), I was scared but not yet ready to quit my search for vegetarian alternatives. I headed home, popped them in the microwave and within five minutes, my life in Isla Vista as I knew it was changed. The delicious soup and filling in the dumplings, combined with the toppings I added, created one of the most delicious snacks ever.

 

Trader Joe’s vegetable soup dumplings, the right way

Servings: 1

Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 package of Trader Joe’s vegetable soup dumplings
  • 2-5 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon furikake
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha
  • 1 tablespoon chili oil

Directions:

  1. Prepare Trader Joe’s vegetable soup dumplings, as per instructions.
  2. Garnish with dark soy sauce, sesame oil, furikake, sriracha and chili oil, taking care to distribute evenly on each dumpling.
  3. Enjoy as soon as possible!

 

I highly recommend buying several packages of these and keeping them in your freezer because they can come to your rescue when you least expect it. Enjoy!



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