Gluten-Free Colorful Vegetable Dim Sum Platter with Sauces
Charlotte Lee
Rainbow Dim Sum
Steamed rainbow vegetable dim sum—gluten-free, vibrant, and perfect for sharing.
Nutrition (per serving)
These gluten-free colorful dim sum are a joyful way to bring brightness to the table. Thin, tender gluten-free wrappers are tinted with spinach, beet and carrot purées and filled with savory tofu, shiitake and napa cabbage—perfect for a light vegetarian feast or party platter.
The technique is simple and forgiving: make a soft rice-tapioca dough, divide and color it naturally with vegetables, assemble little purses of filling, then steam. Serve with three quick dipping sauces for variety and watch guests dig in.
Ingredients
- Glutinous rice flour (sweet rice flour):2 cups
- Tapioca starch:1/2 cup
- Salt:1 tsp
- Boiling water:3/4 cup
- Vegetable oil (dough):2 tbsp
- Fresh spinach (blanched & pureed):1 cup
- Cooked beet puree:1/2 cup
- Cooked carrot puree:1/2 cup
- Firm tofu:8 oz
- Shiitake mushrooms (stemmed, sliced):4 oz
- Napa cabbage (shredded):2 cups
- Green onions:4 pieces
- Garlic cloves:3 pieces
- Fresh ginger (grated):1 tbsp
- Sesame oil:1 tbsp
- Gluten-free tamari:2 tbsp
- Rice vinegar:1 tsp
- Cornstarch:1 tbsp
- Black pepper:1/4 tsp
- Sesame seeds (garnish):1 tbsp
- Vegetable oil (for brush):1 tbsp
- Tamari (soy-sesame sauce):1/4 cup
- Rice vinegar (sauce):1 tbsp
- Honey or maple syrup (sauce):1 tsp
- Chili flakes (chili-scallion sauce):1 tsp
- Orange juice (citrus-ginger sauce):1/4 cup
Instructions
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Prepare vegetable purées: blanch spinach, squeeze and puree until smooth; roast or boil beet and puree until smooth; steam or boil carrot and puree. Set aside 1/4 cup of each purée for coloring.
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Make the dough: in a bowl whisk glutinous rice flour, tapioca starch and salt. Pour in boiling water while stirring, then add 2 tbsp oil and knead until smooth and elastic. Divide dough into three equal portions.
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Color the dough: knead 1/4 cup spinach purée into the first portion (green), 1/4 cup beet purée into the second (pink), and 1/4 cup carrot purée into the third (golden). Add a drop more water or a dusting of flour if needed; cover and rest dough 20 minutes.
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Make the filling: press and crumble tofu. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet, sauté shiitake, garlic and ginger until fragrant and moisture reduces. Add shredded napa cabbage, crumbled tofu, tamari, sesame oil, rice vinegar, cornstarch, black pepper and chopped green onion; cook 3-4 minutes until mixture is well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning, then cool.
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Shape wrappers: roll each colored dough into a log and cut into 8 pieces (about 24 total). Flatten each piece and roll into a thin 3-inch round using a small rolling pin, keeping them lightly dusted with tapioca starch to prevent sticking.
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Assemble dumplings: place about 1 tsp of filling in the center of each wrapper. Fold and pleat into purses or half-moons, sealing edges well. Place finished dumplings on parchment squares or cabbage leaves.
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Steam: bring water to a simmer in a wide pot with a bamboo steamer or metal steamer basket. Lightly brush bottoms with oil so they don't stick. Steam dumplings in batches for 8-10 minutes until wrappers are tender and filling is hot.
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Make the sauces: whisk tamari, 1 tbsp rice vinegar and 1 tsp honey for soy-sesame; combine tamari, chili flakes, 1 tsp sesame oil and sliced scallion for chili-scallion; whisk orange juice with 1 tsp grated ginger and 1 tsp tamari for citrus-ginger. Adjust to taste.
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Serve: arrange colorful dim sum on a platter or steamer, sprinkle with sesame seeds and sliced green onion, and present with small bowls of the three dipping sauces. Enjoy warm.
Tips & Notes
- If the dough is sticky, chill it 10 minutes—glutinous rice dough firms up and is easier to roll.
- Keep wrappers thin for delicate steamed texture; thicker wrappers need longer steaming.
- Make extra filling and freeze assembled dumplings on a tray, then transfer to a bag—steam frozen dumplings 12-14 minutes.
- Use gluten-free tamari (not regular soy sauce) to keep the recipe safely gluten-free.
- For vibrant colors, squeeze as much liquid as possible from cooked veg before pureeing to avoid wet dough.
