Vietnamese-inspired dumpling traybake
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 10 to 30 mins
- Serve
- Serves 2
- Dietary
- Dairy-freePregnancy-friendly
Aromatic, golden and full of comforting flavour, this brothy Vietnamese-inspired dumpling traybake offers a lighter, more vibrant take on traditional autumn comfort food. A low-effort, one-tray dinner that feels both nourishing and exciting.
By Verity Genco
Ingredients
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tbsp mild madras curry powder
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp dark brown sugar
- 1 lime, juice only
- 400ml tin coconut milk
- 150ml/¼ pint vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1 stalk lemongrass, finely chopped (white part only)
- 2 baby pak choi (approx. 100g/3½oz), white bases removed and leaves roughly chopped
- 4 lime leaves
- 14–16 frozen gyoza dumplings (vegetable, chicken, pork or shrimp)
To serve
- 2 spring onions, sliced diagonally
- handful fresh basil (optional)
- chilli oil, for drizzling (optional)
- lime wedges (optional)
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 4.
In a large roasting tray, mix the garlic, turmeric, curry powder, fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar and lime juice. Stir in the coconut milk and stock until well combined.
Add the onion, lemongrass, pak choi and lime leaves to the tray and stir to coat in the liquid.
Arrange the frozen dumplings on top of the broth, spooning a little of the liquid over each one.
Bake for 25–30 minutes, uncovered, until the dumplings are tender and lightly golden on top.
Scatter over the spring onions and basil, if using. Drizzle with chilli oil, if you like, and serve hot with lime wedges on the side.
Recipe tips
Use any dumplings you like — pork, chicken, prawn or vegetable all work well. If they’re large, reduce the quantity slightly. Most are dairy free, but check the label if this is important to you.
No lemongrass? Use ½ tsp lemongrass paste or the zest of ½ lime for a similar citrusy aroma.
Make it vegetarian by using veggie dumplings, vegetable stock and replacing fish sauce with extra soy sauce.
Spice it up by adding sliced fresh red chillies or an extra splash of chilli oil before serving.
Don’t skip the lime juice — it balances the richness of the coconut broth and lifts all the flavours.
Prep ahead: Mix the broth ingredients and prepare the veg in advance. Add the dumplings just before baking.
