Tofu and meat don't have to live separately. In fact, they work well together. Dense dumplings got you down? Despite your attempts to roll up well-mixed yet tender dumplings, will you always end up with super chewy balls? This is all about to change and it starts with mixing. To encourage a crumbly mixture, use tofu. Tough meatballs are the result of too much mixing and too much binder. Your first order of business is to be light when mixing.
After that, it's all about reducing the binding ingredients in your mix (like eggs and breadcrumbs) or adding elements that break up the meat, and tofu is a great choice for the latter. As meat proteins cook, they toughen and squeeze out moisture, which can lead to dryness. The tofu crumbs not only break down the traction proteins throughout the mixture, but they add moisture to keep the patties from drying out during cooking. If you're worried about your tofu going bland or the white color coming out of the dumpling mixture, there's an easy fix for both.
Before you create your biggest meat concoction, prepare the amount of tofu you need by marinating. I use about three to four ounces of extra firm tofu for every pound of meat. But before you marinate, you need to remove the moisture. Line a colander, mesh strainer, or bowl with a few layers of paper towels, crumble the tofu into pea-sized pieces, and place on the paper towel. Cover crumbs with more paper towels and press to remove moisture. In a small bowl mix two tablespoons of soy sauce with a couple of drops of Worcester sauce and add the dried tofu. Toss to coat. Let sit for at least 10 minutes or up to a few hours; the tofu will become savory and take on a nice meaty brown color.
When you're ready to assemble your complete mix, you can use a slotted spoon to scoop the tofu out of the marinade, though most of the moisture will be absorbed (and I usually add any leftover juice to my meatball mix anyway). Lightly mix and shape the patties and cook as you normally would.
Other non-binding ingredients like chopped pine nuts, finely chopped onions, or bell peppers offer similar benefits, but I found crumbled tofu provided the best texture time and time again. Stir it in with a light touch while mixing and you'll never have to struggle to separate another meatball again.