Recipes

For the Filling:

1/3 pound ground pork

1/4 pound raw shrimp, peeled

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon XiaoShing wine

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tsp salt

3 Tbsp scallion greens, chopped

For the Soup Filling:

1 qt flavorful chicken stock

4 packets gelatin

For the Dough:

2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour

1 cup boiling water

For Steaming:

Bamboo Steamer

nappa cabbage leaves

Bring three cups of stock to a boil, leaving 1 cup cold.  Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold cup of water and let it bloom for one minute.  Add the bloomed gelatin and stock to the boiling stock.  Stir until all the gelatin is dissolved.  Pour the stock out onto 2 sheet trays and place them flat in the refrigerator until they have completely gelled.  When it is gelled, cut the stock jelly into 2 inch squares.

Combine the pork, shrimp, soy sauce, wine, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and scallion greens in a food processor. Process until a fine paste is formed, about 12 to 15 one-second pulses. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Meanwhile, place flour in bowl of food processor. With machine running, slowly drizzle in water until cohesive dough is formed (you probably won’t need all the water). All dough to ride around processor for 30 seconds. Form into a ball using floured hands and transfer to a bowl. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for at least 30 minutes.

Divide dough into 4 sections, and each section into 10 small tablespoon-sized balls, making 40 balls total. On a well-floured work surface, roll each ball into a round 3 1/2- to 4-inches in diameter. Stack wrappers and keep under plastic until all of them are rolled out.

To form dumplings, place 1 slice of stock jelly and 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of a wrapper. Moisten the edges of the wrapper with a wet fingertip or a pastry brush. Pleat edges of the wrapper repeatedly, pinching the edge closed after each pleat until the entire dumpling is sealed. in a cinched purse shape. Pinch and twist top to seal. Transfer sealed dumplings to a lightly floured wooden or parchment-lined board.

Place a bamboo steamer over a wok with 2 inches of water. Place over medium high heat until simmering. line steamer with napa cabbage leaves and place dumplings directly on leaves. Steam until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately, being careful not to break them.