DUMPLINGS IN HOT AND SOUR SOUP 酸汤水饺

Filling Ingredients (2 to 3 servings)

• 1 lb ground pork, chicken or turkey

• 2 scallions, finely chopped, save a tsp for garnish

• 1 tbsp minced ginger

• 1/4 cup chicken stock or water

• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine or mirin

• 2 tsp soy sauce

• 1/2 tsp white pepper

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 pack of round dumpling wrappers (40 to 45)

Chili Sauce Ingredients

• 1 to 2 tbsp red pepper flakes.

• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorn powder or peppercorn oil (good to have)

• 1 tsp sesame seeds or sesame oil

• 4 large cloves of garlic, minced

• Soy sauce

• Chinkiang Vinegar

• Sugar

• Salt

Instructions

1. Add red pepper flakes, 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorn powder, minced garlic, and sesame seeds or oil in a heat-resistant bowl.

2. Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a small saucepan. When the oil is piping hot, pour it on pepper flakes slowly in 3 intervals. Let it sit for a few hours or overnight for a richer flavor.

3. Add 4 tbsp of light soy sauce, 4 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt to make a chili sauce.

Dumpling Instructions

1. Combine all filling ingredients except the dumpling wrappers. Mix for 5 to 10 minutes until the filling turns sticky and pasty. During this process, drizzle 1/4 chicken stock in a few intervals to add more moisture.

2. Prepare a small bowl filled with cold water, which is the glue. Dust a baking sheet with some flour to hold the finished dumplings.

3. Wrap dumplings. Add 1 tbsp filling to each wrapper, wet the top half of the edge of the wrapper, then lift the bottom half to meet the top. Pinch together in the middle. Place the left corner in between your left thumb and left index finger, do the same with the right side. Push the two corners up and inward a bit and pinch close with your fingers to make fan-like pleads.

Boiling Dumplings

1. Bring 8 to 10 cups of water to a boil in a large stockpot. Add 15 to 20 dumplings one by one into the boiling water (do not cook too many at one time). Stir gently with the back of a spoon immediately, so the dumplings do not stick to the pot.

2. Once the water is boiling again, turn the heat to medium. Add 1⁄2 cup of cold water to the pot and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes uncovered.

3. Bring the pot to a third boil and add another 1⁄2 cup of cold water. When the dumplings are floating, turn up the heat and quickly bring the water to a fourth boil. Then turn off the heat. Use a handled mesh strainer for fishing them out of the cooking water.

4. If you are saving some dumplings for later, remove them from the cooking water and rinse the dumplings under cold water for 15 seconds, then drain.

Serve Dumplings

1. Add chili sauce to each dumpling bowl/plate and 1.5 to 2 cups of dumpling boiling water.

2. Garnish with chopped scallions and serve hot.