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1
To make the filling, in a bowl, combine the orange zest, sugar, salt, white pepper, baking soda, cornstarch, soy sauce, water, and oil.
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2
Stir to dissolve the cornstarch.
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3
Add the scallion and beef and mix well with a fork or spatula.
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4
Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes, or cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate overnight, and return to room temperature before using.
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5
You should have about 3/4 cup.
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6
Prepare the rice sheets using the instructions in How to Make Rice Sheets on page 155.
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7
You can make the rolls in between making each sheet, while the sheets are slightly warm, or after they are all done and completely cool.
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8
However, the rolls seal best when the sheet is warm.
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9
Lightly oil a plate.
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10
To assemble the rolls, cut a rice sheet into 4 (3 1/2 inch) squares.
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11
Arrange 1 tablespoon of the beef along the midline of one of the squares.
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12
Avoid pressing the meat into a compact log because it is not really a sausage.
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13
Bring up the lower edge of the rice sheet to partially cover the filling and roll to close.
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14
The finished roll will look flat, and there should be about a 1/2-inch overlap of rice sheet when you are done.
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15
Place the finished roll on the prepared plate, seam side down, and repeat with the other squares before moving on to the next rice sheet.
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16
Oil a new plate and use after you have filled one up.
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17
It is fine for the rolls to touch.
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18
When you are making the rolls in advance, lightly coat them with oil to prevent drying, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.
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19
Return to room temperature before steaming.
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20
To finish cooking the rolls, steam the plates of rolls over boiling water (see page 17 for guidance) for about 5 minutes, or until the beef is cooked through and the rolls are soft.
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21
Remove the plates of rolls from the steamer trays or keep them in the trays.
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22
Keep the rolls whole or cut them into thirds with a knife or scissors.
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23
Pour the sweet soy sauce over the rolls, letting it pool in the plates, and garnish with the scallion.
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24
Serve with the chile garlic sauce.
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25
Meat that is minced and chopped by hand lends a wonderfully varied texture to dumplings.
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26
There is usually little meat involved in dumpling making, so the task is not as time-consuming as you might think.
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27
Use boneless skinless chicken thigh, pork shoulder (blade) steak, or beef steak.
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28
Trim away any gristly bits but keep the fat, and cut the meat into pea-size pieces.
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29
Mound them up in a pile and use a rocking motion to move the knife blade from one side of the pile to the other.
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30
Occasionally pause and lift the meat with the blade and fold it over on itself to maintain a moderately compact mass.
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31
For a minced texture, chop until you have a coarse paste-like consistency that is not as fine as regular ground meat.
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32
For a hand-chopped texture, aim for a coarser finish.
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33
When chopping a large quantity of meat, use two knives of the same weight and size, working as if you are drumming.
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34
Or, put the cut pieces of meat in a food processor or electric mini-chopper and pulse.
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35
The resulting texture is not uniform, but the process is more convenient.
