Chinese Pork Dumplings

1. 1

   For filling, combine the pork, sausage (find this at your local Chinese Grocery or substitute it with 1/4 cup finely chopped pieces of cooked ham and 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar), carrot, scallions, garlic, rice wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, salt and pepper in large bowl, and mix thoroughly so that everything is well distributed.

2. 2

   Keep cool in your refrigerator until you're ready to start folding.

3. 3

   For wrappers, put the flour in a large bowl; stir in turmeric. Slightly beat egg, water and peanut oil until combined; add to flour mixture. Use a wooden spoon to get the mixture well blended. If the dough is dry and cracking, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time until it's moist and springy. If the dough is sticky, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it's smooth.

4. 4

   When the mixture has cooled a bit, knead it for about 7 minutes or until the dough becomes really elastic. Then cover the bowl in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

5. 5

   After the dough has rested, use your thumb to poke a hole in the center. Gradually enlarge the hole until it looks like a large bagel. Using a sort of hand-over-hand technique, twist and pull the dough until it forms a rope about 3/4 inch in diameter.

6. 6

   Slice the dough into pieces about 3/4 of an inch long, and roll each piece into a ball between your palms. On a well-floured work surface, roll out the ball into a thin disk about 3 inches in diameter, place a piece of parchment paper between the dough and the rolling pin will make things a bit easier. If you're not satisfied with the circles you're getting, use a cookie-cutter to trim them.

7. 7

   Store the formed wrappers between sheets of parchment or waxed paper so that they don't dry out.

8. 8

   Take a circle of dough, put 3/4 teaspoon of filling in the center, and fold dough in half to make half-moon shapes. Press the air out as you go and press or crimp the edges to seal.

9. 9

   Lay the Napa cabbage leaves out on the base of a steamer and put the dumplings on them. Dumplings will need to be cooked in batches and not all at once. Steam over medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes per batch or until the pork filling reaches internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.

10. 10

    Serve warm with a bit of soy sauce.

11. 11

    Makes about 4 dozen or 16 servings (3 per serving).

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.