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1
To make the filling, blanch the bean sprouts in a saucepan of boiling water for about 20 seconds, or until no longer stiff.
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2
Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again.
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3
Use your hands to squeeze excess water from the sprouts.
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4
Chop the sprouts into 1/4-inch lengths and put in a bowl.
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5
To expel water from the tofu, put it in a cotton (not terry cloth) kitchen towel.
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6
Gather the towel up and, standing over a sink, firmly squeeze on the tofu.
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7
Unwrap the towel and add the crumbled tofu to the bean sprouts.
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8
Use the dull edge of a knife or plastic dough scraper, if needed, to remove the tofu from the towel.
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9
Use a fork or spatula to mash any remaining chunks of tofu.
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10
Add the scallions, onion, garlic, ginger, and meat to the bean sprouts and tofu.
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11
Stir and lightly mash the ingredients so that they start commingling.
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12
In a small bowl, stir together the salt, pepper, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
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13
Pour the seasonings over the meat and vegetable mixture, then stir and fold the ingredients together.
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14
Break up any large chunks of beef and briskly stir to blend the ingredients into a cohesive, thick mixture.
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15
To develop the flavors, cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes, or refrigerate overnight and return to room temperature for dumpling assembly.
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16
Meanwhile, form 16 wrappers from half of the dough.
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17
Aim for wrappers that are about 3 1/4 inches in diameter (see page 24).
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18
Before assembling the dumplings, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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19
(If you plan to refrigerate the dumplings for several hours, or freeze them, lightly dust the paper with flour to avoid sticking.)
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20
Hold a wrapper in a slightly cupped hand.
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21
Scoop up about 1 tablespoon of filling with a bamboo dumpling spatula, dinner knife, or fork and position it slightly off-center toward the upper half of the wrapper, pressing and shaping it into a flat mound and keeping about 1/2 to 3/4 inch of wrapper clear on all sides.
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22
Fold, pleat, and press to enclose the filling and create a half-moon, pea pod, or pleated crescent shape (see pages 26 to 29).
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23
Place the finished dumpling on the prepared baking sheet.
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24
Repeat with the other wrappers, placing the finished dumplings on the baking sheet at least 1/2 inch apart.
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25
Cover the dumplings with a dry towel as you form wrappers from the remaining dough and fill them.
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26
Assembled dumplings can be covered with plastic wrap, refrigerated for several hours, and cooked straight from the refrigerator.
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27
Or, freeze them on their baking sheet until hard (about 1 hour), transfer them to a zip-top freezer bag, pressing out excess air before sealing, and keep them frozen for up to 1 month; partially thaw, using your finger to smooth over any cracks that may have formed during freezing, before cooking.
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28
To panfry the dumplings, use a medium or large nonstick skillet; if both sizes are handy, cook two batches at the same time.
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29
Heat the skillet over medium-high heat and add enough oil to film the bottom.
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30
Add the dumplings, one at a time, placing them on one of their sides.
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31
Dont let the dumplings touch.
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32
Fry the dumplings for 1 to 2 minutes, until they are golden or light brown on the one side.
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33
Using chopsticks, and maybe a spatula, too, turn each dumpling to brown another side, 1 to 2 minutes longer.
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34
Holding the lid close to the skillet to lessen the dramatic effect of water hitting hot oil, use a kettle or measuring cup to add water to a depth of roughly 1/4 inch; you will use about 1/3 cup water for each skillet.
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35
The water will immediately sputter and boil vigorously.
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36
Cover the skillet with a lid or aluminum foil, lower the heat to medium, and let the water bubble away until it is mostly gone, 8 to 10 minutes.
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37
After 6 to 8 minutes, move the lid or foil so that it is slightly ajar to allow steam to shoot out from underneath.
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38
This lessens the drama of condensation dripping down onto the hot oil when you remove the lid.
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39
When you hear sizzling noises, remove the lid.
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40
Let the dumplings fry for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the bottoms are brown and crisp.
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41
(At this point, you can also brown the third side, if you want.)
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42
Turn off the heat, wait for the cooking action to cease, and then use a spatula to transfer the dumplings to a serving plate.
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43
Display them with their crisp sides facing up.
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44
Serve with the dipping sauce in a communal bowl for people to help themselves, or divided up among individual rice bowls or large dipping sauce dishes.
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45
Eat these with chopsticks in one hand and a spoon or rice bowl in the other to catch any drips.
