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To make your own dumpling wrappers (this recipe makes enough dough to wrap the stuffing in the recipe below):
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Put the flour and salt onto a pastry board, make a well in the center, and add enough cold water to make a stiff but pliable dough.
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Mix well, and knead for several minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic the more thoroughly you knead, the better the dough.
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Cover with a damp kitchen towel and leave to rest for about 20 minutes.
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Rolling out the dough: to make the traditional, tiny Sichuanese dumplings, roll the dough into long sausages about as thick as your thumb, and break off small pieces the size of cherries.
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Flatten these with the palm of your hand on a lightly floured surface, and roll with a rolling pin to form discs about 2 inches in diameter.
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Pile them up as you work, adding small sprinklings of flour as necessary to prevent them from sticking together.
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If you wish to save time and make the larger, northern-style dumplings, break off slightly larger pieces of dough and roll them into discs 2 1/2 -3 inches in diameter.
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Remember that the tiny Sichuanese dumplings will take less time to cook through than the northern ones (you will probably need to add only one coffee-cupful of cold water before they are done).
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For the filling:
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Smash the ginger with the flat side of a cleaver blade or a heavy object and leave to soak for a few minutes in about 1 cup of cold water.
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Mix the egg, wine, and salt and pepper into the pork, and then gradually add the ginger-water (discarding the crushed pieces), so it is absorbed by the meat to form a fragrant, floppy paste.
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Mix the dipping ingredients in a little bowl always add the garlic at the last minute to make the most of its strong, fresh fragrance.
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Place a dumpling skin flat on your hand and add a generous teaspoon of filling.
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Fold one side of the skin over the meat, make one or two tucks in it, and then press it tightly to meet the other side and make a little half-moon-shaped dumpling.
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You can seal the dumpling with a series of little pinches if you wish.
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Make sure you pinch the skins together tightly so the filling cant ooze out.
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Lay the dumplings, separately, on a lightly floured tray, plate, or work surface.
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Heat a generous pot of water to a vigorous boil over a high flame.
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Stir the water briskly, and place in a couple of handfuls of dumplings.
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Stir once to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
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When the water has returned to a boil, throw in a coffee-cupful of cold water.
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Allow the water to return to a boil again, and add another coffee-cupful of cold water.
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When the water has returned to a boil for the third time, the dumpling skins will be glossy and puckered and the meat should have cooked through cut one dumpling in half to make sure.
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Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon, drain well, and serve steaming hot with the spicy, aromatic dip.
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(Take note: the cold water is added to prevent the water from boiling too vigorously and tearing the dumplings apart.)
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Continue cooking the dumplings in batches until your guests are incapable of eating any more.
