CHINESE CHIVE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• To make the filling, in a bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice wine, and 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch, stirring to dissolve the cornstarch. Add the raw shrimp and stir to coat well. Set aside. In another bowl, create a seasoning sauce by stirring together the remaining 2 teaspoons cornstarch, sugar, white pepper, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and water. Set aside.
• Heat the canola oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the dried shrimp and cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the Chinese chives and keep stirring and cooking for 1 minute, or until the chives have wilted slightly. Add the raw shrimp and cook for about 1 minute, or until they have just turned orange. Make a well in the center, give the seasoning sauce a stir, and add to the skillet. Cook for about 45 seconds, or until the mixture thickens and coheres. Taste and, if needed, add salt for savory depth. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool completely. You should have about 1 1/4 cups.
• Working with 1 piece of dough at a time to form the wrappers, roll it on an unfloured work surface into a chubby 6-inch log. Cut the log into 6 pieces. Follow the instructions on "Forming Wrappers from Wheat Starch Dough" (page 133) to shape circles that are each about 4 inches in diameter.
• Before assembling the dumplings, line steamer trays and/or baking sheets with parchment paper. Oil the paper lining in the steamer trays.
• To assemble a dumpling, hold a wrapper in a slightly cupped hand. Use a spoon to center about 1 tablespoon atop the wrapper, flattening the filling a bit and keeping about 1/2 to 3/4 inch of wrapper clear on all sides. Then fold, pleat, and press to enclose the filling and create a closed satchel (see page 52). Try to make large pleats so that the dumpling is not too thick on one side. After pinching the opening closed, twist off any excess dough and discard. As you work, set each finished dumpling in a prepared steamer tray, closed side down, and 1/2 inch apart; when using a metal steamer tray, keep the dumplings 1 inch away from the edge, where condensation will collect. Set overflow dumpling on the baking sheet and loosely cover. Assemble more dumplings from the remaining wrappers before working on the next batch of dough. Once assembled, the dumplings should be cooked as soon as possible, because they cannot be refrigerated uncooked.
• Steam the dumplings over boiling water (see page 17 for guidance) for about 7 minutes, or until they have puffed slightly and become somewhat translucent. Remove the trays and place atop a plate if serving as steamed dumplings. To panfry, remove the trays and let the dumplings cool to room temperature. (They can sit for up to 2 hours.) Use a regular (not a nonstick) skillet for better browning. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon oil for a medium skillet or 1 1/2 tablespoons oil for a large skillet. When the oil is just about to smoke, add the dumplings, smooth side down, in batches if necessary; it is okay if they touch. Fry for about 3 minutes, or until crisp and tinged golden brown. Flip each over to crisp the sealed (pleated) side for about 2 minutes; reduce the heat if the oil smokes. There is no need to brown the bottom as it will not show. Transfer to a platter.
• Serve hot or warm with the soy sauce and chile garlic sauce for guests to concoct their own dipping sauce. Cooked dumplings can be refrigerated; steam to reheat for about 3 minutes before serving.