TARO PUFFS

Steps:

• To make the filling, combine the pork, dark soy sauce, and ginger in a bowl. Set aside to marinate.
• Toss the shrimp with the 1/4 teaspoon salt and then rinse. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels. Finely chop and set aside.
• Make the seasoning sauce by combining the pinch of salt, white pepper, sugar, cornstarch, sesame oil, oyster sauce, rice wine, and water in a bowl. Stir to dissolve the cornstarch. Set aside.
• Heat the canola oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Add the pork and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute, or until the pork has turned a beautiful glossy brown. Add the shrimp and continue stirring for about 1 minute to cook the shrimp through. Give the seasoning sauce a stir and add to the mixture. Stir for about 15 seconds, or until the mixture has cohered and taken on a sheen. Turn off the heat and stir in the scallion. Taste and add adjust the flavor as necessary. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and as long as 2 days. You should have about 3/4 cup.
• To make the dough, trim off the ends of the taro root to reveal the flesh. Stand the taro on its wider end and use a knife in downward motions to remove 1/4 to 1/3 inch of the outer layer, which includes the rough brown skin and a tough ring of flesh where there is a greater concentration of the speckled chocolate brown flecks. As you work all around the taro, your knife blade may sense the density difference between the more tender inner flesh and the harder outer layer. Do not worry about removing it all because you will have another chance later. Halve the taro lengthwise and then cut into half-circles about 3/4 inch thick. Put into a bowl of water and set aside while you bring water to a boil for steaming (see page 17 for guidance).
• Drain the taro, put it in a steamer tray (there is no need to line it), and steam over boiling water for 30 to 45 minutes, until the taro is soft. Poke several pieces with a toothpick; there should be no resistance. Depending on your trimming job, some areas at the rim may be hard still. That is fine because you will shortly discard them. Aim for most of the flesh to be soft. The texture of cooked taro will seem dry. Remove the steamer tray and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes, or until the taro is still warm but cool enough to handle with your fingers. Warm taro mashes easily.
• While the taro steams, put the wheat starch in a bowl. Gradually add the water, stirring with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. When the mixture is pasty and has a texture resembling frosting, stop adding water. There may be left over water. Set aside. Expect the wheat starch to firm up as it sits. Cover if it begins to dry.
• Pick up each taro piece and crumble and mash it with your fingers into a bowl. It should fall apart easily. Discard all the hard pieces. Tiny firm bits suspended in the mash are fine. Measure out 1/2 pound (1 packed cup) and transfer to the bowl of wheat starch; discard or save the extra taro for another use. Add the salt and sugar and combine the ingredients with your fingers until well blended. Add the lard and keep mixing and kneading for 1 to 2 minutes, until a soft dough with the texture of mashed potatoes forms. Gather the dough into a ball and put it in a clean, dry bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and as long as 2 days. Firm dough is easier to work with.
• When you are ready to form the dumplings, remove the dough and filling from the refrigerator. Line a baking sheet or plate with parchment paper. On an unfloured work surface, roll the dough into a thick 12-inch log. Cut the log into 12 even-size pieces. Roll each one into a ball and set aside. Chill the dough balls for about 5 minutes to firm them up so that they are easier to manipulate, if you like. For each dumpling, take a ball of dough and use your thumb to press a well in the center. Then press on the walls with your fingers to form a shallow bowl a good 2 1/2 inches wide and 1/4 inch thick. Put a scant tablespoon of filling in the center and tap it gently to flatten it out. Then bring up the edges of the dough to close up the dumpling. Gently push and press the dough to fully enclose the filling. It should look like a small football (see page 164 for guidance). Put it on the work surface and neaten it up, if you like. Put the finished dumpling on the prepared plate. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
• To fry the dumplings, pour 1 1/2 inches of oil into a medium saucepan. Because the oil will dramatically bubble during frying, make sure that there is at least 2 inches between the top level of the oil and the rim of the pan. Heat over medium-high heat until 360° to 370°F on a deep-fry thermometer. (Without a thermometer, test a dumpling to gauge the oil temperature. The chopstick test here is not as helpful.) When frying these dumplings, begin at a medium-high oil temperature and then immediately lower the heat after the dumplings have set. This assures that the dumplings do not disintegrate, creates their signature lacy coating, and allows them to adequately cook without browning too fast. Fry in manageable batches of 3 dumplings. After adding the dumplings to the oil, the oil will rush to a boil, sending the dumplings floating upward. At that point, lower the heat to medium-low. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until the dumplings are a beautiful brown. If they stick together, nudge them a bit as they fry, and they will eventually separate. Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to lift the dumplings from the oil (you will hear them sizzle still) and drain them on paper towels. Raise the heat to medium-high to return the oil temperature to a moderately high temperature between batches. Skim and discard any floating bits in the oil, as needed.
• Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature, as long as the dumplings are crisp. Present on a platter, each one each cut in half with scissors or a knife so it is easy to pick up with chopsticks. Freshly fried dumplings will hold their crispness for about 3 hours if left at room temperature. To serve them hot, reheat in a 400°F oven for about 5 minutes. Refrigerated ones soften, and the best way to revive them is by refrying in 350°F oil for about 1 minute; the lacy crispness will return.