THAI TAPIOCA PEARL DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• To make the dough, put the tapioca in a bowl and add hot tap water to cover. Swirl twice, then immediate pour into a mesh strainer to drain. Shake the strainer to get rid of excess water. The tapioca will have bloomed and expanded. Wipe the bowl dry and return the tapioca to it. Stir in the just-boiled water and salt, combining well. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 1 hour.
• Heat the 1 tablespoon oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cilantro roots and the 1 teaspoon garlic. Cook, stirring constantly for about 1 minute, or until the mixture is fragrant and the garlic is light golden. Add the pork and shallot, stirring and mashing the meat into crumbly bits. Cook for about 1 minute, or until most of the pork has lost its pinkness, then add the fish sauce, brown sugar, and white pepper. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes, or until some of the pork has browned and the mixture is hissing and bubbling. Add the peanuts, stirring to combine well. Remove from the heat; taste and add salt and sugar as needed. Aim for a slightly intense salty-sweet flavor. Transfer to a small plate, spreading the filling out, then set aside to cool completely before using. (The filling can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated. Return it to room temperature before using.) Makes an ample 1/2 cup.
• Line steamer trays and/or baking sheets with parchment paper, then oil the paper.
• Transfer the tapioca dough to an unfloured work surface. You will initially work with slightly wet hands to prevent sticking and later dust them with tapioca starch to form the dumplings. Dampen your hands with water and knead the dough for about 1 minute into a bumpy ball of tapioca pearls. It may be a bit pasty and squishy, and that is fine. Cut the dough in half, and return half to the bowl, covering it with plastic wrap. Working with the other half, dampen your hands again and roll the dough into a 12-inch log. Cut into 1-inch pieces. With damp hands, roll each piece of dough into a ball. Now, wash your hands and dry them thoroughly. For each dumpling, lightly dust your hands with tapioca starch. Pick up a dough ball and make an indentation in the center with your thumb. Keep your thumb in place as you rotate the dough and press on its walls to create a 1/2 to 3/4-inch deep cup. Holding the cup in the crook of your hand, fill it with about 1 teaspoon of filling, tapping it down lightly. Then close up the opening by pressing the dough inward with your fingers. Should there be a break in the dough, pinch the surrounding pearls together and dab on some tapioca starch to seal. Roll the ball between your hands for an even shape. Set in the steamer tray or on a baking sheet spaced 1 inch apart. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces before working on the other half of the dough. The dumplings can be cooked now or frozen. To freeze, place them in the freezer for about 1 hour, until hard. Then put into a zip-top plastic bag, press out excess air before sealing, and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw completely in the refrigerator before steaming.
• Steam the dumplings for 20 minutes over boiling water; see page 17 for steaming guidelines. Turn off the heat and remove the steamer lid. After about 3 minutes, the tapioca pearl dough should go from translucent to mostly clear. If it does not, steam for 5 minutes more.
• As the dumplings steam, make the garlic oil. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup oil and the remaining 1 tablespoon garlic in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Let the garlic sizzle for about 2 minutes, or until it is blond. Immediately transfer to a heatproof dish and set aside to cool. Put 2 tablespoons of the garlic oil on a platter and set aside.
• When the dumplings are done, detach or remove the steamer tray and let cool for 5 minutes before transferring the dumplings to the platter. Present the dumplings warm or at room temperature, with the remaining garlic oil drizzled atop each dumpling. Serve with the garnishes of lettuce, cilantro, and chiles either tucked onto the platter or arranged on a separate plate. To eat, tear off a palm-sized piece of lettuce and put a dumpling on top. Add a few cilantro and/or mint leaves (pinch their stems off) and a piece of chile. Bundle up the lettuce and enjoy. Refrigerate left over dumplings and steam them for about 8 minutes, or until soft again.