Shrimp Dumplings

Preparation In a medium bowl, combine the shrimp and 2 teaspoons corns tarch. Let stand for 10 minutes. Rinse in several changes of cold water and drain well. Finely chop the shrimp and place in a medium bowl. Add the salt, egg white, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, sugar, pepper, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch. Stir in the bamboo shoots and minced bacon fat. Loosely wrap with plastic wrap and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the wheat starch and remaining 1/4 cup cornstarch, and stir to combine. Make a well and add 1 cup boiling water, immediately stirring with a rubber spatula as you add the water (the mixture will have a faint fragrance of wheat starch). Stir in the vegetable oil. Carefully begin working the mixture for a few seconds at a time by hand, as the mixture will be very hot. Add an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons boiling water if dough is dry, and knead an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until smooth and still hot to the touch. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a cylinder about 8 inches long. Place 3 rolls in a plastic bag so they will not get dry. Cut the remaining roll into 10 pieces. Place each piece of dough between 2 sheets of lightly oiled foil, place the foil in a tortilla press, and press into a thin round. Peel off the round of dough; it should be about 3 inches in diameter and a scant 1/8 inch thick. Place about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the filling in the center of a dough round. Fold in half to form a half-moon and pinch one end of the half-moon together. Using your thumb and index finger, make 4 or 5 small pleats in the front piece of dough, then pinch together the remaining end of the dough to seal the dumpling. Place the dumpling on a plate. Continue making dumplings. Line a bamboo steamer, metal tier, or rack with 2 cabbage leaves. Place the dumplings on the leaves 1/4 inch apart. The dumplings should be cooked in batches; the size of your steamer rack will determine how many dumplings can be cooked at one time. Bring water to a boil over high heat in a covered steamer. If using a rack, the water level must not touch the cabbage leaves. Carefully place the bamboo steamer, metal tier, or rack into the steamer, cover, and steam 5 minutes on high heat, or until the shrimp is orange and visible through the translucent dough, and is just cooked. Check the water level and replenish, if necessary, with boiling water. Carefully remove dumplings from the steamer. Dumplings should be served immediately. Continue steaming the remaining dumplings using fresh cabbage leaves and replenishing the steamer with more boiling water. Reprinted with permission from The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen by Grace Young. © 1999 Simon & Schuster

Preparation In a medium bowl, combine the shrimp and 2 teaspoons corns tarch. Let stand for 10 minutes. Rinse in several changes of cold water and drain well. Finely chop the shrimp and place in a medium bowl. Add the salt, egg white, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, sugar, pepper, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch. Stir in the bamboo shoots and minced bacon fat. Loosely wrap with plastic wrap and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the wheat starch and remaining 1/4 cup cornstarch, and stir to combine. Make a well and add 1 cup boiling water, immediately stirring with a rubber spatula as you add the water (the mixture will have a faint fragrance of wheat starch). Stir in the vegetable oil. Carefully begin working the mixture for a few seconds at a time by hand, as the mixture will be very hot. Add an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons boiling water if dough is dry, and knead an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until smooth and still hot to the touch. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a cylinder about 8 inches long. Place 3 rolls in a plastic bag so they will not get dry. Cut the remaining roll into 10 pieces. Place each piece of dough between 2 sheets of lightly oiled foil, place the foil in a tortilla press, and press into a thin round. Peel off the round of dough; it should be about 3 inches in diameter and a scant 1/8 inch thick. Place about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the filling in the center of a dough round. Fold in half to form a half-moon and pinch one end of the half-moon together. Using your thumb and index finger, make 4 or 5 small pleats in the front piece of dough, then pinch together the remaining end of the dough to seal the dumpling. Place the dumpling on a plate. Continue making dumplings. Line a bamboo steamer, metal tier, or rack with 2 cabbage leaves. Place the dumplings on the leaves 1/4 inch apart. The dumplings should be cooked in batches; the size of your steamer rack will determine how many dumplings can be cooked at one time. Bring water to a boil over high heat in a covered steamer. If using a rack, the water level must not touch the cabbage leaves. Carefully place the bamboo steamer, metal tier, or rack into the steamer, cover, and steam 5 minutes on high heat, or until the shrimp is orange and visible through the translucent dough, and is just cooked. Check the water level and replenish, if necessary, with boiling water. Carefully remove dumplings from the steamer. Dumplings should be served immediately. Continue steaming the remaining dumplings using fresh cabbage leaves and replenishing the steamer with more boiling water. Reprinted with permission from The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen by Grace Young. © 1999 Simon & Schuster