Steamed Dumplings

Steamed Dumplings (蒸餃 -- Zhēng jiǎo)

1/2 pound ground pork (ground chicken or turkey)

8-10 medium-sized shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut into small pieces

1 green onion, finely chopped

3 dashes white pepper

1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine or sherry, optional

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

1 inch piece ginger, peeled and grated

1 pack Gyoza wrappers (Dynasty brand)

Soy-Vinegar Dipping Sauce:

1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar

Combine the ground pork, shrimp, chopped green onion, ginger, white pepper, wine, salt, soy sauce and sesame seed oil. Reserve.

To make dumplings: Place a small spoonful of the filling in the center of a wrapper. Dab a little water with your finger and circle around the edge of the skin, and then fold in-half and pleat the dumpling. Repeat until all the filling is used. Dumplings should appear like fat hall-moons with pleats.

Arrange the dumplings in a bamboo steamer (lined with parchment paper at the bottom) and steam for 8-10 minutes. Serve immediately with soy-vinegar dipping sauce.