APPETIZERS: This is a twist as well as a short-cut to the traditional way of using flour dough to make meat dumplings.

PORK DUMPLINGS WITH DIPPING SAUCE:

1 lb. medium ground pork                                          

½ cup finely-chopped green onion

2 tbsp. each finely chopped cilantro & finely grated ginger

1 cup fresh shitake mushrooms, finely chopped        

1 pkg. wanton wrappers

cooked Chinese cabbage leaves

seasoning for filling:

    1 tbsp. light soy sauce                                             

    1 tsp. each sesame oil, sugar, salt & rice wine or dry sherry           

    2 tsp. tapioca starch or cornstarch               

    1 egg white                                                 

    dash of white pepper

dipping sauce:

    ¼ cup each water, soy sauce & dark brown sugar

    1 tbsp. lime juice                                        

    ½ fresh red chili; finely chopped

Place pork in a large bowl and add in seasoning ingredients as well as green onion, cilantro and mushrooms. Use a pair of chopsticks to mix ingredients well together.           

Cover wonton wrappers with a double thickness of damp paper towel to keep from drying out. Working with 1 piece of wrapper at a time, fill it with 2-3 tsp. of pork mixture. Moisten edges of wrappers with water and bring the four corners to meet in the middle over the filling, pressing edges together to seal.

To steam dumplings:  Arrange filled dumplings on the piece of cooked cabbage in a large bamboo steamer.  Continue to make dumplings until all the filling is used up. 2-3 bamboo steamers can be stacked to steam together, or cook the dumplings in batches in a single steamer.  Fit the steamer (s) over the rim of a large pot filled with boiling water or sit steamer on a rack that fits in a wok filled half way with boiling water. Cover steamer or wok and steam dumplings for 8-10 minutes.

To pan-fry dumplings:  Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet until hot and arrange as many dumplings on the bottom as possible without crowding. Cook over high heat until bottoms are browned and crisp. Add in a few tablespoons of water; then cover skillet with a lid and reduce heat slightly. Cook dumplings for a few more minutes until water has evaporated. Check for doneness by poking one dumping with a bamboo skewer. If the meat filling is no longer pink inside, dumplings are cooked. Repeat cooking procedure with rest of dumplings.

Dissolve sugar in water in a small saucepan. Add rest of dipping sauce ingredients. Let sit 20 minutes. Serve with dumplings.