Ingredients
100 g cooked pork fatback, 100 g raw pork fatback, 500 g (about 1 lb) crispy fried rice, 20 g kumquats, 25 g candied jujubes, 1 egg.
Seasonings
1 teaspoon osmanthus sugar, 300 g (about 10.5 oz) white sugar, and appropriate amounts of candied green and red fruit strips, sesame oil, Chinese green plums, and cornstarch.
Instructions
1. Dice the cooked pork fat, kumquats, candied dates, and green plums into pea-sized pieces, place in a bowl, add 200 g (about 1 cup) of sugar and sweet osmanthus, and mix well to form small cores slightly larger than an apricot pit. Separately, mince the raw pork fat, place in a bowl, crack in the eggs, add cornstarch, and mix well. Then add puffed rice (made by washing and steaming glutinous rice, drying it in the sun, crumbling it, then stir-frying with clean fine sand until the grains expand and turn white; sift out the sand; long-grain rice can be substituted), mix thoroughly, and rub the mixture with your hands to form moist puffed rice.
2. Sprinkle cold water onto a portion of the moistened fried rice using your hand (work in small batches—sprinkle, then mix, as wetting too large an area will reduce the rice's stickiness). Take one portion of the moistened rice, place it in your palm, and shape it into a thin disc about 5 cm (2 inches) in diameter. Place one filling portion in the center, then gently roll it into a ball between your hands to form a round dumpling. Set the finished dumpling on a plate.
3. Heat the wok, add sesame oil, and when it reaches 50-60% hot (about 300-350°F), add the meatballs and deep-fry until golden brown, then remove and plate.
4. While deep-frying the meatballs, heat a separate wok with water, sugar, and candied green and red fruit strips over low heat until boiling, drizzle with sesame oil, then pour the syrup evenly over the fried meatballs.