Ingredients
500 g (about 1 lb) all-purpose white flour, 400 g (about 14 oz) pork with half fat and half lean, 200 g (about 7 oz) garlic chives.
Seasonings
30 g soy sauce, 25 g lard (rendered pork fat), 15 g each of sweet bean paste and minced ginger, 1 g MSG (or chicken bouillon powder), 2 g Sichuan pepper powder, 2 star anise, 1 small piece cinnamon (or cassia bark), and salt to taste.
Instructions
1. Wash the garlic chives thoroughly and cut crosswise into 2 mm (about 1/16 inch) pieces, then mix with salt to taste and set aside; separate the fatty and lean parts of the pork, cut each into soybean-sized pieces, and set aside.
2. Place a wok over high heat, add lard and heat until hot. First, stir-fry the fatty pork until it slightly changes color, then add sweet bean paste and stir well. Next, add the lean pork, minced ginger, soy sauce, salt, Sichuan pepper powder, star anise, and cinnamon, stirring to combine. Finally, add a suitable amount of meat broth and cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens. Pour the mixture into a dish (discard the star anise and cinnamon) and let it cool to about 10°C (50°F). Once cooled, mix in the minced garlic chives to form the filling.
3. Mix and knead the dough, roll it into a log, cut into pieces, roll out the wrappers, fill and shape the dumplings, then boil until cooked.
Cooking tips: The meat pieces should not be cut too large and must be uniform in size; when stir-frying the filling, do not cook for too long to prevent the fat from rendering out and the sauce from drying up. This dumpling has a firm, smooth skin with a savory aroma and a chewy texture—rich but not greasy.