Ingredients
400 g (about 3 cups) all-purpose flour (for 160 dumplings), 250 g (about 9 oz) lean pork shoulder, 400 g (about 14 oz) jellied pork broth, 3 g (about 1 teaspoon) shrimp roe, and chicken broth as needed.
Seasonings
120 g each of scallion and ginger juice, 25 g cooked lard, 10 g each of sugar and salt, 12 g soy sauce, 5 g MSG, 1 g white pepper, and 3 g sesame oil.
Instructions
1. Prepare the filling. Remove the skin and bones from the pork, wash it, and mince it into a fine paste. Add MSG, soy sauce, sugar, salt, white pepper, scallions, and ginger juice. While stirring in one direction, slowly add water, continuing to mix vigorously until the mixture becomes firm and springy. Finally, mix in sesame oil and rendered lard until fully incorporated, and the filling is ready.
2. Place the cleaned and scraped pork skin into a boiling water wok to blanch, then remove and transfer to a pot. Add chicken broth and simmer until the liquid thickens, then strain through a sieve to remove any solids. Add salt, white pepper, and dried shrimp roe, continue simmering for a while, skim off any foam, and pour the skin broth into a bowl.
3. Once cooled, it becomes gelatinous broth; take 400 g (about 14 oz) of it and chop into soybean-sized pieces, then mix with the ground meat.
4. Prepare the wrapper dough. Mix the flour with cold water, let it rest briefly, then knead into a smooth dough. Roll it into a long thin log and divide into 160 small pieces. Use a rolling pin to flatten each piece into a round wrapper.
5. Fill the wrapper with the filling, then pleat the edges to form a small purse-shaped bun with a tiny opening resembling a crucian carp's mouth. Steam for about 5 minutes until the buns puff up and the filling appears moist and juicy, then remove and serve immediately.