Steamed Translucent Dumplings

Ingredients

• •6 mushrooms, Chinese black, dried
• •¼ teaspoon pepper, white
• •175 grams shrimp; shelled, deveined
• •1 tablespoon wine, rice, or dry sherry
• •1 teaspoon salt
• •1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce, light
• •1 ½ tablespoons oil, peanut
• •2 teaspoons cornstarch
• •175 grams pork mince
• •2 tablespoons chicken stock
• •¼ cup bamboo shoots; diced fine
• •2 coriander leaves; coarsely chopped
• •1/4 cup water chestnuts; diced fine
• •2 Shallots; chopped
• •2 teaspoons sugar
• •Granulated oil
• •Wheat Starch Wrappers
• •Soy sauce, light
• •Dipping mustard, Chinese; dipping

Directions

1. 1Can be prepared entirely in advance and reheated a few minutes before serving.
2. 2Roll out the wrappers as thin as possible; otherwise they come out rubbery.
3. 3Cover mushrooms in warm water for 20 minutes. Cut off the stems at the base and discard them. Finely mince the caps.
4. 4Toss the shrimp with salt and let them stand 10 minutes. Rinse well with cold water, pat dry thoroughly. Coarsely mince.
5. 5Preheat the wok. When hot, add the peanut oil, add the mushrooms, shrimps, pork, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and half the green onions; stir-fry until the pork turns white. Season with the sugar, white pepper, wine and soy sauce. Combine the cornstarch and chicken stock in a small bowl and mix until smooth; pour into wok. Stir fry for 1 minute longer.
6. 6Remove the mixture to a shallow plate and mix in the remaining green onion and coriander. Allow the filling to cool, then refrigerate it until needed. Makes almost 2 cups of filling.
7. 7Prepare the wheat starch wrapper dough. Pinch off 1 inch balls of dough. Lightly oil the ball and flatten it into a thin 3 1/2 inch circle. An oiled Chinese cleaver is traditionally used; however, a tortilla press or a rolling pin works.
8. 8Put 1 large teaspoon of filling in the center of the circle. Fold it in half and pinch the edges to seal the filling inside. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
9. 9Place dumplings on a lightly oiled bamboo steamer. Steam over boiling water for 3 minutes.
10. 10Serve hot, dipped in light soy sauce and Chinese mustard.