INGREDIENTS:

• 50 grams dried Chinese mushrooms
• 20 grams dried cordycep flowers
• 4 large dried bamboo pith
• About 60 grams Chinese chives (use the flat green type)
• 300 grams pressed beancurd
• 2-3 cubes fermented beancurd (about 40 grams)
• 10 grams fermented yellow bean sauce
• 1 tsp fine sea salt, or according to taste
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• A pinch of finely ground white pepper
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 40-50 thin, round dumpling wrappers
• Oil, for pan-frying

FOR THE DIPPING SAUSE:

• Soy sauce
• Brown vinegar
• Chilli oil, chilli paste or chopped bird’s-eye chillies

METHOD:

1. Put the Chinese mushrooms, cordycep flowers and bamboo pith in a colander, rinse them with water then drain. Put them in a bowl, cover with warm water and leave to soak for several hours, or until the mushrooms are completely hydrated (I do this overnight in the fridge). Drain the ingredients and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. (The soaking liquid can be strained and added to vegetarian soup stocks.) Finely chop the mushrooms, cordycep flowers, bamboo pith and Chinese chives and put them in a bowl. Break the pressed beancurd into large pieces and wrap them in a double layer of paper towels. Squeeze gently to blot up the excess liquid, but not enough so the beancurd is completely dry and crumbly – when you press it together, it should hold its shape. Put the beancurd in the bowl and add the fermented beancurd, fermented yellow bean sauce, salt, soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper and cornstarch. Mix the ingredients thoroughly, then taste – add more salt, if needed. Squeeze a spoonful of the mixture together – it should hold its shape; if it’s dry and crumbly, add just enough of the soaking liquid so the consistency is right; if it seems too wet, mix in a little more cornstarch.
2. Line a tray with cling-film. Pour water into a small bowl. Take one of the dumpling wrappers and put it in the palm of your non-dominant hand. Place a heaped teaspoonful of the filling on the wrapper – you need enough so it’s well-stuffed, but not so much that it oozes out. Use some of the water to lightly dampen half the wrapper, then fold it over and pleat the edges to make a dumpling that’s in a crescent shape. Everyone has their own dumpling folding technique, so use yours (although if you don’t know how to do it, type in “how to wrap dumplings” in Youtube, and pick your favourite method). Place the dumplings pleated-side up on the tray, pressing on them slightly to flatten the bottom (this is the part that will come in contact with the pan when you cook them).
3. After folding all the dumplings, heat a skillet (preferably cast-iron) over a medium-high flame. When the skillet is hot, pour in oil to the depth of 1mm. Add the dumplings (cook them in batches) and pan-fry them until the bottoms are well-browned. Pour in about 60ml of water (it will splatter furiously) then immediately cover the skillet with the lid and turn the heat to low. Cook the dumplings for about three minutes, adding more water if it dries up. Uncover the pan, increase the heat and let the excess water sizzle away, so the bottoms of the dumplings crisp up slightly. Place the dumplings brown side-up on a plate. Let each diner mix their own sauce.