Recipe - Open-Face Dumplings

1 pound Ground pork
10 Chinese dried black
mushrooms, softened in hot
Water for 20 minutes, stems
removed and caps
Finely chopped
2 cup Minced garlic chives (Or
substitute 2 cups minced
2 cup Minced garlic chives
(Or substitute 2 cups minced
Leeks and 1 tablespoon
Minced garlic)
2 tablespoon Minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoon Soy sauce
2 teaspoon Rice wine
1 One half teaspoon Sesame oil
One fourth teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
1 Egg white, lightly beaten
1 One half tablespoon Cornstarch

TO ASSEMBLE: 30 dumpling or gyoza skins Sesame oil for coating steamer 1/2
cup minced scallion greens

Lightly chop the ground pork until fluffy. Place in a mixing bowl and add
the remaining filling ingredients. Stir vigorously in one direction with
your hand or a wooden spoon to blend the ingredients evenly.

Place a heaping tablespoon of the filling in the middle of a dumpling skin
and gather the edges of the skin around the filling. Holding the dumpling
between your index finger and thumb, squeeze it in the center to form a
"waist". Push the filling up from the bottom to create a flat surface.
Smooth the top surface with the bottom of a spoon dipped in water.

Line steamer trays with damp cheesecloth or parchment paper that has been
brushed with sesame oil (if steamer trays are not available, lightly brush
several aluminum pie plates with sesame oil). Arrange the shaped dumplings
about 1/4inch apart in the steamers or on the plates.

Fill a wok or a spaghetti pot water level with the bottom edge of the
steamer tray and heat until boiling. Stack the steamer trays one on top of
the other, cover and place over the boiling water. Alternatively, you may
fit the pie plates in the spaghetti pot and cover with the lid. Steam the
dumplings for about 15 minutes over high heat, reversing the stacked trays
after 8 minutes. Remove the cooked dumplings and continue steaming the
dumplings as necessary. Sprinkle the finished dumplings with the minced
scallion greens and serve with dipping sauces.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini