Chinese Fried Pork and Cabbage Dumplings with Homemade Wrappers

Ingredients

• For the dough:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup boiling water
• For the filling:
• 1/2 pound napa cabbage, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 scallions, roughly chooped
• 1/2 pound fatty ground pork
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• For the dipping sauce:
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Chinkiang vinegar, or rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon finely sliced scallion greens
• 1 teaspoon ginger, grated on a microplane
• To Cook:
• Vegetable oil

Directions

1. For the dough, add the flour to the bowl of a food processor. Start the machine, then pour in the boiling water in a slow stream, stopping once the dough comes together; you probably will not use every drop. Let the dough spin around in the processor for 30 seconds. With floured hands, shape it into a ball, move it to a bowl, cover it with a damp towel, and set it aside for at least 30 minutes.
2. For the filling, put the cabbage and salt in the food processor and chop with about 10 one-second pulses, until very fine. Scrape the cabbage into a fine-meshed strainer positioned over a bowl, then leave it to drain for 30 minutes. While it sits, add the scallions, pork, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and sugar to the food processor bowl. Pulse about 10 one-second pulses, until the mixture looks smooth and pasty. Spoon it into a large bowl and keep it nearby.
3. Once the cabbage has released its liquid, press out the leftover moisture with your fingers and add the cabbage to the pork mixture. Use a spatula to fold everything together until evenly combined. Cook a small ball of filling in a bowl in the microwave for 10 seconds, then taste it for seasoning. Adjust with more salt, soy sauce, or sugar as needed, repeating the quick microwave taste test until the filling is seasoned the way you like. Chill the filling until you are ready to assemble.
4. To make the dumplings, cut the dough into 4 sections, then divide each section into 10 small tablespoon-sized balls, for 40 balls total. On a generously floured work surface, roll each piece into a round measuring 3 1/2- to 4-inches across. As you finish them, stack the wrappers and cover them with plastic until the full batch is rolled.
5. To shape each dumpling, spoon 1 tablespoon of filling onto the middle of a wrapper. Dampen the rim with a wet fingertip or a pastry brush. Fold the wrapper over the filling, then seal the bottom-right corner with a pinch. Make pleats along the front side, pressing the wrapper shut after each fold, until the dumpling is completely closed. Set the finished dumplings on a lightly floured wooden board or a board lined with parchment.
6. For the sauce, stir all of the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and leave it at room temperature.
7. To cook the dumplings, fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Drop in 6 to 12 dumplings and cook until they rise to the surface, about 1 minute. Let them boil for 2 minutes more, then lift them out with a wire-mesh spider or slotted spoon and move them to a plate. Warm 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet or in the base of a well-seasoned cast iron wok over medium heat until the oil shimmers. Arrange the dumplings with their flat sides against the pan and cook, swirling the pan now and then, until the bottoms are crisp and golden brown. Serve right away with the dipping sauce. Cook the remaining dumplings the same way, in batches.