Pork Dumplings

For the dumpling dough: Mix the flour and salt together in a mixer bowl. Add the water and mix with the dough hook until a smooth dough forms. Divide the dough into 2 balls. Wrap in plastic and rest for 30 minutes.

Cut each ball into 4 planks. Flatten out a plank with your palms and roll the dough to number 6 on a pasta machine. Fold the dough into a trifold and turn so that the folded sides are on the sides of the dough and the open sides are the front and back of the dough. Roll the dough to number 3 on the machine. Coat the dough with cornstarch and cut into square pieces. Repeat with the remaining dough.

For the filling: To prepare the sofrito, combine the apple, ginger and onion in a pan with a little oil and sweat until translucent. Cool in a thin layer.

Prepare the pork mixture: Combine the pork, stock, fatback, sesame oil, tamari, white pepper, mushroom seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt and sofrito in a mixing bowl and mix by hand in the same direction until the texture is slightly bouncy/tacky.

Build the dumplings: Place about 1 tablespoon of pork into the center of each dumpling wrapper, wet the edges and fold to desired shape; store on parchment-lined sheet tray uncovered in the fridge.

When ready to cook, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, add the dumplings and cook 4 minutes.

For the fragrant soy and dumpling tare: To make the fragrant soy, combine the cinnamon stick, orange peel, star anise, white peppercorns and licorice in a small pan and toast until fragrant. Add to a pot with the soy, water and brown sugar and bring to a simmer. Let steep for 10 minutes, then strain the liquid. Pour the fragrant soy back into the pot.

Add the black vinegar, salt and mushroom MSG to the fragrant soy and heat over high heat, stirring, until it comes to a boil and the ingredients are incorporated together.

For the fragrant Sichuan chili oil: Fry the ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, guajillo chiles, arbol chiles, star anise, cinnamon stick, cloves, ginger, scallion, red onion, cardamom, orange peel and bay leaf in the oil for 30 to 45 minutes at 275 to 300 degrees F. (Do not go over 350 degrees F.). Strain the oil, discard the spices and vegetables, add the chili flake and salt and whisk. Once the temperature drops to 225 to 250 degrees F, add the chili powder and let sit until cool. Then strain through a fine filter.

For the chili crisp: Starting from cold oil in a pot, add the shallots and bring it up to 300 degrees F, stirring regularly until golden. Scoop ALL of them out with a spider or slotted spoon. Next, add the ginger and cook, stirring often, until golden and crispy; remove ALL with a spider. Do the same with the garlic, and then all the chiles together. Remove the oil from the heat, add the star anise and cardamom and let cool down. Strain the oil through a fine filter. Reserve all the solids (discard the star anise and cardamom). Let the oil cool down naturally.

Meanwhile, toast and grind the black pepper, cumin and Sichuan pepper in a blender or spice grinder. Grind the sugar, salt and mushroom seasoning as well.

Once the oil is cool, combine the reserved solids and ground spices in the food processor. Stream in the oil until the desired consistency is reached.

For serving: To assemble, pan-fry the dumplings with the cup sides down in the oil. Once they have browned a bit on the edges, add 2 tablespoon water and cover so that the top side steams out. Once the popping in your pan has calmed down, all the water has evaporated and it is safe to take the lid off. Remove the dumplings and arrange on a plate.

First, top the dumplings with the tare, and then the fragrant Sichuan chili oil, and then the chili crisp. We normally finish them with thinly sliced green onion and thinly sliced Fresno chile, but the topping options are endless!