Pork and Ginger Dumplings

I made these a couple of weeks ago, but I keep forgetting to write down the ingredients from the cookbook. Oops. I decided to make my own dumpling wrappers because the last time I made anything with the store bought wrappers they wouldn't stick together properly. Plus, I was curious on how well it work to make them myself. Not surprisingly, they were amazing! I used ground pork from a local farm that sells meat at the farmer's market on campus. The other ingredients, sadly, were not local. I think this was a great recipe for such quality meat. Not too overpowering and very fresh tasting.

Homemade Dumpling/Gyoza Wrappers
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tbsp. salt
3/4 cups boiling water

1) Mix the flour and salt; gradually add boiling water and stir with chopsticks

2) Let dough rest in bowl, covered with a damp towel for an hour
3) On a floured surface knead the dough until tender, about 5 minutes
4) Divide dough into balls and dust with flour and put in plastic bag and place in refrigerator until ready to use
5) Now either roll dough very thin and cut out with circular cookie cutter, about 3 1/2 inch diameter. Or if you have a pasta machine you can run the dough through the pasta machine, just make sure you dust it with flour very well. Then cut into circles

6) Dust with flour and stack until ready to use or freeze

Pork and Ginger Dumplings
Adapted from Asian: The essential recipe collection

1 lb. ground pork
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 cup finely shredded cabbage
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
2 tsp. finely chopped scallions
1/2 tsp. fine ground pepper or white pepper

1) Mix pork with soy sauce and 1/2 salt to create a thick paste. Then add the sesame oil; cover and let rest 20 minutes

2) Combine the remaining salt with the cabbage to draw out moisture; add ginger, scallions, and pepper and knead to make a thick paste, about 5 minutes; then combine with pork mixture
3) Have wrappers ready and fill one side with about 1 tbsp. of filling then seal the edges and make pleats along the edge

4) Place on floured surface until ready to cook

5) Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add as many dumplings that will fit without sticking; depends on pot size, but try and use the largest one you have
6) Cover and cook for 2 minutes and add scant 1 cup of cold water then bring back to a boil and cover; cook additional 2 minutes then drain
7) Serve with dipping sauce of choice