Shiitake And Chive Dumplings

• 225g plain flour
• 130–150ml hot water
• vegetable oil, for frying

The Filling

• 50g rice vermicelli noodles
• a handful of coriander
• 1 spring onion
• a thumb-size piece of ginger
• 1 garlic clove
• 5 shiitake mushrooms, soaked and drained
• 200g Chinese chives or garlic shoots
• 5 pak choi leaves
• 1 leaf of Chinese leaf cabbage

The Marinade

• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• ½ tablespoon cornflour

The Dipping Sauce

• 4 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons Chinkiang black rice vinegar
• a thumb-size piece of ginger, finely sliced

• Sieve the flour into a bowl. Gradually add the water, mixing with a fork to form a dough, then knead it on a lightly dusted surface for 5 minutes until slightly elastic.

• Roll out the pastry to a thickness of 1–2mm, then use a 70mm diameter circular cutter to cut out as many pastries as possible. Set the pastries aside on a baking sheet or tray and cover with a tea towel until needed.

• For the filling, put the noodles in a bowl, cover with hot water and soak for 3 minutes. Drain and dry the noodles on a clean kitchen towel, then finely chop them along with all the other filling ingredients. Put the chopped filling ingredients in a bowl along with the marinade ingredients and mix together well.

• Combine the dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl or ramekin and wrap the dumplings as shown below.

• Half-fill a large pot, wok or deep-fryer with vegetable oil and heat to 180°C (350°F), or until the tip of a wooden chopstick or skewer starts to fizz after a second or so in the oil.

• Carefully add the dumplings in batches of no more than 10 and deep-fry for 3 minutes, until golden brown. Remove the dumplings carefully with a slotted spoon and drain well on a plate covered with kitchen paper. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce.