Japanese Pot-Stickers

Ingredients

• 3-1/2 ounces cake flour
• 3-1/2 ounces bread flour
• Additional flour for dusting
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Stuffing Ingredients
• 5 ounces ground pork
• 1 teaspoon shoyu (soy sauce) plus more for dipping
• 3-1/2 ounces spinach leaf part only, chopped
• 1 portobello mushroom chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 garlic cloves grated
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic chives
• Pinch of sugar
• 4 tablespoons sesame or vegetable oil
• Japanese hot mustard paste or French smooth mustard paste

Instructions

1. 1
   Sift the two flours into a large bowl, and stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt. Have about 1/2 cup boiling water in a measuring cup. Add the water to the flour mixture little by little, stirring with a pair of chopsticks.
2. 2
   Shape the mixture into a ball, cover it with a moist cloth, and leave it for 1 hour.
3. 3
   On a floured work surface, knead the dough for 5 minutes or until it is smooth. Form the dough into a long log, and cut the log crosswise into 40 disks. Dust each cut side of the disk with additional flour to prevent the surfaces from drying out.
4. 4
   Roll each piece of dough into a 3-inch disk, making the rim thinner than the center. Dust the wrappers generously with additional flour, and stack them. If you are not using the wrappers right away, wrap the stack tightly in plastic wrap.
5. 5
   In a bowl, toss the chopped spinach and mushroom with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes. Squeeze the vegetables firmly to remove excess water.
6. 6
   In another bowl, toss the ground pork with the soy sauce, and mix until the pork is sticky. Add the vegetables, garlic, ginger, sugar and garlic chives.
7. 7
   Place a wrapper in one hand, wet half the rim of the wrapper with water (when you are using the freshly made wrapper, there is no need to wet the rim with water), and place about 1/40 of the stuffing in the center of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half by placing the dry edge over the wet edge. While sealing the dumpling, make six to seven pleats in the top, dry edge, starting at one side and continuing around the rim.
8. 8
   Over medium heat, heat a skillet or wok large enough to hold 20 dumplings, and add 1 tablespoon oil. When the oil is hot, add 20 dumplings to the skillet, pleated sides up, and cook until their bottoms are golden and crisp.
9. 9
   In a bowl, combine 1 cup boiling water and 2 tablespoons oil. When the bottoms of the dumplings are golden, add enough of this water and sesame oil mixture to the skillet or wok, so the liquid reaches to 1/3 the height of the dumplings. Immediately cover the skillet or wok, and cook the dumplings over low heat for 8 minutes.
10. 10
    Remove the lid of the skillet or wok, turn the heat to high, and cook away any remaining liquid. While cooking, shake the skillet or wok gently to avoid the dumplings from sticking to the skillet or wok. With a spatula, carefully remove the dumplings from the skillet or wok. Cook the remaining 20 dumplings in the same way, using 2 tablespoons more oil and another cup of boiling water. Serve the dumplings hot, with soy sauce and mustard paste.