Har gow, shrimp dumplings

Mix 100 g peeled shrimp with half a teaspoon of salt and set aside five minutes.

Rinse the shrimp under cool running water for at least fifteen minutes to remove the surface slime.

Dice the wild rice stem and set aside.

Blanch the pork fat about one minute, cool it in the running water, then cut into sheets, slivers and a fine dice.

Chop the rinsed shrimp to a rough mince about soybean sized.

Season the shrimp with salt, sugar, cornstarch, MSG and white pepper.

Stir with chopsticks in one direction only for two to three minutes, until the paste leaves streaks on the bowl.

Mix in the diced pork fat, toasted sesame oil, lard and wild rice stem; cover and chill in the freezer.

Add a teaspoon of salt to a bowl, sift in 225 g wheat starch, then work in 350 g hot boiled water bit by bit with a rolling pin.

Cover with a plate and rest five minutes.

Turn out onto a smooth surface and knead in 25 g cornstarch, sprinkling it into the centre and folding the sides up like a box.

Knead about three minutes, then work in 8 g lard for a couple more minutes.

Roll into a large log, split into about seven pieces, roll each to logs about an inch and a half across, then rest covered in a lightly oiled bowl ten minutes.

Cut the dough into 10 gram pieces and roll into balls.

Rub the flat of the knife on the oiled cloth, press down on a ball and push and swirl it into an even circle; keep the thicker side facing the same way.

Fill a skin with about a teaspoon of filling, fold into a taco shape and pinch down one side.

Pleat by pinching with one hand and pressing with the other, aiming for at least nine pleats.

Press above the filling, shape the round bottom, trim the excess with scissors and pinch the top closed; cover with plastic wrap.

Set the dumplings on a lightly oiled steaming plate in a bamboo steamer over rapidly boiling water, cover, and steam over max flame four minutes.