Beef Dumplings

Courtesy of Flavor and Fortune Magazine, the Chinese food magazine

2½ cups flour
1 pound hand-minced or coarsely ground beef
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons mushroom soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 scallion, minced
1 egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon of water
2 teaspoons sesame seeds, black, white, or mixed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1. Put flour in a bowl, add half cup of boiling water, and stir until combined, then slowly add half cup of cold water and stir until the dough makes a ball. Then knead it until the dough is smooth and shiny. Cover and allow to rest for half an hour.

2. Divide the dough into eight parts, cover, and let it rest another fifteen minutes before rolling each piece into a six-inch circle keeping the edges thinner than the center.

3. Mix beef, salt, soy sauce, sesame oil, and the minced scallion until combined. Divide into eight parts.

4. Brush each piece of dough with egg white then fill each center with one-eighth of the meat mixture making each into a half-moon-shaped dumpling. Close each crescent-shaped dumpling being sure the egg white seals the dough putting each one sealed side down on a platter.

5. Brush the top of each dumpling with egg white and sprinkle the sesame seeds on it pressing them into the dough.

6. Heat fry pan or wok, add the oil, and fry half the dumpling patties, sesame seed side down first for two or three minutes or until brown, then turn them over and fry them on the other side until brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the second batch. Serve alone or with a sauce of your choice.