Directions

• Make the filling: Mix all the filling ingredients in a large bowl, stirring in one direction for 3 to 5 minutes, until the mixture starts to look and feel sticky. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour while you prepare the dough.
• Make the dough: Sift the wheat starch (or potato starch) and cornstarch (or tapioca starch) into a large bowl. In a medium saucepan, bring the to a boil over medium-high heat and slowly pour it into the starch mixture, stirring rapidly with chopsticks. Add the lard (or neutral oil) and continue to stir with chopsticks until a loose dough ball forms. Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a clean counter or work surface. Knead the dough by hand for a couple of minutes, until the dough has formed a smooth ball and feels uniform and elastic.
• Roll the dough into a cylinder about 3 inches thick and 1 1/2 to 2 feet long and divide it into 20 equal pieces. Form the pieces into balls. Working quickly and using your hand, flatten each ball into circles about 3 inches in diameter. Cover the dough pieces with a damp paper towel as you make them.
• Dampen a towel under which to keep the rest of the dumpling wrappers while you work. Prepare a parchment-lined baking sheet on which to store the already prepared dumplings. Place 1 1/2 teaspoons of filling in the center of each dumpling wrapper. Fold the dumpling into a half-moon shape. Hold the dumpling, seam-side up, between your thumb and index finger. Use the index finger and thumb of your other hand to pinch a section of the dumpling edge and pull it toward the web of the holding hand to make a small pleat. Repeat around the edge of the dumpling until you have between 6 and 8 pleats. (Dumplings can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.)
• Set up a steamer following the instructions in the headnote. Working in batches, add the dumplings to the steamer and steam for 6 minutes, until dumpling skin is glossy. Serve immediately.