Lard Crust Dumplings

Prepare the ingredients and seasonings: soak the dried black fungus in cold water until it softens, and remove the stems; cut the celery stalks into small sections; peel and cut the carrots into small pieces for later use. The dumpling wrappers are the ready-made ones sold at the market, I forgot to take a photo.

Beat the eggs, add about 15 grams of oil to a non-stick frying pan, and cook until done, allowing them to be a bit dry and crumbly if desired.

Put the pork cracklings, carrots, celery, and wood ear mushrooms into a meat grinder and grind them into coarse pieces.

Pour in 3 tablespoons of MeidiMei first-pressed cooking soy sauce. At first, do not add too much seasoning; it's better to be bland than salty. You can adjust it later if it's too bland.

Pour in 1 tablespoon of Weidamei scallion and ginger cooking wine to remove the fishy smell and enhance the aroma.

Add about 15 grams of oil to a non-stick pan, then stir-fry the minced vegetables with pork cracklings until cooked. During the frying process, the vegetables will release water. It's okay; just stir-fry a bit longer to slightly reduce the moisture, but there’s no need to dry it out completely.

Add the chopped boiled eggs and stir-fry evenly; the eggs will further absorb the moisture from the vegetables. Taste it, and it should feel slightly salty when eaten plain.

I want the dumplings to have a semi-transparent effect, so I rolled the dumpling wrappers thin. Place the filling in the center of the wrapper, fold it in half, and pinch pleats on one side of the wrapper.

After pinching the pleats, trim the edges to make them look nicer. Or make the dumplings according to your own habit.

Once the water is boiling, place in the steamer and steam on high heat for 6 to 8 minutes.

Thin-skinned and filled with plenty of stuffing, savory, salty, and oily; dip it in some dumpling vinegar, and each bite is absolutely delicious!