Instructions: In a large bowl thoroughly mix all filling ingredients together by hand. Cook a tester to check for seasoning.

For the Cold Water Dough: In a stainless steel bowl, mix flour and salt. Slowly add cold water to flour in 1/4-cup increments. Mix with chopsticks until a ball is formed. On a floured surface, knead dough until it becomes a smooth, elastic ball. Place back in bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Allow dough to rest for at least 1 hour.

Working on a floured surface with floured hands, roll out dough to form a long noodle, 1-inch in diameter. Cut 1/2-inch pieces and turn them over so cut sides are facing up. Flatten with your palm and roll out thin using a rolling pin. The dumpling wrapper should end up about 3 inches in diameter.

Making The Dumplings: Place a small mound of filling in the middle of the wrapper. (Be very careful not to touch the edges with the filling, as this will impede proper sealing of the dumplings. Nothing is worse than dumplings breaking during cooking.) Fold the wrapper in half to form a half moon shape. Starting on one end fold/pinch the wrapper tightly together. Proceed with this fold/pinch method until the dumpling is completely sealed. There will be approximately 10 to 14 folds per dumpling. Rest the dumplings with the folded edges straight up.

Cooking The Dumplings: Use a large stock pot with plenty of water. Add a small handful of salt, as if you were cooking pasta. Make sure the water is at a rolling boil before adding dumplings. Once the dumplings are dropped, gently stir so that they do not stick together or stick to the bottom. Do not try to boil too many at a time, as it will take too long to cook resulting in soggy dumplings. Overcooking also causes the dumplings to break apart.

For the Spicy Soy Dipping Sauce: Combine all and serve in a small bowl.

For Plating: Serve dumplings on a large platter lined with lettuce with a bowl of dipping sauce on the side. One family tradition is the serving of the dumpling broth at the end of the meal since inevitably some of the dumplings do break and flavor the water. Waste not, want not.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.