Instructions: Combine the wheat starch and cornstarch in a bowl. Add the boiling water, stirring with chopsticks or a fork until dough is evenly moistened. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes. Combine the filling ingredients in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

On a lightly oiled surface, knead the dough until smooth. Work in the lard, 1/4 teaspoon at a time, kneading after each addition until dough glistens and feels satiny. Divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a 15-inch long cylinder. Cut each cylinder crosswise into 1-inch pieces; shape each piece into a ball. Cover with a damp cloth to prevent drying.

Flatten a ball of dough and roll with a rolling pin into a 3-inch circle. Spoon 1 heaping teaspoon of filling in the center of the circle. Lightly moisten the edges with water and fold the circle in half. Starting at one end, seal the curved edges together with 4 to 6 pleats, pinching the edges to seal securely. Cover the filled dumplings with a damp cloth while shaping the rest.

Line the bottoms of two bamboo steamers with small damp cloths. Arrange half the dumplings in each without crowding. Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a wok. Stack the steamers, cover, and steam over boiling water until the dumplings are translucent, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve with soy sauce and mustard.

This recipe yields about 30 dumplings.

Tip: Wheat starch, the starchy part of flour separated from the gluten, is a pure white powder with the look and feel of cornstarch. It is sold in Chinese groceries.

Comments: These delicious dumplings with their transparent skins come from Chiu Chow cuisine, named after a region around Shantou in Southeastern China. Chiu Chow dishes and restaurants are common in Hong Kong and most of the cities of Southeast Asia, where people from this region have settled as emigrants and traders for centuries.

Yield: 30 dumplings

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