Almond Pumpkin Dumplings

Dim Sum and Other Snack Foods

Almond Pumpkin Dumplings
Ingredients:
1 pound diced pumpkin, boiled until soft, then drained and mashed 1 cup glutinous rice flour
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 pound ground pork
2 Tablespoons minced dried shrimp, minced
2 Tablespoons minced Chinese radish
3 Chinese black mushrooms, soaked, their stems removed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon cornstarch and one tablespoon of cold water
2 Tablespoons sliced peeled almonds
2 Tablespoons peanut oil
Preparation:
1. Mix mashed pumpkin, glutinous rice flour, and half the vegetable oil. Set aside to cool.
2. Heat the rest of the oil, fry the pork, shrimp, radish, mushrooms, salt, and sugar for two minutes. Set aside in a strainer sitting over a bowl, until cool.
3. Take three tablespoons of the pumpkin mixture and make it into a ball. Push a thumb into the center and make this into a large opening. Stuff with three tablespoons of the meat mixture, and push the ends of the pumpkin up and around sealing the meat inside. Set aside on a platter brushed with some of the sesame oil. Repeat until all the pumpkin and meat have been used.
4. Brush the rest of the oil onto the bottom of a steamer basket and onto all of the pumpkin dumpling balls. Brush the cornstarch mixture over this and sprinkle some almond slices on the top of each ball, slightly flattening it while pushing the almonds slightly into the pumpkin dough exterior. Use leftover cornstarch water brushing the tops of every dumpling.
5. Steam over rapidly boiling water for five minutes.
6. Heat peanut oil, and remove pumpkin dumplings to the hot oil, and fry about one minute or two until their bottoms are golden. Turn them onto their tops and fry another minute. Drain on paper towels, then serve.

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