SUREFIRE SIU MAI - DIM SUM

Steps:

• Pour enough warm water over the mushrooms ina small bowl to cover them completely. Let soak until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain the mushrooms, discard the stems, and mince the caps.
• Make the filling: Stir the ground chicken or pork/shrimp mixture, bamboo shoots, egg, green onion, soy sauce, salt, ginger, sugar, cornstarch, sesame oil, pepper, and mushrooms together in a bowl until thoroughly combined and spongy.
• Make the dumplings: Place a heaping teaspoon of the filling in the center of a siu mai wrapper. (Keep the remaining wrappers covered with a damp kitchen towel to keep them from drying out.) Bring the sides of the wrapper together, bunching them around the filling and smoothing any pleats. (If you like you can spend a little time making nice, even pleats.) Flatten the bottom of the dumpling by tapping it against a firm surface, and squeeze the sides of the dumpling gently so the filling plumps ou of the top. Place a few shreds of the carrot and a pea, if using, in the filling. Set the dumpling on a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling. Keep the formed dumplings covered with a damp kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out.
• Pour 3/4 inch water into a wok and bring to a boil (make sure the bottom of the bamboo steamer rests above the boiling water.) Line a steaming basket with the lettuce leaves. Arrange half the dumplings without touching one another, in the prepared basket. Cover and steam over high heat until the filling is cooked through, about 15 minutes. You may need to add additional water to the wok/steamer between batches.
• Transfer the dumplings to a serving platter and cover with foil, shiny side down, to keep them warm while you steam the remaining dumplings. Serve the dumplings warm with the dipping sauce.