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1
Combine the all-purpose flour with boiling water to make a scalded dough (烫面). Mix until the dough comes together, then knead until smooth. Cover with a damp cloth and rest for 20 minutes. The dough is ready when it yields to light pressure without springing back and feels supple and pliable.
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2
Salt the napa cabbage, toss to distribute, and leave for 10 minutes. Press the cabbage thoroughly and completely dry — squeeze it in both hands repeatedly until no further liquid can be extracted. This step is where the dish lives or dies: any residual water dilutes the filling, waterloggs the dumplings, and causes skins to burst during boiling. The pressed cabbage should feel dense and nearly rigid in the hand, not damp.
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3
Work the pork mince together with soy sauce, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, and white pepper until the mixture becomes cohesive and slightly sticky. Fold in the pressed cabbage. The filling should hold its shape when a small amount is pinched between the fingers and release an immediate aroma of sesame, pork, and wine.
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4
Divide the rested dough into portions and roll into cylinders. Cut into pieces of approximately 10 g each. Using a small rolling pin, roll each piece into a round wrapper, working outward from the centre, rotating the disc as you roll so that the edge is thinner than the centre. The wrapper is correct when the centre is visibly thicker than the margin and the disc is evenly circular.
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5
Place a measured portion of filling at the centre of each wrapper. Fold the wrapper over the filling and pleat 8–10 single pleats on one side, or form the double-fold ear pleat (元宝形), pressing firmly to seal the seam. Pleating must compress the filling and close the seam completely. A correctly sealed dumpling shows no gaps along the ridge and holds its shape when gently pressed.
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6
Bring a large pot of salted water to a full rolling boil. Add the dumplings without crowding. When the water returns to the boil, add a measure of cold water to reduce the temperature. Repeat this addition of cold water twice more — three additions in total (三点水). After the third addition and return to the boil, the dumplings are done. They should be plump, slightly translucent, and wholly intact; burst seams indicate wet filling or an unsealed edge.
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7
Remove the dumplings directly from the water and serve immediately. The skin should offer a faint, clean resistance before yielding — a slight bite, with the inner surface starchy and silky. On the first bite, the filling aroma — pork sweetness, sesame, and cabbage — releases in an immediate burst of steam. Mushiness indicates the skin was rolled too thin or the water temperature was not adequately controlled.