Soup Dumplings

Special tools: Bamboo steamer or large pot with a steamer insert.

1. To make the chicken jelly soup (aspic): In a large pot (with a lid), combine all the aspic ingredients and add enough water to submerge everything. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover with the lid, reduce the heat to medium, and let cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Uncover and skim off any scum and oil that is floating on the surface. Add enough water to cover once more and cook for another hour, skimming any scum and oil off the surface. Add enough water to cover for the third time and cook until the liquid has reduced in half, about an hour, skimming any scum and oil off the surface. Strain the liquid into a heatproof container and discard the ingredients (at this point they will have no flavor left). Cover the strained liquid and refrigerate until gelatinous, about an hour. Roughly slice the aspic into ¼-inch (6 mm) cubes.
2. To make the juicy pork filling: In a medium bowl, combine the ground pork, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, sugar, salt, and pepper and mix until it becomes a paste. Add the ginger and the white part of the scallions and mix until combined. Add the cubed aspic and gently mix to ensure that the aspic keeps its shape.
3. To make the dumpling wrappers: Add the flour to a large bowl and pour over the boiling water while mixing with a spatula until the flour and water are fully absorbed. Continue to mix and, once warm and a dough forms, turn the dough out onto a sparingly flour-covered surface. Knead the dough with your hands until soft, about 10 minutes. Once soft, flatten the dough into a rectangle and spread it with the canola oil. Fold the dough like a letter for an envelope, with the top side folded to the middle and the bottom side folded over the top. Continue kneading until the oil is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Let the dough rest under plastic wrap for 10 minutes.
4. Divide the dough into 4 equal-size pieces. Using a rolling pin, roll out each piece into a 9-inch (23 cm) circle, ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick. Make striations in the dough circles by lifting them and placing a chopstick underneath. Pull the chopstick upward to make a ridge, then solidify the ridge by pinching the dough. Continue to make striations in one direction throughout the dough circles, spacing them 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart.
5. Add one-quarter of the juicy pork filling to the center of one of the dumpling wrappers, along with some of the chopped green parts of the scallions. Seal the dumpling together by folding the opposite edges in the middle, making sure the seams match. Cut off excess dough on the sides and compress and tuck the side seals.
6. With the extra dough, make the "wing" decorations by flattening the dough into a thin layer and cutting out sixteen ½-inch-tall (12 mm) triangles. Working with one triangle at a time, press the right and left sides of the triangle together to make a cone. Add water to the base of the wing and adhere it to the middle of a dumpling, pressing them together and rubbing the edges of the base of the wing to remove any seams. Form 3 more wings and adhere them around the middle of the dumpling, evenly spacing them apart. Place the completed dumpling on its own piece of parchment paper, then set it aside under a cloth or plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. Repeat step 6 and this step for the remaining wings and dumplings.
7. Steam the dumplings on their pieces of parchment paper in the bamboo steamer or large pot with a steamer insert for 15 to 20 minutes, until firm to the touch. If using a pot with a steamer insert, leave the lid open and slightly tilted to allow the water to run off the sides and not onto the dumplings, which may cause a bumpy effect on the surface of the dumplings.
8. Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce: In a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients and stir to mix well.
9. Spoon some dipping sauce onto each plate, then place a dumpling on top. Serve hot.