Rose Siu Mai

To make the dough, in a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, turmeric and salt. Add the hot water and, using a flexible spatula, stir to form a shaggy dough. Using your hands, knead the dough until it is mostly smooth (a few lumps and dimples are okay). The dough should be tacky but not stick to your hands. If the dough feels too dry, add another tablespoon of hot water, or a little more if needed. If it feels too sticky, knead in another tablespoon of flour, or a little more if needed. Form the dough into a ball and tightly wrap in plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
 
To make the filling, in a bowl, using a flexible spatula, stir together the pork, shrimp, green onions, oyster sauce, sugar, salt and white pepper until evenly combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to overnight.
 
On a work surface lightly dusted with cornstarch, unwrap the dough. Using a knife or bench scraper, divide the dough into four equal portions. Working with one piece of dough at a time and keeping the rest of the dough covered with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out, form the dough into a ball and, using a rolling pin, flatten into an oval 1/2 inch (12 mm) thick. Lightly dust the dough with cornstarch. Starting on the widest setting, run the dough through a pasta roller. Decrease the thickness by one notch and repeat, dusting the dough with more cornstarch if needed to prevent it from sticking. Repeat, setting the rollers one notch narrower each time, until the dough is about 1/16 inch (2 mm), about the second-to-last setting on most pasta rollers.
 
Place the rolled dough on a work surface dusted with cornstarch and repeat to roll out the remaining pieces of dough. Let the dough sheets dry out for about 15 minutes, which will make the wrappers easier to handle.
 
Using a 3-inch (7.5-cm) round cutter, cut out rounds from the dough. Gather the dough scraps, knead them together, and roll them through the pasta roller again as directed above. Cut out more rounds from the dough; you should have about 60 wrappers. Stack the rounds on top of each other, dusting with cornstarch between each layer to prevent them from sticking.
 
Place a small bowl of water next to the wrappers, and dust a large rimmed baking sheet with cornstarch.
 
To form a rose, arrange 3 dumpling wrappers side by side in a horizontal line so that the edges overlap by about 1/4 inch (6 mm), using your finger to dab a little water where the wrappers meet so they stick together. Spread a heaping tablespoon of the filling in a log shape lengthwise along the wrappers. Fold in half by picking up the bottom half of the wrappers and folding them up and over the filling. Using your finger, dab a little water along the bottom (straight) edge to help the roses stick when they are rolled up. Now, starting at a short end of the wrappers, roll the dumpling into a tight coil, using another dab of water to secure the end of the coil so it doesn’t unravel. If desired, you can use your fingers to adjust the petals. Place the dumpling on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling to form 20 dumplings.
 
In a sauté pan or wok large enough to hold a bamboo steamer, bring water to a boil. Working in batches, arrange the dumplings in the bamboo steamer, spacing them at least 1/2 inch (12 mm) apart. Set the steamer in the pan, cover with the lid and steam for 8 minutes. Place the steamer basket on a wire rack and remove the lid. Let the dumplings cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. Makes 32 dumplings. Serves 8.

Adapted from Mooncakes & Milk Bread by Kristina Cho (Harper Horizon Books, 2021)