Egg dumplings

Ingredientsserves 6

Equipment

• A metal ladle, not plastic, with a handle long enough to hold steady over the flame
• A folded piece of kitchen paper dipped in oil, to wipe the ladle each time
• The ladle gets very hot, so an adult holds it; children spoon in the filling and lay the dumplings out

How the time splits

1. 10 minSeason the pork mince and stir until stickyhands on
2. 15 minLet it rest and beat the eggshands off
3. 40 minFry the egg skins in a ladle and fold in the fillinghands on

Method

1. Mix the pork with the soy, sugar, pepper, 1 teaspoon of the cornflour, the sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of water, stirring in one direction until thick and sticky. Fold in the spring onion and chill for fifteen minutes.
2. Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt. Mix the other teaspoon of cornflour with a tablespoon of water and beat it into the eggs. The starch makes the skins a little stronger, so they fold without tearing.
3. Heat the ladle over a low flame and wipe it round with the oiled paper. Pour in a tablespoon of egg and turn the ladle at once so it runs into a round skin across the bowl of the ladle.
4. When the edge has set but the top is still a little wet, put a teaspoon of filling on one side, fold the other half over with chopsticks and press the edge lightly; the unset egg is the glue that seals it.
5. Slide it out onto a plate, wipe the ladle with oil and make the next. Too hot and the skin bubbles and burns; too cool and it sticks. After three or four you will have it.
6. The filling is raw. At the hotpot, give them at least five minutes at a full boil, floating or not; cut one open and eat them only when the pork in the middle is hot, white and free of pink.
7. To make them ahead, steam them on a plate for ten minutes until cooked, cool them quickly and get them into the freezer within two hours, spread apart, and bag them once hard; use within a month. They go into the pot straight from the freezer and simmer until hot right through.

The short route

• Ready-made egg dumplings from a Chinese grocer's freezer usually have raw filling: straight from the freezer into the pot, at least five minutes at a full boil, and eaten only when cooked through.
• No ladle: fry small rounds of egg in a small frying pan and fold them the same way.

The sauce plate

Garlic soy

Take care

• Contains egg and pork; the soy sauce contains soy and wheat (gluten); sesame oil contains sesame.
• The filling is raw pork and must be cooked right through: at least five minutes at a full boil, hot right through and no pink when cut. Wash your hands and the board after handling raw meat. The ladle and oil are very hot, so an adult holds the ladle and children only spoon in the filling.

The story

Egg dumplings come from Jiangnan and Shanghai cooking, shaped like gold ingots, and found their way onto Hong Kong hotpot tables. They are a job the whole family can do together: the adults hold the ladle and the children add the filling. Make a tray, freeze it, and bring it out for the hotpot.

Same kind

Prawn pasteCuttlefish pasteHand-beaten beef balls

Lo Fo Tong is cultural food-heritage reference, not medical advice. If you are pregnant, unwell or on medication, talk to your doctor or registered practitioner before changing what is in the pot.