Jade Scallop Dumplings

Recipe Instructions Sift the wheat starch and tapioca starch into a bowl. Make a well in the center of the starches and pour the boiling water all at once into the well. Stir vigorously until the mixture forms a ball. (The boiling water will cook the starches, which will result in a transparent wrapper. It is important to not let the water cool before adding it to the starches.) Make a dent in the dough, insert the lard or shortening into it and knead the dough until the lard is incorporated. (Kneading by hand works best, even though the mixture is quite hot.) Divide the dough ball in two. Roll each half into a cylinder 1-inch in diameter. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let it rest for 15 minutes. Cut the dough cylinders into 3/4-inch lengths and roll each piece into a ball. Cover with a damp towel until ready to use, up to 30 minutes. For the Filling: Stir the scallops, spinach, water chestnuts, celery, egg white, rice wine, soy sauce, cornstarch, ginger, lemon zest, salt and white pepper together in a medium bowl until well blended. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes. For the Dipping Sauce: Stir the soy sauce, rice vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, sugar and ginger together until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside. For the Dumplings: Place one of the dough balls between two squares of plastic wrap. Using a tortilla press, flatten the dough into a thin circle. (If you don't have a tortilla press, roll the dough balls out using a rolling pin. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of the filling into the center of the wrapper and bring the sides of the wrapper together around the filling; line up edges to form a half circle and pinch the edges to seal. Place the dumplings, without touching each other, onto two heatproof dishes or glass pie plates. Prepare a wok for steaming. Steam the dumplings, one plateful at a time, over high heat until the dough is translucent, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve with the dipping sauce. This recipe yields 7 servings.