August 2015: Banh Bot Loc- Tapioca Dumplings

(~60 dumplings)

Ingredients:
Filling:
1/2 lb meat of your choice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp minced shallot + ½ tsp minced shallot for stir-fry
Cooking Oil

Dough:
7oz of tapioca flour
1 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 boiling water

Garnish:
1/4 cup fresh chives, finely chopped
2 tbsp cup (60 ml) cooking oil

Dipping Sauce:
Fish sauce, sugar, vinegar, water, garlic, red pepper flakes

Directions:
For filling:
1. Mix meat with sugar, salt, half of the shallot, garlic, pepper. Cover and let it marinate for 30 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a pan and stir fry the remaining shallot. Add the meat mixture, sear until cooked.
3. Set aside to cool.

For garnish:
1. Heat the oil, and when it starts to smoke, pour over the chopped chive bowl.
2. Set aside.

For dough:
1. Mix tapioca flour with salt. Add oil, boiling water and mix.
2. Add more water if the dough is too dry.
3. Mix at higher speed until the dough is elastic and no longer sticks to your hands.
4. Take a small amount of the dough, roll out the dough and stretch into a strip, then cut it into small evenly sized pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Flatten the ball out evenly into a circular shape, to a thickness of about ⅛ of an inch.
5. Put the meat on the center of the dough. Fold over the dough, and press the edges tightly to seal. Use a round cookie cutter to cut the edge. Then set on a covered dish. Continue making the rest of the dumplings.
6. Bring a pan of generous amount of water to a boil on medium-high heat. Drop the dumplings into boiling water. Cook for approximately 10 minutes, until the dumplings start to become clear and float to the surface of the boiling water.
7. Boil for a few more minutes then transfer them into a bowl of cold ice water. The dumplings will become more transparent in the cold water.
8. Drain, and place on a dish for serving. Spread the chive onion oil mixture on the dumplings. Add garnish and serve.