Pork-and-Peanut Dumplings

Ingredients

• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1/2 pound lean ground pork
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled gingerroot
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons chopped unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
• 3 tablespoons sliced green onions
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 30 (3-inch) gyoza skins
• Steamed green cabbage leaves

Preparation

1. Combine boiling water and mushrooms in a bowl; cover and let stand 30 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup mushroom liquid, and let cool completely. Discard stems, and finely chop caps; set aside.
2. Cook pork, gingerroot, and garlic in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain well, and return pork mixture to skillet.
3. Combine reserved mushroom liquid and cornstarch; stir well. Add to skillet; cook over medium heat 30 seconds or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in chopped mushroom caps, cilantro, peanuts, green onions, soy sauce, and sugar.
4. Working with 1 gyoza skin at a time (cover remaining skins to keep them from drying out), spoon about 2 teaspoons pork mixture into center of each skin. Moisten edges of skin with water. Fold in half, pinching edges together to seal. Place dumplings, seam sides up, on a baking sheet; cover loosely with a towel to keep from drying out.
5. Line a bamboo steamer with steamed green cabbage leaves. Place dumplings 1/2 inch apart in steamer, and cover with steamer lid. Add water to a large skillet to a depth of 1 inch, and bring to a boil. Place steamer in skillet, and steam dumplings 10 minutes. Remove dumplings from steamer.