Lamb Dumplings (羊肉饺子 Yang Rou Jiao Zi)

In a small bowl, immerse 1 teaspoon of red Sichuan peppercorn in 1/4 cup of hot water for at least 5 minutes. Filter out the red Sichuan peppercorn afterwards. Peel and mince the ginger. Chop the cilantro into small pieces.

In a large mixing bowl, first mix 1 lb of ground lamb meat and 2 tablespoons of the Sichuan peppercorn water together. Then add the minced ginger, chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of Chinese cooking wine, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, mixing either clockwise or counterclockwise until well mixed. Let the meat marinate a bit on the counter while preparing the daikon.

Peel and chop the daikon into small pieces. Use a mandolin slicer or food processor to turn the daikon into small pieces. (You can also do it by hand).

Add the chopped daikon to the large mixing bowl with the ground lamb, slowly mixing either clockwise or counterclockwise until well mixed.

Follow steps 5-8 from my Chinese Chive dumpling post for detailed instructions on how to fold the dumplings (the pleated way) as well as the two cooking methods I normally use (the pot sticker method and the boiling method).

With extra dumplings, follow step 10 from my Napa Cabbage dumpling post for how to freeze and store the extra dumplings for later.

Dipping sauce: for every 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, use 2-3 tablespoons of Chinese black vinegar or balsamic vinegar. For lamb dumplings, I especially recommend having some chopped cilantro and minced garlic added to the sauce. For a spicy kick, add a few drops of chili oil or chili sauce.