Banh Bot Loc (Clear Dumplings w/ Pork and Shrimp)

This is one out of the many dishes that my mother is making for the dam gio. I think her recipe beats store bought dumplings any day.

First, empty out two bags of transparent wet rice rolls flour into a bowl.

Pour in two cups of hot water and knead for about 5 minutes until the dough is soft and smooth. If it is too sticky, add additional tapioca starch until it is easy to handle.

Cut the dough into quarters and apply my mother's technique (roll each piece into a thin, long rope and then use a scissor to snip off small pieces of dough).

Mold each piece of dough into a small, thin pancake. It should be no larger than the palm of your hand.

For it to be authentic, you have to fill it with shrimp and pork. My mom simply stir-fries the shrimp and pork, adding dashes of brown sugar and fish sauce.

Now, comes my job. I am the official dumpling pincher and I take my job very seriously. However, today my father jumps in with another one of his genius inventions. Using a piece of plastic, he attempts to make the perfect dumpling pincher mold, in hopes of making my job a bit easier.

Thanks dad.

When you're finished, you can either cook the dumplings right away or freeze them. If you freeze them, be sure to let them thaw a bit before you cook them.

To cook the dumplings, dump them into a boiling pot of water. When the dumplings float and are clear in color, they are ready. Top them off with some soy sauce or fish sauce.

Unfortunately, I was not able to document the cooking portion. My mother cooked them too early in the morning, when I was still snoozing in bed.