Pig Tail and Shrimp Dumplings, Black Sesame, Ruby Streaks, and Chile Oil

METHOD:

For the Confit Pig Tails:

In a bowl, combine salt, sugar, garlic, ginger, and chile flakes. Toss pig tails in spice mixture, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Heat oven to 300ºF. Rinse spice mixture from pig tails and pat dry. Place pig tails in a hotel pan, cover with fat, and confit 2 hours in oven, until meat easily pulls from the bones. Cool pig tails in the fat. When cool, remove from fat and separate meat from bones, discarding bones and keeping skin and meat separate. Roughly chop meat and dehydrate skins.

For the Chile Oil:

In a saucepan, heat olive oil and chile flakes until fragrant. Remove from heat and steep at room temperature overnight. Strain through a chinois, cool, and transfer to a squeeze bottle.

For the Dumpling Filling:

In a food processor, combine pork and 3 ounces shrimp and pulse to a smooth paste. Transfer to a bowl and fold in remaining shrimp, 4 ounces meat from Pig tail Confit, and remaining ingredients. Cover and set aside in refrigerator.

For the Dumplings:

In a bowl, combine wheat and tapioca starches, salt, and olive oil. Add boiling water and knead mixture until a uniform dough forms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and rest 20 minutes. Transfer dough to a work surface. With a rolling pin, roll dough as thinly as possible. With a ring mold, punch out 22 circles. Fill each circle with ½ ounce Dumpling Filling and form dumpling as with shumai.

For the Sesame Paste:

In a food processor, combine sesame seeds and sesame oil; pulse until smooth. Season with salt.

To Assemble and Serve:

Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375ºF. Fry dried pork skin from Confit Pigt tails until puffed and crisp. Place Dumplings in steamer basket and steam on high heat for 5 minutes. Using a brush, paint Sesame Paste on bottom of serving bowl. Arrange Dumplings on the Sesame Paste and garnish with fried skin, ruby streaks, green onions, Chile Oil, and lemon juice.