Directions

XO Sauce:

1. In two individual small bowls, soak the dried scallops (in one bowl) and dried shrimp (in another bowl) in hot water until softened, 30 to 45 minutes. Drain the water and place the scallops and shrimp in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times until coarse.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add the garlic and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden brown, 6 to 9 minutes. Watch carefully as it can easily burn if the heat is too high. Reduce or adjust heat as needed. Add the shrimp, scallops, and chili flakes. Continue to cook until the oil is a deep amber color and the bits are crispy, 6 to 9 minutes.
3. Pour into a heat proof container with a fitted lid. Add salt, brown sugar, and dark soy and mix to combine. Allow the XO sauce to cool. Cover with a lid and store in the fridge for up to 1 month. Flavor is best after at least 1 day.

Mini Dumplings:

1. Make the filling: Finely chop the shrimp into a paste-like texture with some larger chunks. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl. Add sesame oil, cilantro, salt, white pepper, soy sauce, and cornstarch. Mix to combine. Cover the bowl and chill in the fridge until ready to assemble dumplings. Up to 1 day.
2. Make the dough: In a large mixing bowl, whisk combine sweet potato starch, tapioca starch, and salt. Pour boiling water over the surface and slightly mix with a flexible spatula. While the dough is still dry and shaggy, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the hot water to steam the dough, 10 minutes. Add oil and mix the dough until crumbly. Start kneading with your hands until you have a smooth dough, 3 to 4 minutes. Dough is now ready to assemble dumplings. If waiting (up to 1 hour), wrap tightly in plastic wrap and rest at room temperature.

Assembly:

1. Assemble dumplings: On a lightly dusted surface, divide the dough in half, keeping one half tightly wrapped to avoid drying out, and roll out the other half of dough into a 1-inch thick rope. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces with a sharp knife or bench scraper. Loosely cover the pieces of dough with a clean kitchen towel to prevent drying out. Working with one piece at a time, pinch the piece of dough into a round shape and place cut-side up on the worksurface. Fatten with the palm of your hand and roll out into a 3 1/2-inch to 4-inch round with a rolling pin. Fill with a tablespoon of filling and pinch close. Adjust the filling amount per wrapper size and what you feel comfortable assembling. Place formed dumpling on a baking sheet lightly dusted with cornstarch. Repeat with remaining dumplings.
2. To steam dumplings: Prepare steamer set up (bamboo steamers set over pot of boiling water). Spray the surface of the bamboo steamers with nonstick spray or line with perforated parchment. Fill the steamer with dumplings, spaced at least 1/2” apart. Cover with lid and steam over boiling water for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the lid and remove the steamers from the pot and allow the dumplings to cool for at least 3 minutes. They will be VERY sticky at first and will be easier to handle as they cool for a few minutes. Serve with XO Sauce!
3. To pan fry dumplings: Heat a little bit of oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add the dumplings to the pan and cook until the bottoms look crisp and lightly golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1/3 cup of water to the pan and cover with a lid. Steam the dumplings for 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the lid and allow any remaining water to cook off. Transfer the dumplings to a tray to cool slightly and serve with XO Sauce.