Edible flowers and shepherd's purses

Shepherd's Purse Dumplings

(A recipe from my husband's grandmother.)

? 500g fresh jicai, shepherd's purse

? 200g minced belly pork

? 2 eggs, scrambled

? Sesame oil, salt, pepper

? 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns

? 50 dumpling wrappers

Add the Sichuan peppercorns to about two tablespoons of oil, fry till peppercorns are fragrant. Discard peppercorns and keep the oil.

Wash shepherd's purse thoroughly, especially if you had picked them yourself, rinse in several changes of water. Blanch them in boiling water and rinse in cool water. Squeeze dry and finely chop.

Season minced belly pork with salt, pepper and sesame oil. Mix in chopped jicai and scrambled eggs. Mix well and pour cooled Sichuan peppercorn oil over. Blend thoroughly.

Wrap the dumplings, nipping them shut firmly. You can either cook the dumplings in water, or fry them as pot-stickers.

Serve with chili oil and vinegar with minced garlic.

Shepherd's purse need the extra oil for a better, smoother texture. When my husband's granny made these, pork was still a rare treat, so scrambled eggs helped the filling go a bit further.