PORK-AND-PEANUT DUMPLINGS 1 cup boiling water 1/2 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms 1/2 pound ground pork 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger 1 garlic clove, minced 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 3 tablespoons chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts 3 tablespoons sliced green onions 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon sugar 30 (3-inch) gyoza skins Steamed green cabbage leaves

Combine the boiling water and mushrooms in a bowl; cover and let stand 30 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup mushroom liquid, cool completely. Discard stems, and finely chop caps; set aside.

Cook the pork, ginger, and garlic in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain well; return pork mixture to pan.

Combine reserved mushroom liquid and cornstarch. Add to pan; cook over medium heat 30 seconds or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in chopped mushroom caps, cilantro, peanuts, onions, soy sauce, and sugar.

Working with 1 gyoza skin at a time (cover the remaining skins to keep them from drying), spoon about 2 teaspoons pork mixture into center of each skin. Moisten edges of skin with water. Fold in half, pinching edges together to seal. Place the dumplings, seam sides up, on a baking sheet; cover loosely with a towel to keep them from drying. Layer dumplings between sheets of wax paper in a freezer container; seal and freeze.

To serve, thaw dumplings in a single layer overnight in refrigerator. Line a bamboo steamer with steamed green cabbage leaves. Place dumplings 1/2 inch apart in steamer; cover with steamer lid. Add water to a large skillet to a depth of 1 inch; bring to a boil. Place steamer in pan; steam dumplings 10 minutes. Remove dumplings from steamer.

Makes 30 appetizers.

[The Best of Cooking Light, Make it Ahead]