Make the filling:

• Place shredded Napa cabbage into a colander.
• Sprinkle coarse sea salt over the cabbage and gently massage. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, squeeze the cabbage tightly and drain excess moisture.
• Add the cabbage to a stand mixer bowl fitted with paddle attachment.
• Next, add in the ground pork, garlic, green onions, soy sauce, sugar, salt, sesame oil, Chinese 5-spice powder and chicken bouillon powder (if using), and cornstarch.
• Mix on low speed until the ground pork mixture is homogenous and small strands begin to appear, about 5-7 minutes.
• Tip: if you don't have a mixer, you can use stir the mixture by hand in one direction using a pair of chopsticks.

Assemble:

• Take one dumpling wrapper and place it onto a plate or work surface.
• Add about 1 tablespoon of filling to the center of the wrapper, dab one half of the wrapper with water and fold the dumpling to seal.
• This is the easiest way to seal the dumpling. You can seal the dumpling using different pleating techniques.
• Place the completed dumpling onto a large baking tray lined with parchment paper, or a plate lightly greased with sesame oil.
• Repeat with the remaining dumpling wrappers and filling.

Cook the dumplings:

Boil:

• Bring a pot of water up to a boil.
• Add in the dumplings, stir gently and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the dumplings float. Add a few extra minutes if cooking from frozen.
• Remove with a slotted spoon and serve with your choice of soy sauce, black vinegar, or chili oil.

Steam:

• Add the dumplings to a steaming rack (allow space in between the dumplings so they don't stick).
• Tip: lightly oil the steaming rack with sesame oil, use parchment paper with a few holes cut out, or a wet calico cloth on top of the steaming rack to prevent the dumplings from sticking.
• Bring a pot of water up to a boil.
• Carefully place the steaming rack over pot of boiling water and cover with a lid.
• Steam dumplings for 6-8 minutes, until cooked through. Add a few extra minutes if cooking from frozen.

Serve:

• In a bowl, combine the dumpling sauce ingredients and give it a good mix. Omit chili oil if you don't like it spicy.
• Serve dumplings hot with dumpling sauce or chili oil.