Combine the soy sauce, scallion, ginger and bay leaf in a small sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until simmering. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the ginger and scallion pieces using a slotted spoon and discard them. Add the brown sugar and five spice powder into the sauce. Stir and cook until dissolved. Combine the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water and stir to dissolve completely, then pour it into the soy sauce mixture. Stir and cook until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

Combine the ginger and Sichuan peppercorn in a small bowl and pour the hot water over them. Stir a few times. Let sit for 10 minutes. Then strain the mixture through a fine sieve. Discard the ginger and Sichuan pepper.

Add the pork into a medium-sized bowl. Add the ginger peppercorn water, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, salt, sugar and sesame oil. Stir in one circular direction until all the ingredients are absorbed and the pork becomes sticky.

Make the dumplings by adding about 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of a dumpling wrapper. Fold the wrapper into a half-moon shape and press to seal the edges, or fold the dumpling pleats using the method in the blog post (refer to the photos and video above). Place the folded dumplings onto a tray and cover with damp paper towels to prevent them from drying out.

While folding the dumplings, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the dumplings in two batches (*Footnote 3). Carefully lower the dumplings into the water. Cover and cook until the water starts to boil again. Adjust the heat so the water keeps a low boil without spilling. Cover and cook for 3 minutes (up to 5 minutes for bigger dumplings, or frozen dumplings). Uncover pot. Continue to cook for about 1 minute (up to 2 minutes for bigger dumplings), until cooked through. Transfer to a plate immediately using a spider strainer.

To assemble the dumpling bowls, add 2 teaspoons of seasoned soy sauce, 1 tablespoon chili oil, and about 1/4 teaspoon grated garlic into each individual bowl. Portion the dumplings into each bowl and stir to mix well. Garnish with extra ground Sichuan peppercorn if preferred. Serve immediately as an appetizer. Add more sauce if desired.