Here’s my personal favorite way of serving dumplings – a rich, spicy, complex, astoundingly delicious Sichuan sauce. This is called zhong shui jiao or just “dumplings in hot chili oil.” But that understates the depth of the sauce: chili oil is just one ingredient, along with fresh garlic, which is “spicy” in its own way, as well as so-called concocted soy sauce (soy sauce boiled down with brown sugar and warming spices), which lends a caramely yet also deep and earthy flavor. I al...
