Narrator:
DUMPLINGS ARE A POPULAR CUISINE
MADE BY A VARIETY OF FLAVORS
FROM AROUND THE WORLD.
THEY CAN BE SWEET OR SAVORY,
STEAMED, BOILED,
BAKED, OR FRIED.
IN CHINESE CUISINE, DUMPLINGS
HAVE BEEN REFINED TO AN ART FORM
AND ARE OFTEN EATEN ON SPECIAL
OCCASIONS LIKE CHINESE NEW YEAR.
TO MAKE A DUMPLING,
YOU FIRST WRAP A THIN LAYER
OF DOUGH AROUND A FILLING.
DUMPLINGS CAN COME IN
MANY DIFFERENT SHAPES.
THESE ARE FILLED
WITH SHRIMP AND PORK.
FOOD-PREP TECHNICIANS
AT THIS FACILITY PEEL, DEVEIN,
AND SORT SHRIMP FOR
DIFFERENT KINDS OF DUMPLINGS.
AS THEY WORK,
THEY DOUBLE-CHECK EACH SHRIMP
FOR FRESHNESS AND QUALITY.
THE 30 PEOPLE WORKING
AT THIS STATION
CAN PEEL 10,000 SHRIMP PER HOUR.
TO MAKE THE DUMPLING DOUGH,
TECHNICIANS BEGIN THE PROCESS
BY POURING ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
INTO THIS LARGE MIXING BOWL.
THEY ADD WATER AT A RATIO OF TWO
PARTS FLOUR TO ONE PART WATER.
A LARGE DOUGH HOOK MIXES
THE TWO INGREDIENTS TOGETHER.
PERIODICALLY, THE TECHNICIANS
STOP THE MACHINE
TO MANUALLY TEST THE DOUGH
FOR CONSISTENCY.
IT'S NOT READY YET.
AFTER MORE MIXING,
THEY TEST IT AGAIN.
THIS TIME, IT'S JUST RIGHT --
SOFT AND STILL ELASTIC.
TO STRENGTHEN
THE DOUGH STRUCTURE,
A WORKER BEGINS FOLDING
AND ROLLING IT INTO LENGTHS.
♪♪
AT THE NEXT STATION,
FOOD-PREP TECHNICIANS
RIP SMALL CHUNKS OFF THE ROLLS.
THEN THEY WEIGH THE CHUNKS
TO ENSURE
THEY MEET THE PARAMETER
OF JUST 0.28 OUNCES APIECE.
TWO ADDITIONAL TECHNICIANS
COLLECT THE CHUNKS
AND FOLLOW A TWO-STEP PROCESS
IN WHICH THEY STAND EACH PIECE
ON ITS ROUND END
BEFORE FLATTENING IT.
THEY SPRINKLE THE ROUND DISKS
WITH FLOUR TO KEEP THEM
FROM STICKING TO EACH OTHER
WHEN MOVED TO THE NEXT STATION.
THE NEXT STEP USES
TRADITIONAL COOKING TOOLS
TO TRANSFORM EACH DISK
INTO A WRAPPER
FOR A DUMPLING KNOWN
AS SHAO MAI.
THE FOOD-PREP TECHNICIANS
WEAR PROTECTIVE CLOTHING
TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION.
IN-HOUSE QUALITY CONTROL
INSPECTORS TEST
THE AIRBORNE BACTERIA LEVELS
IN THE FACILITY EVERY MONTH
TO ENSURE THAT IT MEETS
THE NECESSARY STANDARDS.
♪♪
CREATING THE SHAO MAI WRAPPER
REQUIRES HIGH LEVELS OF SKILL.
THIS WORKER'S RIGHT HAND ROLLS
THE DOUGH WHILE HIS LEFT HAND
ROTATES THE WRAPPER IN
PERFECTLY COORDINATED MOVEMENTS,
TURNING OUT WAFER-THIN ROUNDS
AT HIGH SPEED.
A SECOND WORKER USES A DIFFERENT
STYLE OF ROLLING PIN
TO CRIMP THE EDGES
OF THE WRAPPING.
THE TECHNICIANS ON THE LEFT USE
A WOODEN SPATULA
TO SCOOP A PORTION
OF FILLING INTO EACH WRAPPER
BEFORE PLACING THEM ON A SCALE
TO ENSURE THE WEIGHT IS CORRECT.
TECHNICIANS ON THE RIGHT TOP
OFF EACH DUMPLING WITH A SHRIMP.
INSERTING THE SHRIMP
IS ANOTHER STEP
THAT REQUIRES CAREFULLY
ORCHESTRATED HAND MOVEMENTS
TO ACCOMPLISH THE TASK
WITH SPEED AND ELEGANCE.
THE WORKER IS ABLE TO CAREFULLY
TUCK THE SHRIMP INTO PLACE
WITH EFFORTLESS MOVEMENTS
OF ONE HAND.
DUMPLINGS
COME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES.
AT ANOTHER TABLE,
WORKERS ASSEMBLE A DELICACY
IN THE SHAPE OF A HALF-MOON.
THESE DUMPLINGS START OUT WITH
THE SAME DISK-SHAPED WRAPPER
AND THE SAME SHAO MAI FILLING.
NEXT, A WORKER USES A SPECIAL
CRIMPING TECHNIQUE,
PINCHING A SERIES
OF SMALL CREASES IN THE DOUGH
TO SEAL THEM IN
A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WAY.
BY CAREFULLY ARRANGING
EACH DUMPLING,
TECHNICIANS CAN FIT NEARLY
88 OF THEM IN ONE PAN.
THANKS TO AN AMAZING ARTISANAL
ASSEMBLY LINE
OF SKILLED WORKERS,
THE FINAL PRODUCT IS
ALMOST TOO BEAUTIFUL TO EAT.
