MAKE THE DUMPLING DOUGH
1. Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Pour the boiling water over the flour in a steady stream, stirring with chopsticks or a fork — the hot water partially cooks the starch, creating a more pliable, forgiving dough.
2. Add the cold water and the teaspoon of oil, then bring the dough together with your hands. It will be shaggy and rough at first; this is expected.
3. Turn out onto a clean surface and knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth, supple, and slightly tacky but not sticky — the texture should remind you of an earlobe when you press it. Shape into a ball, wrap tightly in cling film and rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. The dough can rest for up to 2 hours and only improves with time.

PREPARE THE FILLING
4. Dice the mushrooms as finely as possible — aim for 2–3mm pieces, roughly the size of coarse breadcrumbs. If your knife skills aren't there, pulse briefly in a food processor, but be careful not to purée them; you want texture, not paste.
5. Heat the neutral oil in a large frying pan or wok over high heat. Add the diced mushrooms and cook without stirring for the first 2 minutes to allow them to colour and release moisture. Then stir and continue cooking for a further 4–5 minutes until the pan is dry and the mushrooms are golden and concentrated in flavour.
6. Add the garlic and ginger, cooking for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the drained, chopped kimchi and cook for another 2–3 minutes.
7. Stir in the gochugaru, soy sauce, sesame oil, Szechuan pepper and sugar. Cook for a final minute, then remove from the heat.
8. Fold in the crumbled tofu and sliced spring onions off the heat. Taste and adjust seasoning — the filling should be savoury, lightly spicy and deeply umami. Spread onto a plate or tray and allow to cool completely before assembling.

MAKE THE DIPPING SAUCE
9. Combine the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, gochugaru, sesame oil and sugar in a small bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
10. Add the grated ginger, minced garlic, sliced spring onion and sesame seeds. Set aside — the flavours will meld and improve as you assemble the dumplings.

ROLL AND CUT THE WRAPPERS
11. Unwrap the rested dough and divide it in half. Roll one half into a log roughly 2cm in diameter, keeping the other half wrapped. Cut the log into pieces about 2cm wide — each roughly 15g. Press each piece flat with your palm.
12. Using a small rolling pin, roll each piece into a round approximately 9–10cm in diameter. Roll from the edges toward the centre, rotating the wrapper quarter-turns as you go. The edges should be slightly thinner than the centre, which helps with sealing. Dust lightly with flour as needed.
13. Keep finished wrappers covered with a damp tea towel at all times — they dry out quickly and will crack when you try to fold them.

FILL AND FOLD THE DUMPLINGS
14. Place a wrapper in your palm. Add a generous tablespoon (about 15g) of cooled filling to the centre — it should feel like almost too much, but the properly sized wrappers will handle it.
15. Dip your fingertip in water and moisten the entire edge of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half to form a half-moon, pinching the centre first to anchor, then pressing outward toward each corner to seal while pushing out any trapped air.
16. For a pleated finish: hold the sealed dumpling with the flat bottom edge facing you, then fold small pleats along the curved edge, pressing each into the back layer of dough. Aim for 5–6 even pleats per dumpling. Set each finished dumpling on a lightly floured tray, keeping them from touching.

COOK THE DUMPLINGS (Steam-Fry Method)
17. Heat a tablespoon of neutral oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Arrange the dumplings flat side down, leaving space between each — work in batches rather than crowding.
18. Fry for 2–3 minutes without moving until the bottoms are golden and crispy.
19. Pour in approximately 60ml of water per batch and immediately cover with a tight-fitting lid. Steam for 5–6 minutes until the water has evaporated and you can hear the sizzle return.
20. Remove the lid and cook for a final 30 seconds to re-crisp the bases.

SERVE
21. Arrange the dumplings on a warm plate, crispy side up, with the dipping sauce alongside in a small bowl. Scatter extra sesame seeds and finely sliced spring onion over the top.