Pigeon-Egg dumplings are a soft Chinese dumpling made in the summer.
They are formed in the shape of an egg, and about the size of a pigeon egg. Each dumpling weighs about ½ oz (15 g.)
To make them, you wrap rice paste around a filling of osmanthus and mint sweetened with sugar.
The paste is made from Sweet Rice Flour. You mix the flour with a small amount of boiling water to form a dough, and divide the dough into small pieces.
The filling is made by putting a small amount of water in a pot with the sugar, and simmering until it becomes a very thick syrup, then adding the osmanthus sauce and mint flavouring. You turn this out onto a board, shape it into a long strip and cut it into small squares.
You then form a depression in each dough piece, put a piece of filling in the depression, fold over the dough, seal it, and shape it.
Finally, you cook the dumplings in boiling water until they float; it is best to do a few at a time.