Cicada Dumplings

Ingredients:
20 Chinese black mushrooms, soaked and destemmed 6 egg whites 4 oz cicadas, wings removed and pre-boiled for 5 minutes 1/2 oz cooked Chinese ham, cut into 1"-long, 1/16"-thickstrips 1/2 tsp cornstarch 1 tsp salt 3/4 tsp MSG (optional) 2 cups chicken broth

Directions:
1. Mince 2 oz cicadas and 1 oz fat pork separately, then mix in bowl. Add 1/8 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp MSG. Stir until firm. Divide into 10 portions for mushroom stuffing.
2. Squeeze excess water from mushrooms. Put in bowl, add a little broth and steam for 30 minutes. Remove and squeeze out excess liquid. Place in dish, stem sides up, and sprinkle with cornstarch. Place one portion cicada stuffing in middle of a mushroom and cover with another mushroom, black side up, to make a stuffed mushroom pouch. Repeat until 10 pouches are done.
3. Mince remaining pork and cicadas separately, then mix in a bowl. Add 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp MSG. Stir until firm. Make 20 balls in the shape of a cicada. Beat egg whites. Grease pan. Make a thin small round pancake with one tbsp egg white. Place a cicada ball in the middle and wrap pancake around. Pinch ball to form head and body of the cicada. Fry for 1/2 minute and remove. Put two strips ham in head. Repeat until 20 "cicadas" are made. Put mushroom pouches and shrimp cicadas on plate. Steam for one minute over high heat. Remove and place separately in fureen. Bring stock to boil and add remaining salt. Pour stock slowly into fureen and serve.

Yield:
Serve 4 to 6.