Siu mai dumplings are a popular item in Cantonese Chinese dim sum, which describes an assortment of small plates typically served for brunch. These open-face dumplings are filled with a combination of pork, shrimp, and mushrooms, wrapped in a wonton wrapper, and steamed. I love siu mai for their savory, juicy succulence—they’re my favorite dim sum item, followed by bao buns.

My wild game version of siu mai includes quite a bit of minced duck (or goose), which adds welcome gaminess to the pork and shrimp. Choose a nice-tasting wild duck with tasty fat, such as mallard. Although you can use breasts without the skin, you’ll miss out on the ducky flavor that fat imparts.

As for the ground pork, talk to your butcher for freshly ground pork with an 80/20 lean-to-fat ratio. Don’t pick up one of those prepackaged trays of ground pork, which tends to be too lean. The fat is what makes siu mai succulent, and if using duck with no skin, it’s even more important. I chose outdoor-raised Berkshire pork that I got from a local, small-town butcher, which is by far some of the best ground pork anyone can get.

This recipe makes a lot of dumplings. You can freeze them raw once assembled: Lay dumplings on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, making sure they don’t touch, and then freeze. Once frozen, you can drop them in a zip-top bag to steam as needed. Steam them straight from frozen, which will take a few more minutes to cook. Look for an internal temperature of at least 160°F.

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1. Place dried mushrooms in a bowl. Submerge with boiling water and allow them to reconstitute for about 20 minutes.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine marinade ingredients. Then, finely mince duck breast by hand or use a grinder with the coarse plate attached. Stir ground pork and duck in the bowl with the marinade. Set aside for 10 minutes.

3. Finely mince raw shrimp. Squeeze out excess moisture from shitake mushrooms and mince finely. Add shrimp, mushroom, and onion to the duck and pork, and work with your hands until you get a uniform, springy paste—2 to 3 minutes. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours.

4. To assemble the siu mai dumplings: Place a piece of wrapper (use a damp kitchen towel to cover the stack of wrappers while you work to keep them from drying out) on the palm of your opposite hand. Using the end of a spoon, place a dollop of meat in the middle of the wrapper. Then work the wrapper around the meat, shaping it by making an “O” with your hand, as though you’re holding an ice cream cone. Add more meat to fill the wrapper as needed, using the end of the spoon to pack down and smooth out the meat mixture. Place assembled dumplings on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper as you work. When done, add a bit of grated carrot on top of each dumpling.

5. Cut out parchment paper to fit inside the steamer, which will prevent the siu mai dumplings from sticking. Cut holes all over the piece of parchment paper to allow steam to move through it. Arrange siu mai dumplings in the steamer so they’re not touching. (If there’s not enough room, steam dumplings in batches.)

6. Add a few inches of water to the steamer, or if you’re using a bamboo steamer, add water to a wok. You want enough water to steam the dumplings but not so much that the boiling water will slosh on them, which will cause sogginess. Bring water to a boil. Then, place the steamer basket with dumplings over the water and cover. Steam dumplings for 10 minutes.

7. Serve dumplings immediately. Eat them as you make them for the best flavor and texture. Offer soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chili oil for dipping, which are combined to taste.