Salt and pepper dumplings straight from the freezer

Salt and pepper is how Cantonese kitchens treat fried squid, tofu and pork chops, and hardly anyone thinks to do it to a dumpling. More fool them. A takeaway would bring white pepper and five-spice into it. Black pepper from the mill does the job at home, with a pinch of five-spice if you keep a jar, tossed over crisp potstickers and green beans at the last second so it clings to the oil and does all the talking.

Frozen dumplings tear if you bully them, so use a wok or a big nonstick pan and move them by shaking rather than stirring.

1. Stir the salt, sugar and black pepper together in a small bowl, with the five-spice if you are using it. Set aside.
2. Separate the scallions. Cut the white parts into 1-inch pieces and slice the green parts thinly.
3. Heat a wok or a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high. When it is hot, add the oil and the frozen potstickers and stir-fry gently for 1 minute, shaking the pan, just to soften them a touch.
4. Add the green beans, the scallion whites and the fresh ginger, and season with a pinch of salt. Toss, add 3 tbsp water and cover. A sheet pan does perfectly well as a lid. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Meat-filled dumplings want 1 to 2 minutes more, or whatever the packet says, and another tablespoon or two of water if the pan runs dry.
5. Uncover and slide a flat spatula under the dumplings to free them from the pan. Add the scallion greens, the chile and 2 tsp of the seasoning, and shake and toss gently to coat.
6. Tip into bowls and scatter over more seasoning to taste. It is salty and punchy, so go carefully. What is left keeps in a jar and is very good on fried eggs.