Make the filling: Clean and dice the pork belly, then season with pepper, salt, chopped scallions, and fish sauce. Rinse the mung beans and soak for about 30 minutes. Remove the heads and tails from the shrimp, then season with salt, fish sauce, sugar, and a little MSG if desired. Divide the shallots: slice half thinly and finely chop the other half. Sauté the chopped shallots until fragrant, add the pork belly and cook until just done, then add the shrimp and stir-fry over high heat until the shrimp turn pink. Steam the mung beans until cooked, then season to taste.

Prepare the dough: Mix 1 1/3 cups tapioca starch (about 200 grams) with 1/2 tablespoon salt. Gradually add about 1 cup (250 ml) of boiling water (over 212°F/100°C), stirring well. Once mixed, add the remaining tapioca starch and mix thoroughly. When the dough cools slightly, knead by hand until smooth. Be sure to add the hot water slowly to avoid making the dough too wet.

Once the dough is well-kneaded, divide it into small balls. Roll each ball thin, place one shrimp and a little pork in the center (do the same for the mung bean filling), then fold the dough over and pinch the edges to seal.

Bring a pot of water to a boil with 1/2 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium heat. When the water boils, drop in the dumplings. When they float to the surface, remove them and place them in a bowl of cold water.

Make scallion oil: Heat a pan, add a little vegetable oil, then quickly stir-fry chopped scallions over high heat until just wilted but still bright green. When the dumplings are cooked and translucent, remove them from the cold water and toss them in the scallion oil.

Make the dipping sauce: Combine 2 tablespoons good-quality fish sauce, 2 tablespoons sugar, 8 tablespoons water, and the juice of half a lime. Add a few slices of fresh chili (seeds removed and finely chopped). Heat the mixture until warm.

Arrange the dumplings on a plate and enjoy.