Dumpling Lasagna

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C), conventional setting, with a rack in the middle. Take the dumplings out of the freezer at the last moment: thawed, they stick together and tear.
2. Make the sauce in a bowl: grate 2 garlic cloves and mix them with the soy sauce, black vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, and 3 tablespoons of chili crisp, making sure to get the crunchy bits from the bottom of the jar. Add the broth and stir.
3. Grate the ginger and the remaining 2 garlic cloves. Slice the green onions, keeping the white parts, for the pork, separate from the green parts, for garnish.
4. Heat a skillet over high heat with 2 teaspoons of the neutral oil. Spread the ground pork into a patty and let it sear for 3 minutes without touching it, until the underside is well browned. Break it up with a spatula, add the ginger, garlic, and green onion whites, and cook for 1 minute. Pour in 3 tablespoons of the prepared sauce and let it reduce for 1 minute, until the pork is glossy with no pink left, then turn off the heat.
5. Oil the bottom and sides of an 8 by 10 inch (20 by 25 cm) baking dish with the last teaspoon of neutral oil. Pour a third of the sauce into the bottom. Arrange half the still-frozen dumplings in tight rows, each one overlapping the next like roof tiles. Spread the pork over them and drizzle with another third of the sauce.
6. Arrange the rest of the dumplings in a second layer, then pour the last third of the sauce over them, aiming for the dumpling edges: any rim of wrapper left dry turns hard instead of cooking. The liquid should come halfway up the top layer.
7. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Lift a corner: the wrappers should be soft and translucent and the liquid bubbling at the edges.
8. Remove the foil, scatter the mozzarella over the entire surface, and bake uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes. Finish under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, watching closely, until the cheese is spotted with brown and the dumpling edges are crisp. A dumpling in the center should read at least 165°F (74°C) inside.
9. Let it rest for 5 minutes out of the oven: the wrappers soak up the remaining liquid and the layers hold together when served. Scatter with the green onion greens and sesame seeds, and serve with a spoon, with the rest of the chili crisp in a small dish.