shanghai soup dumplings
3 min readThe mystery of these soup dumplings or xiao long bao is akin to that of the ship in a bottle: just how is the flavoursome broth captured within? ‘XLB’ devotees know that these are best eaten by first nipping at the foot of the wrapper with your front teeth and gently drinking the warming soup, before biting into the pork filling. So how is it done? Picture glistening gems of delicate jellied stock that are gently mixed into a pork filling. The stock melts during steaming.
Mystery solved. Start preparing your xiao long bao either the night before or well in advance on the day to make sure your jellied stock sets.
Makes about 20 for the filling 112 tsp gelatine powder 190ml pork stock 180g pork mince tbsp very finely diced ginger 1 clove garlic, very finely diced 1 spring onion, thinly sliced tsp light soy sauce 1 tsp granulated sugar pinche ground white pepper tsp vegetable oil 14 tsp bicarbonate of soda 12 tbsp cornflour for the dough 210g plain flour, plus extra for dusting 2 pinches salt 2 tsp vegetable oil, plus extra for oiling 1 In a small bowl, soak the gelatine powder in 100ml cold water for 10 minutes.
2 Heat the stock over a medium-low heat. If needed, season to taste When the stock is hot but not boiling, gradually stir in the gelatine. Leave the mixture to cool completely, then transfer it to bowl and chill for at least hours.
3 After the stock has been setting in the fridge for at least 2 hours you can make the rest of the filling.
Put the pork, 1/4 teaspmnair of chopstich vigorously stirin one direction (e.g. clockwise)until the large bowl, then use a pafilling is combined. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Make the dough. Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well, add 6 tablespoons boil-ing water, then use a pair of chopsticks to stir vigorously along the edge of the bowl in one direction until the mixture resembles rough crumbs Add 2 tablespoons cold water and the oil and stir vigor-ously until you have a ball of dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for minute 8-10 minutes, then throw the dough onto the work surface with force. Throw the dough 10 times,then knead it for a further minute. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
5 When the stock has set and the pork has marinated, turn the jellied stock out onto a board. Roughly chop into cubes and add them to the pork mixture Stir gently until combined, breaking up the stock slightly as you do so. Cover and freeze for 30-40 minutes until icy.
6 To wrap the xiao long bao, roll the dough into a sausage and divide it into teeny 8g portions. Work with just few pieces of dough at time,leaving the rest of the dough covered. Lightly flour your hands and the work surface. Shape a piece of dogh into ball, then roll it out into a 8cm circle. It should be fairly thin a be slightly thinner than the centre.
7 Cup the wrapper semozeng in the centre. Use your index finger a b of your other hand to make pleats all the way around the edge of the firmly after each pleat to create a firm seal. When you reach the last pleat, twist the wrapper slightly to close the gap and pinch firmly together to seal.
8 Steam the dumplings in batches. Lightly oil a steam-proof plate or line a bamboo steamer with non-stick paper. Arrange the dumplings onto plate(or steamer), making sure to leave bit of space between each one. Steam over vigorously boiling water for 6 minutes. Leave to rest for 1 minute before serving.
