SHANGHAI STEAMED DUMPLINGS
3 min readIf ever there was a dish that encapsulated the very phrase‘dim sum’，meaning‘to touch the heart’，this would undoubtedly be it.This is a seemingly ordinary dumpling that frequently suffers an injustice by restaurants treating it with heavy-handedness.When done correctly，it is 18 pleats of sheer skill，ultimate precision and Chinese culinary perfection.The pastry skin should be wafer thin，with just enough elasticity to allow the dumpling to be picked up with chopsticks without popping，and the inside should be an AK-47 of flavour，generated froma pork mixture suspended in a rich pork broth.
Makes 20 dumplings
INGREDIENTS
For the pork stock jelly
4 pigs’trotters，cut in half crossways
skin of 1 pork belly
2kg pork bones
6 litres cold water
300ml Shaoxing rice wine
100g fresh root ginger，roughly chopped
100g spring onion，roughly chopped
5 tablespoons powdered gelatine
For the pastry
500g high-gluten flour，plus extra for dusting
250ml water
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
For the filling
300g Pork Stock Jelly
100g Marinated Pork Mince
100g Chinese chives，chopped，plus extra to garnish To garnish
Pickled Tapioca Pearls
Ginger Vinegar
1.For the pork stock jelly，place the pigs’trotters，pork skin and pork bones in a very large pan of cold water and bring to the boil.Boil for 5 minutes，then drain and rinse under cold running water.（This process will cleanse the bones and eliminate any nasty smells further down the line.）Clean the pan.
2.Return the trotters，skin and bones to the cleaned pan with the cold water and bring to the boil，skimming off any scum（impurities）that rises to the surface from time to time.
3.Add the wine，ginger and spring onion and gently simmer for 5 hours.The liquid will have decreased by one-third through evaporation and look a little thicker.
4.Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean container.Stir in the powdered gelatine，leave to cool，then refrigerate until set.
5.For the pastry，sift the flour on to a dry work surface and make a small well in the middle.
6.Mix the water and oil together and slowly add to the flour，mixing while you pour.The resulting dough should be quite dry to the touch.If the dough seems a bit damp，try wrapping it tightly in clingfilm and chilling in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up.But never add more flour to it or you will end up with a crumbly dough that won’t work for wrapping.
7. Knead the dough for around 10 minutes until smooth and stiff.
8. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
9. For the filling, before using the jelly, scrape the layer of fat off the surface with a spoon and discard. Whatever you do, don’t be lazy and add the fat to your dumpling mixture, otherwise it will result in a greasy broth. Using a sharp knife, finely dice the jelly. You can pulse it in a food processor until it is minced, but make sure you don’t overprocess it, or the blades of the machin will get hot and begin to melt it.
10. Add the jelly to the mince mixture with the Chinese chives and, using your hands, mix well. Due to the high proportion of jelly, you should not be able to see much minced pork when mixed, but don’t get cold feet and begin to add more meat at this point, otherwise you will end up witha dumpling that has a massive meatball sitting inside the pastry and definitely not the delicate result we are looking for.
11. To make the dumplings, follow the instructions below.
12. Steam the dumplings over a high heat for 4-5 minutes-the more filling they contain, the longer the cooking time, then serve topped with Pickled Tapioca Pearls, Chinese chives and a drizzle of Ginger Vinegar.
CHEF’S TIP
If the filling is arse-achingly difficult to wrap because it keeps faling everywhere, it is probably because the mince you have used is a little on the lean side without enough fat to hold everything together. For your next attempt, make sure you use fatty pork belly for the pork mince from your butcher.
