Name: Xiao long bao soup dumplings with pork
Prep time: 1 h 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 24 dumplings
Ingredients: 200 g pork skin; 400 ml poultry stock; 15 g ginger; 2 pcs spring onion; 1 tablespoon rice wine; 300 g ground pork; 10 g ginger; 2 pcs spring onion; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 2 teaspoons sesame oil; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1 pinch white pepper; 250 g plain flour; 125 ml water; 1 pinch salt; 2 l water; 3 tablespoons rice vinegar; 20 g ginger

Step by step process

Aspic for the filling

1
Start with the aspic, on which xiao long bao dumplings stand or fall. Put the pork skin in a pot, cover it with poultry broth, add slices of ginger and one spring onion, and bring to a gentle simmer.
2
Simmer uncovered for about 90 minutes, until the broth thickens and takes on a distinctly sticky consistency. Skim off the foam as you go and, if needed, add a little hot water so the liquid does not evaporate completely.
3
Strain the broth through a fine sieve, stir in a tablespoon of rice wine and pour it into a shallow dish. Let it cool, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours so the jelly sets firmly.
4
Cut the set aspic into small pea-sized cubes. This is the jelly that melts in the steam and creates the hot soup inside the dumpling.

Filling

5
To the ground pork add finely chopped ginger and spring onion, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and a pinch of white pepper.
TIP:
Add sesame oil at the end of cooking or to finished dishes to preserve its aroma and flavor, which would be lost through heat treatment.
6
Stir the mixture in one direction for a few minutes, until it becomes sticky and cohesive. Finally, gently fold in the cubes of chilled aspic and refrigerate the filling for 30 minutes so the jelly firms up again.

Dough and shaping

7
Mix the plain flour with a pinch of salt, gradually pour in lukewarm water and work it into a smooth non-sticky dough. Cover it and let it rest for 30 minutes.
8
Divide the dough into pieces and roll each one into a thin round, thicker in the center and thinner at the edges, about 8 centimeters across.
9
Place a teaspoon of chilled filling in the center. Pleat the edges into small folds and gather them firmly at the top, twisting into a closed peak. A skilled cook can manage as many as 18 pleats, but the main thing is that the dumpling holds together well.

Steaming and serving

10
Bring water to a boil in a steamer pot. Arrange the dumplings in a basket lined with perforated parchment paper or cabbage leaves so they do not touch.
11
Steam over high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until the wrapper turns translucent and the filling heats through. Meanwhile, mix the rice vinegar with threads of fresh ginger as a dip.
12
Serve the dumplings hot straight from the basket. Lift them by the top, bite carefully, sip the soup from inside, and only then eat the rest with a little vinegar and ginger.

More tips:

The aspic must be thoroughly chilled and firm before filling. Soft jelly melts during filling, the filling gets wet and the dumplings burst while steaming.

Steam the dumplings just before serving. Cooled ones can be reheated in the steamer, but never in the microwave, where the wrapper would turn rubbery and the soup would soak in.

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