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How to cook the perfect Chinese dumplings
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/feb/19/how-to-cook-perfect-chinese-dumplings-recipe
(Makes about 25)
For the dough
(or use about 25 dumpling wrappers – often marked as “gyoza”)
300g plain flour
180ml warm water
For the filling
225g Chinese cabbage (or savoy, if unavailable)
200g minced pork (not too lean)
1tbsp grated ginger
1tbsp light soy sauce
1tbsp shaoxing wine or dry sherry
1tbsp sesame oil
½ egg, beaten
55g finely chopped Chinese chives – or spring onions, if unavailable (or wild garlic when in season)
A little oil, to cook
For the dipping sauce
2tbsp light soy sauce
2tbsp chinkiang (black rice) vinegar
1tbsp chilli oil
1tsp sugar
1tsp grated ginger
1 To make the dough, sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Slowly stir in the water, a little at a time, until you have a firm dough (it shouldn’t be wet), then turn out on to a work surface and knead for about five minutes until smooth. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes.
2 Meanwhile, finely chop the cabbage. I find this easiest to do in a food processor, as Chinese cabbage has a very large stem. Put in a colander or sieve over the sink or a large bowl, sprinkle liberally with salt (about ¼tsp), and leave to drain for at least 30 minutes.
3 Put the pork in a bowl and stir in the ginger, soy sauce, wine, sesame oil and egg until well combined. Squeeze out the cabbage thoroughly and add to the bowl along with the chopped chives. Mix thoroughly. Heat a little oil in a small frying pan and fry a pinch of the mixture to check the seasoning – add salt if necessary. At this point you can leave the filling to sit if you like.
4 Divide the dough into three, and put two bits back under the cloth. Put the remaining piece on a lightly floured surface. Roll it into a sausage about 2.5cm in diameter then cut this into pieces about 2cm long, rolling the sausage a quarter turn towards you after each cut so the piece are slanted in different ways.
5 Dust the pieces with flour, then squash each flat with your hand. Roll out to about 11cm in diameter and stack between pieces of greaseproof paper.
6 To shape, hold one circle in a lightly floured hand and put a heaped teaspoon of filling (avoiding too much liquid) in the middle. Make a pleat at two o’clock, as you look at the dumpling, and then bring the opposite side over to the pleat and pinch the two together. Continue in this way down the length of the dumpling until it is well sealed. Put on a floured tray and repeat with the other dumplings, covering each tray with a damp cloth once it’s finished.
7 Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add a batch of dumplings (just enough to cover the base of the pan), stir once and leave until they rise to the top. Cook for six minutes more, then lift out with a slotted spoon and either keep warm, or (and preferably) serve immediately. While they’re cooking, whisk together all the ingredients for the dipping sauce.
What did those of you who celebrated on New Year’s Eve eat to bring good luck in the year ahead? And, even if you didn’t, which dumplings, Chinese, Italian – even British – would you recommend to bring culinary joy?
Sheng Jian Bao (Pan-Fried Pork Soup Dumplings) Recipe
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/04/sheng-jian-bao-pan-fried-pork-soup-dumplings-recipe.html
Xiao long bao, Shanghai-style soup dumplings, have become legendary for good reason, but so far their doughier pan-fried cousins called sheng jian bao remain much less well-known here in the States. If you love XLB, you need to try sheng jian bao. Here's how to make them, from the flavorful pork filling to the dough wrapper and combo pan-frying and steaming method.
Why this recipe works:
- Rolling the dough to the perfect thickness makes wrappers that are thicker than classic steamed soup dumplings, but thinner than the many overly doughy versions out there.
- A combination of baking powder and yeast in the dough make for a quick process and light texture.
- Searing, then steaming the buns gives a crisp browned bottom while cooking them all the way through.
YIELD: Makes about 24 dumplings
ACTIVE TIME: 30 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour
Ingredients
For the Pork Filling:
1 cup shredded Napa cabbage (from about 2 or 3 leaves)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 pound pork belly, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in boiling water for 1 hour, then drained, squeezed dry, and finely chopped
1 scallion, finely chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon vegetable, peanut, or canola oil
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
For the Dough:
1 cup plus 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoon dry yeast
1/2 cup lowfat or whole milk
Vegetable, peanut, or canola oil, for greasing and cooking
Directions
1. For the Pork Filling: Place Napa cabbage in a bowl, add salt, and mix until slightly wilted, about 1 minute. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Squeeze cabbage of excess water and return to bowl.
2. Place pork belly in a food processor and process until finely ground. Add Napa cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, scallion, garlic, and pulse 2 times until incorporated. Transfer to a large bowl.
3. Add cornstarch, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, vegetable oil, table salt, sugar, and white pepper powder to the ground pork. Mix well and set aside in the refrigerator. The filling can be made a day ahead.
4. For the Dough: In a large bowl, mix flour, cornstarch, salt, sugar, baking powder, and yeast together. Warm milk in a microwave, about 30 seconds. Stir half of the milk into the flour, combine with a spatula, then stir in the remaining milk until thoroughly combined. Knead until dough comes together, about 5 to 10 seconds. Transfer dough to a clean work surface and knead until the dough is smooth. Grease a bowl with oil, transfer the dough to the bowl, and cover with plastic wrapper. Let rest for 30 minutes.
5. To Assemble the Buns: Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Cut dough into 4 equal parts. Roll out one portion of dough into a 6-inch snake, and cut into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a ball, flatten it with the palm of your hand, and roll the dough out with a small rolling pin until it is about 3 1/2 inches in diameter.
6. Place about 1 tablespoon of the pork filling in the center of the dough round. Fold the dough up and around the filling, pleating and pinching around the top until sealed.
7. Place finished buns on a lightly greased plate, cover plate loosely with plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. The buns can be frozen at this point by spreading them on a parchment-lined baking sheet dusted with flour and freezing; transfer frozen buns to a zipper-lock bag for long-term freezer storage.
8. To cook fresh buns, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place the buns in the pan, leaving 1/2 inch of space between each bun (work in batches if necessary). Pan-fry the buns until they start to turn lightly golden brown on the bottom, about 25 seconds. Pour 1/4 cup water into the skillet and cover immediately. Cook until the water completely evaporates, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the lid on the pan until the sizzling stops, about 30 seconds. Remove the lid, plate the buns, and serve immediately.
9. To cook frozen buns, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place the frozen buns in the pan, leaving 1/2 inch of space between each bun (work in batches if necessary). Pan-fry the buns until they start to turn lightly golden brown on the bottom, about 25 seconds. Pour 1/4 cup water into the skillet and cover immediately. Cook until the water completely evaporates, about 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the lid on the pan until the sizzling stops, about 30 seconds. Remove the lid, plate the buns, and serve immediately.
Shanghai Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao)
http://cherryonmysundae.com/2014/05/shanghai-soup-dumplings-xiao-long-bao.html
If you ever heard of the restaurant Din Tai Fung, you are familiar with Xiao Long Bao, Shanghai soup dumplings. This famous international restaurant is famous for serving delicate pork dumplings that are filled with a savory broth. You bite into these little wonders and out comes a hot flavorful soup. Pour out the soup first than dip the dumplings into a vinegar and ginger dipping sauce. Drooling yet? Although these dumplings are most popular at Din Tai Fung, they are available at few other Chinese restaurants; no matter what establishment you get them from, they will be delicious, I guarantee it. Determined to replicate Xiao Long Bao myself, I did some research and made my own version at home. The dumpling’s reputation for being tedious and difficult to make was very much true; however, with detailed steps and instructions you can successfully make your own batch at home!
Shanghai soup dumplings (Xiao Long Bao)
Yields 20
Total Time8 hr
Broth
8 oz or so pork skin, a little more or less won’t matter too much
3 big slices of ginger
1 scallion
4-5 pieces country ham bones with meat attached
6 cups water
1 tsp salt
Dough
200 grams flour
3 fl ounces hot water
2 tbsp cold water
1/2 tbsp oil
Filling
6 ounces ground pork
4 ounces shrimp, finely minced
1 stalk green onion, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, grated
2 tsp ginger, grated
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp Chinese rice wine
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp salt
Dipping sauce
1/4 cup black vinegar
1 tbsp ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
Instructions
1 Prepare broth according to recipe, letting it sit in the refrigerator until set.
2 Meanwhile, prepare the dough. Weigh 180 grams flour and place in a medium bowl. Gradually pour the hot water in and stir with a wooden spoon until a dough begins to flour. Add the cold water and oil and stir until well-combined. Dust work counter with remaining flour. Transfer dough to the counter and knead for 8-10 minutes or until smooth and soft. The dough should bounce back when poked. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes.
3 Prepare the filling. Combine all the ingredients from pork - salt. Remove broth from refrigerator and cut into small cubes. Add 1 cup of broth to the filling mixture and stir to combine.
4 Unwrap dough and divide into four portions. Cover three portions as you work with the first piece. Roll out the dough into a 1/2 inch thick rope. Cut the dough into 5 even pieces about the size of a quarter. Roll out each piece into a paper-thin round disc, about 3 inches in diameter. The edges should be thinner than the center of the disc. Place 1 tbsp filling in the center of the disc. Gather up the edges and begin pleating, pinching the tops to seal the dumpling. Repeat with remaining dough, covering finished dumplings until ready to steam.
5 Line steamer with napa cabbage or parchment paper punctured with holes. Heat steamer for 2 minutes over medium heat or until cabbage has softened. 6 Transfer dumplings to hot steamer and cook for 10 minutes. Serve with sliced ginger and black vinegar dipping sauce.
Adapted from Broth recipe from Three Squabbling Asians
http://www.threesquabblingasians.com/yes-you-can-make-shanghai-soup/
**Helpful tips and common mistakes
Okay so I’ll admit, my Shanghai soup dumplings were not perfect. The dough was not as thin as it should have been, but learn from my mistakes and you can make yours come out perfectly!
While researching recipes for these dumplings, I found that almost all used gelatin as the thickener. I doubt that was the traditional way to prepare the broth, so I went with another recipe that used pork skin – all natural! If you cannot find pork skin, purchase pork belly and remove the skin on top.
When preparing the broth, you want the most flavorful soup you can get. Ham and chicken bones are often used to add the savory quality.
After the broth cooks for several hours, strain and let chill in the refrigerator. The pork skin adds a natural thickener to the broth and allows it to become like jello!
Now here come’s the difficult part, the dough. You can always purchase dumpling wrappers but if you went to the trouble of making the soup, why not go all the way?
The secret to the perfect dough is using a combination of hot and cold water. The hot water partially cooks the dough, reacting with the gluten, resulting in a pliable dough. If the dough needs more flour, add 1 tbsp at a time until desired consistency. Knead until the dough is smooth and soft.
While the dough rests, prepare the filling. Cook a small portion of the filling as a flavor-tester, adding more salt and pepper if necessary. You want a balanced flavor of sweet and salty, with the pork and shrimp shining through.
Now back to the dough. To get consistent sizes, weigh the dough into 20 even portions. Each portion will be about the size of a quarter, or even slightly smaller. Continue to dust the counter as you roll out each portion to prevent the dough from sticking. You want the dough to be as thin as you can get it. Even when you think you can’t go thinner, continue rolling it out, trust me.
Start with slightly less than 1 tbsp filling, adding more as you get more comfortable pleating the dumplings.
Pinch the pleated top, gathering the edges to seal to the dumpling.
I made the mistake of not softening the cabbage before placing the dumplings on top. Softening the cabbage makes it much easier to not only place the dumplings on top but from removing them from the cabbage after cooked.
To serve, simply put thinly sliced ginger in a dipping sauce and pour black vinegar on top. Bite into that Shanghai soup dumpling, drink the soup and eat up! After all that hard work, it’s easy to appreciate these dumplings even more.
http://thewoksoflife.com/2014/09/steamed-shanghai-soup-dumplings-xiaolongbao/
Shanghai Steamed Soup Dumplings (Xiaolongbao)
Prep time 24 hours
Cook time 30 mins
Total time 24 hours 30 mins
Shanghai Soup Dumplings, or xiaolongbao (小笼包)—perhaps the most perfect single bite of food ever conceived by man—does not require much introduction. This tantalizing, dreamy snack is probably the most famous dish to come out of Shanghai: paper-thin skin enveloping perfectly seasoned pork filling and rivers of hot, flavorful soup. If you want to make more of these, you can multiply this recipe as needed! It's not really a good idea to freeze these, as they're so delicate.
Author: Judy
Recipe type: dim sum
Cuisine: Chinese
Serves: 18-20 dumplings
Ingredients
For the aspic:
½ lb pork skin, cut into 1-inch strips
1 lb pork neck bones (you want neck bones that still have meat on them!)
water
2 slices ginger
1 scallion, cut into 3 pieces
1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
For the dough:
1 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons warm water
For the filling:
1 lb ground pork (70% lean 30% fat)
2 tablespoons shaoxing wine
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sesame oil
¾ teaspoon sugar
3 teaspoons light soy sauce
3 tablespoons water
A pinch of ground white-pepper
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 heaping cup of your aspic, diced into ½-inch pieces
To serve:
Chinese black vinegar
julienned ginger
Instructions
Step 1: The Aspic
1 In a small pot, add the pork skin and pork bones and cover with cold water. Bring to a rolling boil, and immediately drain and rinse off the bones and the skin. This gets rid of any impurities. Rinse out the pot and put everything back in. Add 4 cups of water, ginger, scallion and wine. Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 2 hours.
2 After 2 hours, turn off the heat, allow the soup to cool, and strain the liquid into a bowl. As to the leftovers in the pot, you can discard it or go the Chinese route, which would be to drizzle some light soy sauce over everything and start grazing). Once the liquid is completely cooled, cover and refrigerate overnight.
Step 2: The Dough
3 In a mixing bowl, add the flour and the warm water 1 tablespoon at a time. Work and knead the dough for 15-20 minutes. The dough should be very soft and smooth. Cover with a cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Step 3: The Filling:
4 Take your ground pork and put it in the food processor. Pulse for 30-60 seconds until the pork resembles paste. In a mixing bowl, add the pork and all the rest of the ingredients except the aspic. Whip everything together thoroughly, for about 2 minutes. You want everything to be extremely well combined, and the pork should look like a light, airy paste. Gently fold in the aspic, and do not over-mix. Cover and transfer the filling to the refrigerator until ready to make the dumplings. If you’re ready now, you can put it in the freezer for 15 minutes to allow it to firm up and make assembling the buns easier.
Step 4: Assembly
5 Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour and roll the dough into a long cylinder/cigar, about an inch in diameter. Cut the dough into small equal pieces weighing about 11 grams each (the dough chunks should be a size resembling that of gnocchi). Roll out each piece into a round disc about 3 - 3 ¼ inches diameter. Keep everything under a damp cloth.
6 Prepare your bamboo steamer. You can line it with cheese cloth, napa cabbage leaves, or these lovely bamboo steamer discs, which can be found in some Chinese restaurant supply stores (if using these, you must brush the discs with oil first!).
7 When all that is prepared, take out the filling. You’ll be making each bun one at a time. Place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the middle of your dumpling skin. Pleat the dumpling as shown in the video. It should have as many folds as you can muster: 12-20 folds should do it. Watch the video in our Carrot Ginger Pork Bun post. The technique is very similar. For this one, you’re just making more folds. Make sure the top is sealed. If the filling ever gets too wet or hard to handle, put it in the freezer for another 15 minutes and start again.
8 Place the buns in the lined steamer basket, about 2 inches apart.
Step 5: Steaming
9 In a metal steamer pot or wok, boil water. If using a wok, put the water at a level so that when you put the bamboo steamer into the wok, the water rises about ½ inch up the bottom of the bamboo base. You never want the water to touch the dumplings inside, though, so make sure not to fill it too high!
10 Once the water is boiling, put the bamboo steamer in the wok or steamer pot, cover with the bamboo steamer lid, and steam over high heat for 8 minutes. Immediately remove the bamboo steamer from the pot and serve.
Step 6: Eating
11 Ok, so there is definitely a proper way to enjoy these dumplings. Put away the soy sauce because it has no place on the table right now. What you want is Chinese black vinegar. Pour some out into a small, round dish or bowl, and top with some very thin matchsticks of ginger.
12 Take out your two utensils—chopsticks and a Chinese soup spoon (a fork would just butcher these and the soup would dribble out all over the table. It would be a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions).
13 Carefully, slowly peel the xiaolongbao off of the steamer basket and dip it into the vinegar. Gently transfer the dumpling to your soupspoon and take a tiny bite out of the skin on the side of the bun to make a little hole. Proceed to slurp the soup out of the bun (Carefully. It’s HOT). Then, with a little more vinegar, finish the whole thing off in one bite.
14 Repeat.
Shanghai Soup with Steamed Pork Dumplings
http://livewellnetwork.com/Food-Rush/recipes/Shanghai-Soup-with-Steamed-Pork-Dumplings/9359219
Servings: 16-20 dumplings Difficulty: Advanced Time: 2 hours
Provided by: Chef Ryan Scott and Din Tai Fung
Ingredients
16 store-bought dumpling wrappers, 2 1/2 to 3 inch size
Chicken or pork broth
Gelatin
6 ounces fatty ground pork
1 scallion, minced
1 small clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
white pepper to taste
Chinese black vinegar
Sliced fresh ginger
Directions
1. To make the soup broth, cook the pork or chicken broth with the gelatin until combined. Boil on low until it is reduced to half, and refrigerate the mixture until firm.
2. To make the dumpling filling, combine the pork, scallion, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, and white pepper and mix well. Transfer to a food processor and pulse until it is a fine paste.
3. To assemble the dumplings, put 1/2 teaspoon of the gelled broth on the wrapper and op with 1 tablespoon meat mixture. Pleat the dumplings and twist at the top.
4. To cook the dumplings, line a bamboo steamer with cabbage leaves or parchment paper. Steam the dumplings for 4 -5 minutes over medium heat.
5. Combine vingegar and ginger to make dipping sauce, and serve hot dumplings with dipping sauce.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/feb/19/how-to-cook-perfect-chinese-dumplings-recipe
(Makes about 25)
For the dough
(or use about 25 dumpling wrappers – often marked as “gyoza”)
300g plain flour
180ml warm water
For the filling
225g Chinese cabbage (or savoy, if unavailable)
200g minced pork (not too lean)
1tbsp grated ginger
1tbsp light soy sauce
1tbsp shaoxing wine or dry sherry
1tbsp sesame oil
½ egg, beaten
55g finely chopped Chinese chives – or spring onions, if unavailable (or wild garlic when in season)
A little oil, to cook
For the dipping sauce
2tbsp light soy sauce
2tbsp chinkiang (black rice) vinegar
1tbsp chilli oil
1tsp sugar
1tsp grated ginger
1 To make the dough, sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Slowly stir in the water, a little at a time, until you have a firm dough (it shouldn’t be wet), then turn out on to a work surface and knead for about five minutes until smooth. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes.
2 Meanwhile, finely chop the cabbage. I find this easiest to do in a food processor, as Chinese cabbage has a very large stem. Put in a colander or sieve over the sink or a large bowl, sprinkle liberally with salt (about ¼tsp), and leave to drain for at least 30 minutes.
3 Put the pork in a bowl and stir in the ginger, soy sauce, wine, sesame oil and egg until well combined. Squeeze out the cabbage thoroughly and add to the bowl along with the chopped chives. Mix thoroughly. Heat a little oil in a small frying pan and fry a pinch of the mixture to check the seasoning – add salt if necessary. At this point you can leave the filling to sit if you like.
4 Divide the dough into three, and put two bits back under the cloth. Put the remaining piece on a lightly floured surface. Roll it into a sausage about 2.5cm in diameter then cut this into pieces about 2cm long, rolling the sausage a quarter turn towards you after each cut so the piece are slanted in different ways.
5 Dust the pieces with flour, then squash each flat with your hand. Roll out to about 11cm in diameter and stack between pieces of greaseproof paper.
6 To shape, hold one circle in a lightly floured hand and put a heaped teaspoon of filling (avoiding too much liquid) in the middle. Make a pleat at two o’clock, as you look at the dumpling, and then bring the opposite side over to the pleat and pinch the two together. Continue in this way down the length of the dumpling until it is well sealed. Put on a floured tray and repeat with the other dumplings, covering each tray with a damp cloth once it’s finished.
7 Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add a batch of dumplings (just enough to cover the base of the pan), stir once and leave until they rise to the top. Cook for six minutes more, then lift out with a slotted spoon and either keep warm, or (and preferably) serve immediately. While they’re cooking, whisk together all the ingredients for the dipping sauce.
What did those of you who celebrated on New Year’s Eve eat to bring good luck in the year ahead? And, even if you didn’t, which dumplings, Chinese, Italian – even British – would you recommend to bring culinary joy?
Sheng Jian Bao (Pan-Fried Pork Soup Dumplings) Recipe
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/04/sheng-jian-bao-pan-fried-pork-soup-dumplings-recipe.html
Xiao long bao, Shanghai-style soup dumplings, have become legendary for good reason, but so far their doughier pan-fried cousins called sheng jian bao remain much less well-known here in the States. If you love XLB, you need to try sheng jian bao. Here's how to make them, from the flavorful pork filling to the dough wrapper and combo pan-frying and steaming method.
Why this recipe works:
- Rolling the dough to the perfect thickness makes wrappers that are thicker than classic steamed soup dumplings, but thinner than the many overly doughy versions out there.
- A combination of baking powder and yeast in the dough make for a quick process and light texture.
- Searing, then steaming the buns gives a crisp browned bottom while cooking them all the way through.
YIELD: Makes about 24 dumplings
ACTIVE TIME: 30 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour
Ingredients
For the Pork Filling:
1 cup shredded Napa cabbage (from about 2 or 3 leaves)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 pound pork belly, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in boiling water for 1 hour, then drained, squeezed dry, and finely chopped
1 scallion, finely chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon vegetable, peanut, or canola oil
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
For the Dough:
1 cup plus 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoon dry yeast
1/2 cup lowfat or whole milk
Vegetable, peanut, or canola oil, for greasing and cooking
Directions
1. For the Pork Filling: Place Napa cabbage in a bowl, add salt, and mix until slightly wilted, about 1 minute. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Squeeze cabbage of excess water and return to bowl.
2. Place pork belly in a food processor and process until finely ground. Add Napa cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, scallion, garlic, and pulse 2 times until incorporated. Transfer to a large bowl.
3. Add cornstarch, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, vegetable oil, table salt, sugar, and white pepper powder to the ground pork. Mix well and set aside in the refrigerator. The filling can be made a day ahead.
4. For the Dough: In a large bowl, mix flour, cornstarch, salt, sugar, baking powder, and yeast together. Warm milk in a microwave, about 30 seconds. Stir half of the milk into the flour, combine with a spatula, then stir in the remaining milk until thoroughly combined. Knead until dough comes together, about 5 to 10 seconds. Transfer dough to a clean work surface and knead until the dough is smooth. Grease a bowl with oil, transfer the dough to the bowl, and cover with plastic wrapper. Let rest for 30 minutes.
5. To Assemble the Buns: Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Cut dough into 4 equal parts. Roll out one portion of dough into a 6-inch snake, and cut into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a ball, flatten it with the palm of your hand, and roll the dough out with a small rolling pin until it is about 3 1/2 inches in diameter.
6. Place about 1 tablespoon of the pork filling in the center of the dough round. Fold the dough up and around the filling, pleating and pinching around the top until sealed.
7. Place finished buns on a lightly greased plate, cover plate loosely with plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. The buns can be frozen at this point by spreading them on a parchment-lined baking sheet dusted with flour and freezing; transfer frozen buns to a zipper-lock bag for long-term freezer storage.
8. To cook fresh buns, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place the buns in the pan, leaving 1/2 inch of space between each bun (work in batches if necessary). Pan-fry the buns until they start to turn lightly golden brown on the bottom, about 25 seconds. Pour 1/4 cup water into the skillet and cover immediately. Cook until the water completely evaporates, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the lid on the pan until the sizzling stops, about 30 seconds. Remove the lid, plate the buns, and serve immediately.
9. To cook frozen buns, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place the frozen buns in the pan, leaving 1/2 inch of space between each bun (work in batches if necessary). Pan-fry the buns until they start to turn lightly golden brown on the bottom, about 25 seconds. Pour 1/4 cup water into the skillet and cover immediately. Cook until the water completely evaporates, about 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the lid on the pan until the sizzling stops, about 30 seconds. Remove the lid, plate the buns, and serve immediately.
Shanghai Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao)
http://cherryonmysundae.com/2014/05/shanghai-soup-dumplings-xiao-long-bao.html
If you ever heard of the restaurant Din Tai Fung, you are familiar with Xiao Long Bao, Shanghai soup dumplings. This famous international restaurant is famous for serving delicate pork dumplings that are filled with a savory broth. You bite into these little wonders and out comes a hot flavorful soup. Pour out the soup first than dip the dumplings into a vinegar and ginger dipping sauce. Drooling yet? Although these dumplings are most popular at Din Tai Fung, they are available at few other Chinese restaurants; no matter what establishment you get them from, they will be delicious, I guarantee it. Determined to replicate Xiao Long Bao myself, I did some research and made my own version at home. The dumpling’s reputation for being tedious and difficult to make was very much true; however, with detailed steps and instructions you can successfully make your own batch at home!
Shanghai soup dumplings (Xiao Long Bao)
Yields 20
Total Time8 hr
Broth
8 oz or so pork skin, a little more or less won’t matter too much
3 big slices of ginger
1 scallion
4-5 pieces country ham bones with meat attached
6 cups water
1 tsp salt
Dough
200 grams flour
3 fl ounces hot water
2 tbsp cold water
1/2 tbsp oil
Filling
6 ounces ground pork
4 ounces shrimp, finely minced
1 stalk green onion, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, grated
2 tsp ginger, grated
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp Chinese rice wine
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp salt
Dipping sauce
1/4 cup black vinegar
1 tbsp ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
Instructions
1 Prepare broth according to recipe, letting it sit in the refrigerator until set.
2 Meanwhile, prepare the dough. Weigh 180 grams flour and place in a medium bowl. Gradually pour the hot water in and stir with a wooden spoon until a dough begins to flour. Add the cold water and oil and stir until well-combined. Dust work counter with remaining flour. Transfer dough to the counter and knead for 8-10 minutes or until smooth and soft. The dough should bounce back when poked. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes.
3 Prepare the filling. Combine all the ingredients from pork - salt. Remove broth from refrigerator and cut into small cubes. Add 1 cup of broth to the filling mixture and stir to combine.
4 Unwrap dough and divide into four portions. Cover three portions as you work with the first piece. Roll out the dough into a 1/2 inch thick rope. Cut the dough into 5 even pieces about the size of a quarter. Roll out each piece into a paper-thin round disc, about 3 inches in diameter. The edges should be thinner than the center of the disc. Place 1 tbsp filling in the center of the disc. Gather up the edges and begin pleating, pinching the tops to seal the dumpling. Repeat with remaining dough, covering finished dumplings until ready to steam.
5 Line steamer with napa cabbage or parchment paper punctured with holes. Heat steamer for 2 minutes over medium heat or until cabbage has softened. 6 Transfer dumplings to hot steamer and cook for 10 minutes. Serve with sliced ginger and black vinegar dipping sauce.
Adapted from Broth recipe from Three Squabbling Asians
http://www.threesquabblingasians.com/yes-you-can-make-shanghai-soup/
**Helpful tips and common mistakes
Okay so I’ll admit, my Shanghai soup dumplings were not perfect. The dough was not as thin as it should have been, but learn from my mistakes and you can make yours come out perfectly!
While researching recipes for these dumplings, I found that almost all used gelatin as the thickener. I doubt that was the traditional way to prepare the broth, so I went with another recipe that used pork skin – all natural! If you cannot find pork skin, purchase pork belly and remove the skin on top.
When preparing the broth, you want the most flavorful soup you can get. Ham and chicken bones are often used to add the savory quality.
After the broth cooks for several hours, strain and let chill in the refrigerator. The pork skin adds a natural thickener to the broth and allows it to become like jello!
Now here come’s the difficult part, the dough. You can always purchase dumpling wrappers but if you went to the trouble of making the soup, why not go all the way?
The secret to the perfect dough is using a combination of hot and cold water. The hot water partially cooks the dough, reacting with the gluten, resulting in a pliable dough. If the dough needs more flour, add 1 tbsp at a time until desired consistency. Knead until the dough is smooth and soft.
While the dough rests, prepare the filling. Cook a small portion of the filling as a flavor-tester, adding more salt and pepper if necessary. You want a balanced flavor of sweet and salty, with the pork and shrimp shining through.
Now back to the dough. To get consistent sizes, weigh the dough into 20 even portions. Each portion will be about the size of a quarter, or even slightly smaller. Continue to dust the counter as you roll out each portion to prevent the dough from sticking. You want the dough to be as thin as you can get it. Even when you think you can’t go thinner, continue rolling it out, trust me.
Start with slightly less than 1 tbsp filling, adding more as you get more comfortable pleating the dumplings.
Pinch the pleated top, gathering the edges to seal to the dumpling.
I made the mistake of not softening the cabbage before placing the dumplings on top. Softening the cabbage makes it much easier to not only place the dumplings on top but from removing them from the cabbage after cooked.
To serve, simply put thinly sliced ginger in a dipping sauce and pour black vinegar on top. Bite into that Shanghai soup dumpling, drink the soup and eat up! After all that hard work, it’s easy to appreciate these dumplings even more.
http://thewoksoflife.com/2014/09/steamed-shanghai-soup-dumplings-xiaolongbao/
Shanghai Steamed Soup Dumplings (Xiaolongbao)
Prep time 24 hours
Cook time 30 mins
Total time 24 hours 30 mins
Shanghai Soup Dumplings, or xiaolongbao (小笼包)—perhaps the most perfect single bite of food ever conceived by man—does not require much introduction. This tantalizing, dreamy snack is probably the most famous dish to come out of Shanghai: paper-thin skin enveloping perfectly seasoned pork filling and rivers of hot, flavorful soup. If you want to make more of these, you can multiply this recipe as needed! It's not really a good idea to freeze these, as they're so delicate.
Author: Judy
Recipe type: dim sum
Cuisine: Chinese
Serves: 18-20 dumplings
Ingredients
For the aspic:
½ lb pork skin, cut into 1-inch strips
1 lb pork neck bones (you want neck bones that still have meat on them!)
water
2 slices ginger
1 scallion, cut into 3 pieces
1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
For the dough:
1 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons warm water
For the filling:
1 lb ground pork (70% lean 30% fat)
2 tablespoons shaoxing wine
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sesame oil
¾ teaspoon sugar
3 teaspoons light soy sauce
3 tablespoons water
A pinch of ground white-pepper
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 heaping cup of your aspic, diced into ½-inch pieces
To serve:
Chinese black vinegar
julienned ginger
Instructions
Step 1: The Aspic
1 In a small pot, add the pork skin and pork bones and cover with cold water. Bring to a rolling boil, and immediately drain and rinse off the bones and the skin. This gets rid of any impurities. Rinse out the pot and put everything back in. Add 4 cups of water, ginger, scallion and wine. Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 2 hours.
2 After 2 hours, turn off the heat, allow the soup to cool, and strain the liquid into a bowl. As to the leftovers in the pot, you can discard it or go the Chinese route, which would be to drizzle some light soy sauce over everything and start grazing). Once the liquid is completely cooled, cover and refrigerate overnight.
Step 2: The Dough
3 In a mixing bowl, add the flour and the warm water 1 tablespoon at a time. Work and knead the dough for 15-20 minutes. The dough should be very soft and smooth. Cover with a cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Step 3: The Filling:
4 Take your ground pork and put it in the food processor. Pulse for 30-60 seconds until the pork resembles paste. In a mixing bowl, add the pork and all the rest of the ingredients except the aspic. Whip everything together thoroughly, for about 2 minutes. You want everything to be extremely well combined, and the pork should look like a light, airy paste. Gently fold in the aspic, and do not over-mix. Cover and transfer the filling to the refrigerator until ready to make the dumplings. If you’re ready now, you can put it in the freezer for 15 minutes to allow it to firm up and make assembling the buns easier.
Step 4: Assembly
5 Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour and roll the dough into a long cylinder/cigar, about an inch in diameter. Cut the dough into small equal pieces weighing about 11 grams each (the dough chunks should be a size resembling that of gnocchi). Roll out each piece into a round disc about 3 - 3 ¼ inches diameter. Keep everything under a damp cloth.
6 Prepare your bamboo steamer. You can line it with cheese cloth, napa cabbage leaves, or these lovely bamboo steamer discs, which can be found in some Chinese restaurant supply stores (if using these, you must brush the discs with oil first!).
7 When all that is prepared, take out the filling. You’ll be making each bun one at a time. Place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the middle of your dumpling skin. Pleat the dumpling as shown in the video. It should have as many folds as you can muster: 12-20 folds should do it. Watch the video in our Carrot Ginger Pork Bun post. The technique is very similar. For this one, you’re just making more folds. Make sure the top is sealed. If the filling ever gets too wet or hard to handle, put it in the freezer for another 15 minutes and start again.
8 Place the buns in the lined steamer basket, about 2 inches apart.
Step 5: Steaming
9 In a metal steamer pot or wok, boil water. If using a wok, put the water at a level so that when you put the bamboo steamer into the wok, the water rises about ½ inch up the bottom of the bamboo base. You never want the water to touch the dumplings inside, though, so make sure not to fill it too high!
10 Once the water is boiling, put the bamboo steamer in the wok or steamer pot, cover with the bamboo steamer lid, and steam over high heat for 8 minutes. Immediately remove the bamboo steamer from the pot and serve.
Step 6: Eating
11 Ok, so there is definitely a proper way to enjoy these dumplings. Put away the soy sauce because it has no place on the table right now. What you want is Chinese black vinegar. Pour some out into a small, round dish or bowl, and top with some very thin matchsticks of ginger.
12 Take out your two utensils—chopsticks and a Chinese soup spoon (a fork would just butcher these and the soup would dribble out all over the table. It would be a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions).
13 Carefully, slowly peel the xiaolongbao off of the steamer basket and dip it into the vinegar. Gently transfer the dumpling to your soupspoon and take a tiny bite out of the skin on the side of the bun to make a little hole. Proceed to slurp the soup out of the bun (Carefully. It’s HOT). Then, with a little more vinegar, finish the whole thing off in one bite.
14 Repeat.
Shanghai Soup with Steamed Pork Dumplings
http://livewellnetwork.com/Food-Rush/recipes/Shanghai-Soup-with-Steamed-Pork-Dumplings/9359219
Servings: 16-20 dumplings Difficulty: Advanced Time: 2 hours
Provided by: Chef Ryan Scott and Din Tai Fung
Ingredients
16 store-bought dumpling wrappers, 2 1/2 to 3 inch size
Chicken or pork broth
Gelatin
6 ounces fatty ground pork
1 scallion, minced
1 small clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
white pepper to taste
Chinese black vinegar
Sliced fresh ginger
Directions
1. To make the soup broth, cook the pork or chicken broth with the gelatin until combined. Boil on low until it is reduced to half, and refrigerate the mixture until firm.
2. To make the dumpling filling, combine the pork, scallion, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, and white pepper and mix well. Transfer to a food processor and pulse until it is a fine paste.
3. To assemble the dumplings, put 1/2 teaspoon of the gelled broth on the wrapper and op with 1 tablespoon meat mixture. Pleat the dumplings and twist at the top.
4. To cook the dumplings, line a bamboo steamer with cabbage leaves or parchment paper. Steam the dumplings for 4 -5 minutes over medium heat.
5. Combine vingegar and ginger to make dipping sauce, and serve hot dumplings with dipping sauce.
. Thank you for posting this. It will go in my permanent recipe folder! I’ll say a couple things about the recipe. First, I made balsamic mushrooms as a side dish and they went very well with the scallops. Second, next time I make it I’ll probably only do 1/4 cup of butter instead of 1/2 cup. The 1/2 cup seemed a little much when it was all done. Third, next time I’d like to serve the scallops over whipped potatoes. I think the potatoes will help soak up the extra butter and goodness from the sauce. Thanks again for posting this!
