Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Shanghai Xiaolongbao Soup Dumplings
上海小籠包
Recipe overview
Pork skin broth sets into aspic; cold diced jelly goes into seasoned pork, then melts into hot soup inside thin steamed wrappers. Beware scalding broth.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 125 g, cleaned of hair and excess fat pork skin
- 450 ml for aspic water
- 10 g, sliced ginger
- 150 g all-purpose flour
- about 80 ml for dough warm water
- 225 g minced pork
Filling seasoning
- 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/8 tsp white pepper
02
Tools
- knife
- cutting board
- stockpot
- strainer
- refrigerator container
- large bowl
- rolling pin
- steamer
- steaming paper
- food thermometer
03
Steps
Step 1
Clean pork skin
Remove hair and excess fat, blanch and rinse.
Step 2
Simmer skin broth
Simmer skin with 450 ml water and ginger for about 90 minutes.
Step 3
Strain and reduce
Remove skin and ginger, reducing broth to about 200 ml.
Step 4
Chill into aspic
Cool safely, then refrigerate at least 120 minutes until firm enough to dice; stop if it does not set.
Step 5
Knead dough
Add warm water gradually to flour and knead smooth.
Step 6
Rest dough
Cover and rest for 30 minutes to prevent drying.
Step 7
Season pork
Mix pork with soy, wine, sesame oil, sugar and pepper; keep chilled.
Step 8
Dice and fold aspic
Dice firm aspic finely and gently fold into cold pork.
Step 9
Roll thin rounds
Divide dough into 24, roll about 9 cm wide with edges thinner than the middle.
Step 10
Fill and pleat
Put about one tablespoon filling on each, pleat and seal tightly without holes.
Step 11
Steam covered
Line steamer, bring water to a boil and steam in batches about ten minutes.
Step 12
Check and eat carefully
Check largest pork filling reaches 75°C for 30 seconds; let scalding soup vent from a small bite over a spoon.
Common mistakes
- Pouring liquid broth into wrappers when aspic has not set
- Unsafe cooling of skin broth
- Torn skin leaking soup
- Undercooked pork or scalding hot soup
Tips
Aspic must be firm before filling, wrappers thin but intact, and each hot dumpling should vent over a spoon before eating.
