Xiaolongbao: Soup dumplings with pork

Votes: 1

Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Complexity: easily
Servings: 32

Nutritional value per serving:

Calories 91, total fat 4 G., saturated fats 1 G., proteins 4 G., carbohydrates 10 G., fiber 0 G., cholesterol 11 mg, sodium 119 mg, sugar 0 G.

"Xiaolong bao are Chinese steamed dumplings with soup inside," says Molly Yeh. "They're like magic! My whole childhood, my family ate them at our favorite dim sum restaurant in Chicago's Chinatown, and later, I learned how to make them by combining my family's signature recipe with a secret ingredient: soup jelly, which turns into a runny soup when the dumplings are hot."

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

Dough

3 cups of premium flour + extra for working with the dough
1.5 tsp coarse salt
0.5 cups of boiling water
0.5 cups of cold water

Soup

1 and 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp soy sauce
7 g gelatin (about 1 tbsp.)

Filling

450 g of minced pork
0.5 tsp coarse salt
2 tbsp soy sauce + extra for serving
1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp sambal-olek + extra for serving
1 tbsp. l. sesame oil
1 tbsp rice vinegar + extra for serving
4 green onions, thinly sliced

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

We recommend

Recipes with similar ingredients: unleavened dough, minced pork, gelatin, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sambal olek

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Dough:

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add boiling water and stir with a spatula, then knead with your hands until a rough dough forms. Pour in cold water and knead the dough. Turn it out onto a work surface and knead, adding flour if the dough becomes too sticky, until smooth and slightly sticky, 7–10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel for 30 minutes while you prepare the filling.
Soup:

Heat the chicken broth, then add the soy sauce and gelatin. Stir. Pour into a shallow dish and refrigerate until the soup sets, about 1 hour. Mash the gelatin with a fork. Set aside.

Filling:

Place the pork in a large bowl and season with salt, then add the soy sauce, ginger, sambal oelek, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and green onions. Mix everything together with your hands (don't press the minced meat too hard), then prepare the dumpling-making area.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dust with flour. Divide the dough into 32 balls and keep them covered, working with one at a time. Roll them into circles 8–10 cm in diameter, dusting the surface with flour as needed. Spoon 0.5 tbsp of pork filling into the center of each circle and 0.5 tbsp of the set soup on top of the filling. Fold the edges of the dough up and pinch the center. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Note
At this point, the dumplings can be frozen. Steam them without defrosting for 8–10 minutes.
Line a bamboo steamer with cabbage leaves or parchment paper with a few holes cut in it. Place the dumplings in the steamer, spacing them apart, then place the steamer over a pot of simmering water. Steam the dumplings, a few at a time, until done, 8-10 minutes. Alternatively, line a plate with cabbage leaves or parchment paper. Place the dumplings in the pot of simmering water, making sure the water doesn't cover the plate (you'll need about 0.5-3/4 cups of water). Cook for 8-10 minutes.
Let the dumplings cool slightly and serve with a dip made from equal parts vinegar and soy sauce, with some sambal oelek added to taste.