Qorkz Kitchen
/Xiao Long Bao - Pork And Shrimp Soup Dumplings
Welcome to Qorkz Kitchen! This week we are making one of our favorites of all time, soup dumplings! It might be our proximity to Chinatown in San Francisco that gives these meat and soup filled dumplings their cult like following, but people around here will go far out of their way to find the best ones. While there are many types of Shanghai dumplings, our favorites are Xiao Long Bao which are filled with pork, shrimp, and a smokey pork and chicken soup. We tried our hand at the recipe created by Steamy Kitchen and we found it to be a huge success!
Looking For A Wine To Have While Cooking?
Try Humanitas Sauvignon Blanc. It's delicious, it pairs great with Xiao Long Bao, and the proceeds go to charity, making it okay to open that second bottle. $30 on Qorkz.com
Ingredients
Soup
2 Quarts of Water
2 Pounds Chicken Wings
1.5 Pounds of Smoked Virginia Country Ham Bone In
10 oz of Salt Pork
1 Inch Piece of Ginger, Sliced Into 4-5 Ginger "Coins"
2 Green Onions, Cut Into 3" Pieces
2 Garlic Cloves, Smashed With Side of Your Knife
2 Teaspoons of Chinese Rice Wine
1 Tablespoon Powdered Agar Agar
Dough
400 Grams of All-Purpose Flour
3/4 Cups Boiling Hot Water
1/4 Cup Cold Water
Filling
1 lb Ground Pork
1/4 lb Shrimp, Shelled, Deveined and Minced Finely
3 Stalks Green Onion, Finely Minced
2 Teaspoons Sugar
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/4 Teaspoon White Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Grated Fresh Ginger
1 Teaspoon Chinese Rice Wine
1/4 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
Soup Broth Gelatin
Fair warning in advance, it takes awhile to make this broth. You have to steep the ingredients and then let the gelatin set up for at least 5 hours after adding the Agar powder. I made this the day before I made the soup dumplings and I had a well steeped and firm gelatin.
Start by cutting your chives in half, smashing your garlic cloves, and cutting your 1 inch piece of ginger into medallions. Add them along with your water to a deep stock pot. Then cut the salt pork and smoked Virginia ham away from the bone. Add the chicken necks, wings, salt pork and Virginia ham to the broth.
Bring the stock to a boil on high heat. Once the stock starts to boil, turn the heat to medium and a gentle simmer. If any foam rises to the surface, be sure to scoop that out and discard.
Simmer the stock for 1 and a half to 2 hours or until the remaining meat falls off the ham bone.
Remove the solids from the broth and discard. Strain the broth through a fine strainer and return the stock to the pot.
Return the stock to the heat and bring back to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat off and stir in the 1 tablespoon of powdered Agar Agar and whisk for two minutes.
Once the stock has come to room temperature, pour the stock into a 9x11 baking dish. Place the stock into the fridge to cool for at least 5 hours. (I let mine sit overnight).
When you're ready to make your dumplings remove the jello tray from the fridge and cut it into small cubes in preparation for adding to the dumplings.
Filling
To make the filling you first need to devein your shrimp. If you have never done this before, it can look intimidating but can be done in a few short steps. Peel the shell off the back of the shrimp and remove the legs. Then cut down the back of the shrimp and remove the shrimps digestive tract and then rinse. That's it!
Next cut the shrimp into a fine dice and place into the work bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
Next, cut your scallions into a fine dice
Remove the outer-skin of the ginger. Using a grater or microplane, grate the ginger and set aside.
Combine the shrimp, pork, scallions, ginger, sugar, salt, rice wine, sesame oil, and soy sauce to the work bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
Mix the ingredients together in the stand mixer until blended, usually about 30 seconds on medium. Next, add about half of your broth jello cubes to the mix and blend for another 30 seconds. Refrigerate until you are ready to use.
Looking For A Wine With Dinner?
Try the Chateau Lane Sauvignon Blanc. Crisp and refreshing with a hint of citrus, it is a terrific pairing for the hot soup dumplings. $28 on Qorkz.com
Make The Dough
This dough is made of just hot water and and flour with a touch of cold water added at the end. I made this in a food processor with the dough blade but it could easily be made in a stand mixer. Place the 400 grams by weight of all-purpose flour in a work bowl and turn on the food processor. Pour the hot water into the bowl in a slow and steady stream.
Once you have added the hot water and the dough becomes crumbly, add the cold water in a slow and steady stream. Process for another 20 seconds or until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.
Remove the dough and form it into a ball. Place the dough in a ziplock bag and set aside to hydrate for at least 30 minutes. Since the dough is hot, the the bag will fill with steam.
After 30 minutes, take the dough out of the bag and place it on a floured surface. Cut the dough into quarters. Working with one quarter at a time, roll the dough into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Using a knife or pastry scraper, cut the dough into 1 inch sections. Using a dowel or small rolling pin, roll the each section flat.
Using a a pastry cutter, cut 3 inch circles out of the dough. Repeat until all the dough is rolled out and cut.
Assemble The Dumplings
We like our dumplings with extra soup, so we place a jello cube of broth in the bottom of the dumpling underneath the filling. You don't have to do this step however. Using a spoon, place one ounce of filling inside of the dough circle on top of the jello cube. Place the filled dough in your hand and begin to pleat the outside. Make small folds all the way around to seal the dumplings. This does not need to look perfect for the home cook, but it does need a proper seal or the soup will evaporate during the cooking process.
Cook The Dumplings
For this you will need a bamboo steamer. If you don't have one, you should be able to find one at your local cooking store. I found them for sale cheaply at the Wok Shop in Chinatown. You can also find them on Amazon here.
Use Napa Cabbage to line the bottom of your steamer basket, then set the steamer over a pot of boiling water. Let the steam pass through the steamer for for 15 minutes before adding the dumplings.
Add the dumplings one at a time over the both layers of your bamboo steamer. Be careful not to overcrowd the steamer and be sure to double check the seals on the dumplings so the soup does not evaporate.
Steam the dumplings with the lid on the steamer for 12 minutes. The steam will melt the jello cubes into soup during the cooking process. After 12 minutes take the dumplings off the heat and eat immediately.
Dipping Sauce
What good is a dumpling without a dipping sauce? Mix together 1 tablespoon of sambal (hot chili & garlic sauce), 1/4 cup black vinegar, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and a 2-inch piece of fresh ginger cut in a fine dice.
Finish The Dish
Either serve the dumplings inside the steamer basket or plate with the sauce to serve. These are best when enjoyed immediately out of the steamer and piping hot.
Looking for more wine pairings? Sparkling White, Fume Blanc, Riesling, and Grüner Veltliner all pair well with Xiao Long Bao.