photo by roboppy
I wish I could say my introduction to Xiao Long Bao was on the streets of Shanghai, but it was a regular Sunday morning dim sum. Tucked away on a dumpling cart was something very different. Xiao Long Bao are not your everyday dim sum dumpling. They contain a little dollop of rich broth inside the dumpling. They come freshly steamed (and hopefully freshly made) in small bamboo containers. The process of steaming heats the soup broth up and readies the broth to burn the inside of your mouth, land on your shirt or be enjoyed as a little package of soup. Your choice.
Xiao Long Bao, or Soup Dumplings, can't (or shouldn't) be eaten like the standard dim sum dumpling. The dumplings are meant to be put on a soup spoon with any additional sauce. Chopsticks are used to pierce the dumpling and let the broth flow out into the spoon. Once every drop of the soup is enjoyed, its ok to finish off the whole dumpling.
There are some fantastic recipes out there for XLB, but they tend to have one thing in common - long preparation time. Remember that the last step of the recipe for these little packages in the bundling, folding and sealing of the dumplings themselves. That is going to take you some time and test your patience. You really might want to consider whether you're up for the long cooking process followed by some precision dumpling assembly.
Typically the dumplings are made with chicken broth paired with a pork ball. I modified the pork ball a bit and used bulk chorizo, in part because I can get it. It made the dumplings considerably spicier than what rolls by on a cart.
The best way to make these (or at least my favorite) is to stand around the kitchen with guests or family bundling the dumplings and chatting while they are steaming. They get perfectly fresh dumplings and you get good company.
Xiao Long Bao
Soup:
2 cups of chicken stock
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp Chinese rice wine
2 Tbsp unflavored gelatin
Directions
- Bring the stock to a boil and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the rest of the ingredients until the gelatin is dissolved.
- Pour into a glass dish that fills to about 1/2 deep. Chill in the refrigerator until solid.
Dumplings:
1 container of dumpling skins. I get these in the frozen section of my local Chinese market.
- Cut the broth into small cubes with a knife.
- Lay 2 skins out on a board. Wet the edges of both with your finger. (I think its easier to do 2 at a time)
- Put one spoonful of filling (below) and a few cubes of broth in each dumpling. You'll get better at how much to put in as you make them. Don't worry if your first couple are practice.
- Pleat the skin to form a sort of bowl. Join the edges together to form the dumpling.
- Place the dumplings on cabbage leaves or cotton in a bamboo steamer. Don't let them touch.
- Steam for 10-12 minutes.
Meat Filling:
1 lb ground pork or bulk chorizo
2 green onions, diced
1 in ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp Chinese rice wine
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp sugar
Directions
- Mix the pork with the vegetables well.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Vegetable Filling:
2 in ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb fresh asparagus
1 can whole water chestnuts, diced
4 green onions, diced
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp Chinese rice wine
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp sugar
Directions
- Very finely dice the vegetables and add to a bowl. Don't worry about using all of the asparagus stalks.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.