Recipe - Xiaolongbao

This is definitely not an easy thing to make, but I think it is worth it! I took a class last week, but wanted to try this myself to see what it really was like!  Plus Ayi had never made either, so we did together. It started yesterday with a trip to Metro to purchase a Pork Leg. Considered butchering myself, but decided my neighbors wouldn't appreciate the extra drama on the street! So, instead picked up a cut I needed at Metro. For anyone considering doing this, I included a picture so you can see. All the fat and skin are still on it. This is the leg, so the bone inside is pretty small. You might also see pork shoulder or pork hoof. I think the leg is best because it maximizes the fat ratio!  More on that in a minute.


What makes these so good is three things in my mind. First, the skins should be thin. If too thick, then top where the pleats come together just taste like dough, no flavor. Second is the soup jelly that is rendered out of the pork leg. This is what becomes the soup inside the dumpling skin that make xiaolongbao so good!  Third is using minced pork that has enough fat in it. If you don't, you will have a little hunk of pork surrounded by this beautiful broth. 

Ok, so let me say a bit about the soup jelly you will be making for this recipe. You will probably see that basically what makes xiaolongbao good is that the soup inside is about 30-40% fat. Of course that is why it tasted so good. It will probably seem a bit gross, but it really is the key to good soup inside these. So, get over it! Wash the leg before cooking. Here in China, the butchering is not always a clean cut, so wash the small shards of bone out the ends. 

Don't worry if this takes a long time to get right. This was my second time making today, and I focused on getting the dough the right consistency and pleating. I totally could not pleat the first time.  Was happy that today I did finally get how to pleat. Whew! Still suck at it, but at least I have a starting point. Not so happy with the skins we made. Not nearly thin enough. And I need to get a steamer set up that works a bit easier.  Special thanks to Suzanne for the moral support and teaching me the tick for pleating!




RECIPE

ingredients:

Soup Jelly

1-1.5 kg Pork leg (with skin and fat)

500 ml water

1 tbsp chinese wine

5-6 small spring onions, tied together in knot

1 inch Ginger, cut into ¼ inch pieces

Filling

200 grams minced pork (there should be a good bit of fat in this minced pork!)

1 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp Chinese Wine

1 tsp salt

1 tsp chicken stock, dry

¾ inch Ginger, chopped fine

5-8 spring onions, ¼ cup, chopped fine

Skins

150 gmFlour

Cold Water, with just a bit of hot water

preparation: 
Soup Jelly

Bring the Pork Leg, water, ginger, onion, Chinese wine to boil in pan. Reduce to medium boil and cook for at least 5 hours. The meat should be coming off the bone when ready. Separate out the meat and place strain all the liquid into a separate container and place it into the refrigerator. You can use the meat for another purpose. The liquid will separate into the broth and the fat. Below the fat is the soup jelly. You can scrape off the fat or keep it to use it with pork. Keep this in the refrigerator until ready to make the xiaolongbao.

Filling

Mix the minced pork, soy sauce, Chinese wine, salt, chicken stock, ginger, and spring onions together in a bowl. Place in fridge until ready to make. Can be done in advance, just keep covered. When ready to assemble, add in the soup jelly, using chopsticks to chop up into small pieces, and mixing in with the rest of the pork filling. This jelly will form the soup that surrounds the meat inside the xiaolongbao. If you are using the fat from the soup jelly, mix that in too. Chilling will help keep the jelly solid until you cook.

Skins

Use the flour and water to make a good dough. Not too sticky, but not too dry. You want to be able to roll these skins very thin. If too dry, it will be difficult to do. After you get the right consistency, you can wrap and place into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to rest. When ready to make, roll the dough into a long tube, about an inch in diameter. Cut the dough into pieces about ½ to ¾ inch. Roll each piece into a thin skin.  Each skin will be about 3 ½ inches in diameter. The thinner you make the skins, the better the xiaolongbao will be!

Assemble

Place a single skin in your palm. Place a small amount, about ¾ tsp filling, into the middle of the skin. Start folding and pulling folds together to the top of the xiaolongbao. Move around the skin, making small pleats along the way. When finished, use a slight twist if the top to completely enclose the xiaolongbao. Place the xiaolongbao into a steamer basket which has been lined. Continue to roll and pleat.

Cooking

Once you have your steamer filled with xiaolongbao, place the steamer in a pan with water. Be careful not to put water up past the bottom of the lowest steamer rack! Also, it is important to be able to cover the steamer with a lid to ensure they cook. Cook the xiaolongbao for about 10-14 minutes. The time will depend on how thin the skins were!  Take a look at one after 10 minutes to see that the meat is cooked through and the skin is soft. If not, let steam a bit more.  Eat warm served with black vinegar. ENJOY!