Go to the Recipe: Shanghai Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao)
This is brilliant. Not sure I'm game to take this one but I can taste them from the video alone.
Awesome video. Also, that music on fleek.
I'm making these right the fuck now!!!
I've been so excited to see your take on these!! I took cooking classes in Beijing - Xiao Long Bao were my favorite!
While not traditional, I've actually had some success in using a kitchenmaid pasta roller along with a stainless circle cutter/form - the pleating is the trickiest (for some), and I've learned my lesson by adding too much filling in one ambitious scoop.
My personal tip on steaming: Some use steaming cloths meant for dumplings. I like using napa cabbage (regular cabbage works too). I add a layer into a wooden steam basket and steam for about 10 min while I work on making dumplings. Then, I take a very small amount of vegetable oil and brush the top of the steamed leaves in the basket. This makes it very easy to remove the dumplings when ready to serve. In the past I've had sticking issues and the dumplings would tear
Also, if you're looking to make them in advance - I've had success in making them and storing immediately in a ziplock in the freezer. They're good for two weeks IMO. Just cook about 9-10 min if using frozen.
Good luck!!
Confucius say long journey begin with one small step. I'm off to the market for tomorrow's great Shanghai Soup Dumpling odyssey......
YES! Do it!!
OMG THANK YOU!
You guys are the best!
die pls
Amazing recipe. Thanks for sharing. I am going to try this out as soon as I can.
I hope there is measurement of tbsp,tsp,cup in gram too.
This looks incredibly good! Thank you!
I have had limited success making these with refrigerated bone stock, but it quickly becomes sloppy when trying to assemble the dumplings. So happy that they are still "authentic" if using gelatin. Oh happy day - cannot wait to try!
I haven't tried it before, but I remember reading some alternative recipes for the soup base. It said to make the stock using the jointy bones for the cartilage and it will congeal that way. Love the simplicity of this video though, will try this soon!
What a great idea. I want to try them. I'm curious, the parchment paper you show seems to have holes in it which seems to be what allows the steam through. Will regular parchment paper allow steam through?
Love dumplings and this post. I've never worked up the courage to try them myself, but it looks like it's time!
I've been waiting for this, thank you CS! A bit more in-depth rolling/pleating/folding/tucking video would really help, I think.
(FYI: Gold Medal brand A/P flour has been recalled for E. Coli strain. Check on that before using that brand.)
I definitely need a close-up of this folding technique... no clue how to properly do this just ba watching the video ;-)
the authentic way does not involve anything with getalin, they instead use gelatin-rich parts of the pig such as ear, feet and skin to thicken the broth.
Chefsteps is more about modern cuisine... No where do they claim that this is an authentic recipe. In fact, they even admitted to the tidbit you just mentioned not being authentic in the introduction.
For some reason, my parchment paper ended up sticking a bit, I'm all for using cabbage leave, steamed for a bit in the basket and lightly brushed with canola/veg oil.
I think they used a hole punch to put holes in regular parchment paper
I'm with you, Vergil. The addition of powdered gelatin is so lame. Bone broth is so easy to make, why add gelatin? If they really wanted to be modern, they should have used a pressure cooker to make a quicker bone broth. Modern doesn't have to mean cutting corners.
Look for perforated parchment steamer liners , or bamboo basket liners ... Amazon , restaurant supply , Chinatown, etc .( Quite the picture ...chefs with hole punches for Dim Sum service .. LOL )
Brilliant recipe!!, i understand its from a US cookbook but could you put quantities in ml rather than cups for us metric users?
I make the chicken broth with the addition of pig's feet in a pressure cooker, instead of gelatin.
geletin is more predicable and probably has a higher melting point than home made jellifed stock and is probably reasonable if this is the first time you are attempting this recipe.
Last time I made these, I used reduced home made guinea fowl stock which could easily be cut into cubes and produced the nicest dumpings i've tasted.
Worth a thousand words?
YES!
We all take steps to save time, and using prepared gelatin is just one of those. Perhaps you should grind your own flour as well? Ferment your own vinegar? Raise your own pork? If this recipe had required a pressure cooker, pigs ears and feet, etc., it would probably strike a whole lot of people as too daunting. I trust ChefSteps to look for "bang for the buck".
I was surprised at how easily everything came together.The folding took a little getting used to but I really enjoyed making these and my family enjoyed eating them even more.
Using powered gelatin is just a powered form of what you made by boiling the bones. I used the Agar-Agar . Agar has been used in Japanese, Burmese, Vietnamese and Philippine foods for ages. Russians even used it. It is much easier to work with after it sets than gelatin as well. Even the home made aspic.
My pleating skills are definitely lacking, but these were fantastic! I used cabbage leaves brushed with canola oil to line the steamer and had no issues with sticking. Can't wait to make them again!
wish all the measurements were in t. T...cups...not grams
Video is absolutely spellbinding. Finally answers the mystery of how the soup stays locked in beneath the skin. For an extra twist, like how we have it at some xiao long bao chains here in HK and SG, you can play with the skin and the meat! Black truffle and crab is very popular here, along with oddballs like cheese and ginseng...
Why? I cannot think of a single way that weight/mass measurements are not superior to volumetric measurements.
Difficult to pleat, but unbelievably delicious
Hi Micah, wondering where I can purchase that steamer insert, any help would be appreciated! Dumplings look great!
Wifey loved them and she's a tough customer when it comes to Chinese cuisine. Bit of a snob when it comes to that actually. Doesn't apply to most other cuisine e.g., her favorite pizza is Pizza Hut. The recipe which makes 24 dumplings is just enough for two people so keep that in mind. Very thorough presentation and excellent results. Thank you!
Could the dumplings also be boiled?
That would probably jostle them too much, and I would never risk losing any of the soup. If you don't have a steamer, try rigging up a strainer/sifter in a pot and just do less at a time.
Hi Jessica. Sorry I didn't read this before now. My friend got the steamer while she was visiting family in China. I have seen the same ones in the Asian Supermarkets here in New Zealand; it would be worth looking in your local joint. Good Luck!
Anybody have all the measurements in grams?
Yum!
Sometimes there's no soup in the dumplings I made, the proportions are right. Is it because I'm steaming them for too long and they evaporate? Or is it because I didn't seal the top tightly?
since you are mixing the gelatin cut up into the meat filling it may be as simple as chance. you may have gotten a spoonful of filling when you missed grabbing some of the cut up gelatin. you can mix half the gelatin into the meat mixture and keep the other half back in a c\glass or metal bowl with ice under it to keep it gelled. that way, you can spoon in your meat filling, then tale a half teaspoon of just the gel (or whatever would be the appropriate amount) and put that but on top of the meat before closing the dumpling. that will ensure there is at least SOME of the gelatin in each bite.
Quick note, if you are going to use cabbage, make sure you have slits/holes to let the steam in.
The recipe in Bon Appetit a few years ago had one just place a few of the cut soup cubes directly into the dumpling next to the filling. When I made it with store-bought wrappers, I guess my folding technique wasn't very good and all the soup leaked out!
So you weigh out a cup of water? really? Really?? REALLY???
@BostonBestEats yes, really, really, really.
Those are beautiful!
When I do it, I actually don't use a gelatin packet (or chicken stock for that matter), but use a pig foot. I feel it's the correct thing to use as it makes a pretty strong cold gel that melts into an unctuous broth when heated.
There’s an option to change all the measurements to grams at the top of the recipe
