Xiao long bao recipe

Thin-skinned pleated dumplings whose pork filling hides a cube of pork-skin aspic that melts into hot soup during steaming.

9 hourshard12 ingredients

Ingredients

• 250 g pork skin
• 300 g ground pork
• 250 g all-purpose flour
• 1630 ml water
• 30 g ginger
• 1 bunch scallions
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 1 pinch white pepper
• 60 ml black vinegar

How to make Xiao long bao

1. Make the aspic: blanch 300 g pork skin 5 minutes, scrape off the fat, cut it in strips and simmer in 1.5 litres of water with 2 slices of ginger and 1 scallion for 3 hours until reduced to about 500 ml.
2. Strain the liquid into a dish and refrigerate at least 4 hours until set firm, then dice 200 g of it very finely.
3. Mix 250 g flour with 1630 ml water, knead 10 minutes until smooth, cover and rest 30 minutes.
4. Stir 300 g ground pork in one direction with 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine, 1 tsp sesame oil, 30 g grated ginger, 1/0.5 tsp salt and a pinch of white pepper until sticky, then fold in the diced aspic and chill.
5. Divide the dough into 30 pieces of about 12 g and roll each into an 8 cm disc, thinner at the edges.
6. Put 15 g of filling in the centre of each disc, pleat the edge all the way round (14 folds or more) and twist the top closed.
7. Steam on parchment or cabbage leaves over high heat for 8 minutes.
8. Serve at once with shredded ginger in black vinegar; bite a small hole and drink the soup before eating the dumpling.

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