[I ATE] Soup Dumplings

Country of origin: China

A regional specialty hailing from the outskirts of Shanghai, soup dumplings are now a globally devoured delicacy. This treat is a perfect indulgence on a chilly day. I have a few favorite spots in NYC serving up soup dumplings, including Drunken Dumpling and Dumpling Man, both located a stone's throw from 1st Avenue and St. Mark's Place in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan. If you've never savored a soup dumpling before I recommend finding yourself a dumpling shop while the weather is still perfect for slurping these bad boys down. Alternatively, I've found a recipe from Bon Appétit and if you're feeling adventurous, you can try to recreate these tasty treats in your own kitchen (But to be honest, these seem complicated AF, so good luck! And don't judge yourself for giving up halfway and just ordering takeout.)

This recipe originally appeared on Bon Appétit. Their site features step-by-step photos I recommend checking out if you're attempting to make this recipe at home.

Servings: About 48 dumplings

Ingredients:

• Soup
  • 1/2 lb. pork skin, cut in half
  • 1 lb. pork bones
  • 1 pig's foot
  • 3 scallions, cut into one inch pieces
  • 3 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thinly into rounds
  • 2 Tbsp. Chinese rice wine
  • Salt
• Filling
  • 1 1/4 lb. ground pork shoulder (~20% fat)
  • 3 scallions, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, pressed
  • 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1 1/4 tsp. Chinese rice wine
  • 1 1/4 tsp. sugar
  • 1 1/4 tsp. toasted sesame oil
  • 3/4 tsp. finely grated ginger
  • 3/4 tsp. ground white pepper
• Dough
  • 3 Cups all-purpose flour, plus more fore surface 
  • 1 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
  • **In the images I've shared, you'll notice the dumpling dough is red. Drunken Dumpling in NYC dyes their dough with juiced vegetables, including beets, carrots and spinach. This is optional, and adding more liquid will require a bit more additional flour.**
• Dipping Sauce
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and julienned
  • 1/3 Cup black vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. soy sauce

Directions: 

• Soup
  • Place pork skin in a small stockpot or large saucepan and add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil; drain and rinse with cold water. Slice skin lengthwise into 1"-wide strips, trimming any fat, then slice strips crosswise into about ¼"-wide pieces.
  • Return skin to same stock pot and add bones, foot, scallions, ginger, wine, and 8 cups cold water. Bring to a boil, skim surface of any foam, and reduce heat. Simmer, skimming often, until liquid is almost opaque and reduced to 2 cups, 60−75 minutes.
  • Strain liquid into a 13x9" baking dish; discard solids. Season with salt and chill until set, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. If making ahead, cover soup with plastic wrap once jelled.
• Filling
  • Mix ground pork, scallions, garlic, soy sauce, salt, wine, sugar, oil, ginger, and pepper with chopsticks in a medium bowl, stirring in one direction until it all comes together and a light film forms on the sides of bowl, about 20 seconds
  • Cut a fine crosshatch pattern in jelled soup to create very small pieces (about ⅛" squares). Scrape into bowl with filling and mix to combine.
  • Cover and chill until ready to use
• Dough
  • Place 3 cups flour in a medium bowl. Slowly drizzle in 1 cup very hot tap water, mixing constantly with chopsticks or a fork, until dough starts to hold together in shaggy pieces. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rest 15 minutes (this allows flour to hydrate).
  • Add oil and mix until dough comes together and forms a shaggy ball. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking, until dough is very soft, smooth, supple, and just a little bit tacky, about 10 minutes. Dust dough lightly with flour and wrap in plastic.
  • Let rest 1 hour
• Dipping Sauce
  • Mix scallions, ginger, vinegar, and soy sauce in a small bowl; set aside
• Assembly
  • Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time and keeping other pieces covered with plastic wrap, roll out dough with your palms to make 12" long "ropes" of dough
  • Cut each rope into twelve 1" pieces.
    • Pro Tip: Using a ruler as a guide means all your pieces will be the same size, resulting in uniform dumplings
  • Working with 1 piece of dough at a time and keeping other pieces covered in plastic wrap—it’s important to keep the dough covered while you work because it dries out very easily—press your thumb into cut side of dough to flatten
  • Dust very lightly with flour and use dowel to roll out into thin rounds, about 4" in diameter—work from the center moving outward, applying slightly more pressure as you reach the edges to make them a little thinner. Cover with plastic.
  • Lay a wrapper across the upper part of your palm and bottom half of the fingers of your nondominant hand. Spoon 1 Tbsp. filling into wrapper, making sure to get some pieces of jelled soup.
  • Lightly spread out filling with the back of the spoon, leaving at least a ½" border. Spoon a couple more pieces of jelled soup into center of filling. Slightly cup your palm around dumpling and gently grasp edge of wrapper between your thumb and index finger. Position your other thumb and index finger ½" away in the same fashion.
  • Using fingertips on one hand, gently pull and stretch wrapper outward before bringing it in to meet opposite fingers. Carefully fold stretched area in on itself, creating a pleat. Pinch to seal.
  • Rotating dumpling as you work, repeat process to create a series of 18 pleats, leaving a small hole in the center. You’ll probably get only 10 or 12 pleats the first few times you do this; as your skill increases, so will your folds.
  • Cradle dumpling in your palm, gently rotating it and working filling upward so dumpling is shaped like a fig. This step elongates the dumpling, eliminating air between wrapper and filling.
  • Pinch edges together and gently twist to seal. Place dumpling in prepared steamer and cover with plastic wrap
  • Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. Work relatively quickly to keep edges of wrappers from drying out while you work
  • Remove plastic wrap. Place steamer over a large skillet of rapidly boiling water, making sure water doesn’t touch steamer, and cover. Steam dumplings for about 8 minutes. Serve directly from steamer with reserved dipping sauce alongside.