Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao with easy gelatin soup)

Soup dumplings, also known as xiao long bao, are a type of Chinese steamed dumpling that are popular for their delicate, thin skin and flavorful, savory soup filling. When you bite into a soup dumpling, you will be surprised with a burst of hot soup that perfectly complements the tender and juicy meat filling.

In this recipe, let me show you how to make soup dumplings at home, complete with an easy gelatin based soup that ensures a satisfying soup-filled bite every time.

Also, instead of kneading the dough ourselves, we can use store-bought packaged dumpling wrappers which are commonly seen. This will save us a lot of time and make the dumpling-making process more enjoyable and fun.

Soup Dumplings INGREDIENTS List:

– For making gelatin soup:

• 17 g gelatin powder (I used 2½ envelopes of knox gelatin powder.)
• ⅓ cup cold water
• 2 cup chicken stock (Unsalted; Can also use beef stock or vegetable stock.)
• 1 tbsp cooking wine
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 5 g ginger (About 3 thin slices.)
• 15 g green onion (About 1 green onion, tying to a knot.)
• 1 bay leaf (Optional.)
• ½ tsp Szechuan red peppercorns (Optional.)
• ⅛ tsp salt

The traditional method of making soup dumpling’s soup filling involves using pork bones or chicken feet to make a flavorful stock, chilling the stock overnight, and allowing it to naturally form a gel-like consistency. Then the solidified stock is chopped into small pieces and added to the soup dumpling filling, providing a jellied broth inside the soup dumplings when they are steamed. Here is an example of a traditional soup dumpling recipe.

Today’s recipe offers an alternative method that uses store-bought chicken stock and gelatin powder to achieve a similar effect, which saves you a lot of time compared to making the traditional pork bone stock. By using gelatin powder, the resulting jellied broth is just as flavorful, if not better, than the traditional method.

– For making scallion ginger water

• ⅓ cup chopped green onions (About 2 green onions.)
• 1½ tbsp chopped ginger (About 15g ginger.)
• 1 tsp Szechuan red peppercorns (Optional.)
• ½ cup boiling water

Scallion ginger water is a simple mixture of chopped ginger and green onions steeped in boiling water. It is often added to fish or meat dishes in Chinese cuisine because it helps to remove any muddy flavors that can be present in fish and meat.

Furthermore, after adding the scallion ginger water, it is a common practice in Chinese cooking to stir the ground pork in one direction until it becomes sticky. This stirring step can make sure that the flavorful scallion ginger water has been fully absorbed by the ground pork, so that the ginger can help break down the protein and connective tissue in the meat, resulting in a more tender and juicy dumpling filling.

If you want to add a spicy kick to your scallion ginger water, you can add some Sichuan peppercorns. These peppercorns have a unique numbing effect on the tongue and pair well with pork and fish dishes.

– For making pork filling

• 500 g ground pork 
• ⅓ cup chopped green onions (About 2 green onions.)
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 1 tbsp cooking wine
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp white pepper powder
• ¼ tsp Szechuan red peppercorns powder  (Optional.)
• 1 egg

Traditional soup dumplings usually have a ground pork filling. But feel free to substitute it with ground chicken or beef.

If you use standard measuring spoons and follow my recipe strictly, the filling should not taste too salty or bland. However, since everyone’s taste preferences may vary, you can try testing the taste of a small portion of the pork filling by microwaving one tablespoon of filling on high power for 1 minute. You can then taste the microwaved filling to adjust the amount of seasoning.

– Other ingredients

• 55 dumpling wrappers

Creating dumpling wrappers is a simple process that requires only three basic ingredients: all-purpose flour, salt, and water. However, rolling out each individual wrapper can be time-consuming.

Fortunately, many Asian grocery stores offer pre-packaged dumpling wrappers for less than $5, providing about 50 perfect wrappers per package. These pre-made wrappers are ideal for making bite-sized soup dumplings and are highly recommended to save your time and energy.

However, if pre-packaged wrappers are not available or if you prefer to create colorful wrappers using vegetable juice, here is my recipe for homemade dumpling wrappers.

EQUIPMENT you will need:

• Measuring cups and spoons
• Fine mesh strainer
• Heat resistant food storage container
• Chopsticks
• Steamer (Or you can use a large pot and a steaming rack to steam the soup dumplings.)

How to Make Soup Dumplings INSTRUCTIONS 

– Prepare the gelatin soup

1. Add 2½ envelopes (17g) of knox gelatin powder and ⅓ cup of cold water to a small bowl, stir to mix well. Set aside to bloom for 3 minutes.

2. Add chicken stock, cooking wine, soy sauce, ginger, green onion, bay leaf, Szechuan red peppercorns, and salt to a pot. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat.

3. Add bloomed gelatin to the pot, stir until it’s fully dissolved. Turn off the heat.

4. Set a fine mesh strainer over a heat resistant food storage container, strain the soup through the strainer and discard the solids.

5. Let the soup cool to room temperature, cover with lid or food wrap, keep in the refrigerator until it’s fully set.

– Prepare the scallion ginger water

1. In a small bowl, add chopped green onions, ginger, Szechuan peppercorns, and hot water. Set aside on your countertop for 15 to 30 minutes, allowing it to cool naturally to room temperature.

– Prepare the filling

1. Add all the ingredients listed under “Pork filling” to a large mixing bowl. Use a fine mesh strainer to strain all the scallion ginger water that you prepared in the previous step into the bowl, and discard the solids.

2. Use a pair of chopsticks to stir the filling in one direction for at least 5 minutes until the scallion ginger water is fully absorbed by the pork and the filling turns into a sticky mass.

3. Unmold the soup gelatin you’ve prepared in previous step to a large cutting board, casually chop it into small fingernail-size pieces.

4. Add the chopped soup gelatin to the large mixing bowl, evenly mix all the filling ingredients together with a spatula.

– Wrap and steam the soup dumplings

1. Take a dumpling wrapper and place it on one hand, using your other hand to dip a finger into a small bowl of cold water, and run it along the edge of the dumpling wrapper. Apply water to the edges of the wrapper on both sides.

2. Spoon about 1 tbsp of filling to the center of the wrapper. Use your dominant hand to crimp the edges of the wrapper together, working from one end to the other. Pleat the edges by folding and pinching them together. You can leave a small opening at the top like what I did. Or pinch the top of the dumpling to seal it closed. Repeat this process until all the filling has been used.

3. Fill a large pot with about an inch of water and place a steaming rack inside. The water should be below the level of the rack. Place the soup dumplings on a plate lined with parchment paper. Place the plate on the steaming rack. Cover the pot with a lid.

4. Set a 15 minutes timer, turn on the stove to medium high. Once the water in the pot is boiling, reduce the heat to medium low. When the timer goes off, turn off the heat and open the lid. In this way, we can make sure that the filling is fully cooked and the dumpling wrappers won’t break during the steaming process.

5. Serve the soup dumplings hot with your favorite dipping sauce. For example, you can mix 2 tbsps of rice vinegar, 1 tbsp of soy sauce, ¼ tsp of sesame oil or chili oil, and ¼ tsp of sugar.

How to store homemade soup dumplings?

To store homemade soup dumplings, place them in an airtight container with the sealed side up. Be sure to leave some space between each dumpling to prevent them from sticking together. This stackable dumpling storage container I found online is perfect for storing and organizing homemade foods in the freezer.

After the soup dumplings are frozen solid, you can optionally transfer them to a freezer bag to save some space in your freezer. Once frozen, they will not stick together. The dumplings can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To reheat, there is no need to thaw them. Simply steam the frozen soup dumplings for 15 minutes until heated through.

How to Make Vegetarian Soup Dumplings?

We can use agar agar powder and vegetable broth to substitute the gelatin powder and chicken stock in this current recipe to make the soup jelly filling vegan friendly. Specifically, we only need 1¼ tsp of agar agar powder to settle 2 cups of vegetable broth.

For the filling, you can use firm tofu, eggs, and glass noodles to substitute the ground pork in this current recipe. Check out my vegetable dumplings recipe for more detailed instructions.

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