# Transforming Shanghai soup dumplings



## JustJoel (Mar 23, 2018)

I have recently become interested in Xiao Long Bao, Shanghai soup dumplings. My question is about the soup that the dumplings are filled with, not the dough, so I figured this was the right forum.

These dumplings use a simple dough of flour and hot water, and oil, a filling of spiced pork, and a chicken broth thickened with gelatin or a pork broth cooked until it’s gelatinous enough to remain solid at room temperature. You shape the dough into rounds, thick at the center and thin at the edges, mix the filling and the soup gelatin together, spoon it into the rounds, seal them prettily and steam them in a bamboo steamer.

I love Asian food, and I’m up to the task of making a gelatinous pork broth (it takes hours!), but I thought it would be fun to westernize this recipe. The soup that comes immediately to mind is French onion. I’d strain the onions out, add gelatin to the broth(does alcohol inhibit gelatin?), then use the onions a a bit of gruyere for the filling. But that seems so obvious! I thought maybe minestrone might be good too, but I’m concerned that it’s too chunky, with the beans, you know?

If this sparks your imagination, or if you have any already developed recipes, please share!


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## buckytom (Mar 24, 2018)

So, you wanna make soup dumplings, but not typical Asian ones. Very cool idea.

Fronch onion is a great idea. Why strain the onions? Just chop them smaller.

Minestrone is also a great idea, or an Italian wedding soup. Or Escarole e Fagiole. 

Anything Italian would work as pasta is simpatico.


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## JustJoel (Mar 24, 2018)

buckytom said:


> So, you wanna make soup dumplings, but not typical Asian ones. Very cool idea.
> 
> Fronch onion is a great idea. Why strain the onions? Just chop them smaller.
> 
> ...


An Italian wedding soup! Duh! Thank you! I’ve never made one, but how hard can it be? Do you think I should make a really gelatinous broth, or freeze the broth? I’ve seen both methods on the web.


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## buckytom (Mar 24, 2018)

Gelatin is the way to go. But then it depends on if they'll be steamed fresh (with a cube of gelatin), or from frozen, then it doesn't matter as much.
Gelatin liquefies quickly enough so you don't end up oversteaming the dumplings that might cause them to fall apart if they're freshly made.


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## JustJoel (Mar 24, 2018)

buckytom said:


> Gelatin is the way to go. But then it depends on if they'll be steamed fresh (with a cube of gelatin), or from frozen, then it doesn't matter as much.
> Gelatin liquefies quickly enough so you don't end up oversteaming the dumplings that might cause them to fall apart if they're freshly made.


That’s certainly logical, but what’s the change of the gelatin melting too quickly and soaking into the dough? Still, that seems to be the preferred way in most of the recipes I read for the Chinese version, so I guess you don’t fix what’s not broken!


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## buckytom (Mar 24, 2018)

Dude, I'm a white guy from NYC.

I csn only help so much...


LOL just kidding. Geez, just make the f'in things.


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## CraigC (Mar 24, 2018)

Scroll down the page and you will see the aspic Karen made for soup dumplings. No packaged gelatin was used, just pigs feet, pig skin with no fat and pig leg bones. 

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f21/chinese-dough-meets-challenge-96179-3.html


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