Pork Soup Dumplings Recipe - Jett's Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

Why are my soup dumplings gummy? ›

If you overcook your dumplings in the steamer or when boiling, the dough of the wrappers will have a gummy texture that isn't very pleasant, and your filling might get dry and tough. If you overcook them in the pan, you risk a similar gummy texture on top and a bitter, burnt crust on the bottom.

The fillings for soup dumplings are typically made from seasoned pork, and the aspic or gelatin is made by cooking down broth and letting it cool and congeal. The dough must be kneaded to be extremely soft and smooth before it is rolled into a thin, flat circle.

Why is there no soup in my soup dumplings? There are a few possible culprits here. Overcooking dumplings can cause the soup inside to evaporate. But if they're left to cool for too long, the gelatin in the soup will solidify.

Hand-mincing meat and adding more pork belly results in the juiciest dumplings. Traditionally, some Chinese cuisine uses hand minced meat for their dishes. For example, lots of dim sum items like siu mai, pork buns, beef meatball, and more use hand minced meat to control the texture and fat content of the dish!

Overworking the mixture, thus having heavy dumplings is a common mistake people make. Dumplings need very gentle handling, so mix only until the ingredients are just combined, and if your recipe involves rolling them out with extra flour, avoid using too much.

The second secret to making really good dumplings is to keep the lid closed while the dumplings cook. With the soup simmering over a low flame and the dumpling dough ready, you'll drop spoonfuls of the dough onto the surface of the simmering broth, then cover the pot with a lid.

Be sure the liquid is hot before you add the dumpling dough. You can tell if the temperature is hot enough when the liquid is gently boiling with bubbles breaking on the surface. If you add the dough before the liquid is hot enough, the dumplings will end up soggy and undercooked.

Set aside some extra cubes so you can add supplement each dumpling if need be. The dough is made with basic all-purpose flour and hot water. Using hot, but not boiling, water helps to develop the gluten in the dough, which makes for stretchy, chewy dumplings.

In some parts of China and overseas, xiao long bao may specifically refer to a kind of soup dumpling, the tangbao (Chinese: 汤包) of Jiangnan cuisine, which are strongly associated with Shanghai and Wuxi.

Cover and steam until fully cooked through (10 minutes for shrimp-only siu mai; 12–14 minutes for soup dumplings). Look for the dumpling skin to become slightly translucent, and for a visible well of liquid to form at the bottom of the dumpling. Serve immediately.

What is another name for soup dumplings? ›

In China, you will find there are many versions of soup dumplings that come in different flavors and sizes, but the most popular one is Xiao Long Bao. It features a paper thin wrapper filled with a very mild pork filling and a pocket of fragrant soup, served with a gingery vinegar dipping sauce.

Be sure to follow the cooking time recommended in your recipe, and check the dumplings regularly to make sure they are not overcooked. Using too much flour: If you use too much flour in your dumpling dough, the dumplings will be dense and tough. Be sure to measure the flour carefully and follow the recipe closely.

You's pork dumplings are built on a base of fatty ground pork—for best results, ask a butcher to grind up some pork shoulder for you—mixed with cooking sherry for sweetness, ginger for fresh bite, and just a little soy sauce and salt.

Overmixing will develop the gluten in the Bisquick, which will make the dumplings tough. Instead, stir the dough just until the ingredients are combined. Let the dough rest for a few minutes before dropping it into the broth. This will give the gluten time to relax, which will also help to make the dumplings fluffy.

Overcooking can also make dumplings chewy, so cook them just until they are puffed and cooked through and then remove from the heat and serve.

To make a thick Chinese soup, all of the ingredients required tend to be added into a pan at once and cooked slowly, allowing the flavours to infuse each other. The soup is further thickened by adding in a thickener such as tapioca starch or cornstarch.

If your potato dumplings are gummy, it is likely the potatoes were overworked, or the dough was overmixed.

This takes a few go arounds to incorporate everything but it isn't cake batter so it is okay if it isn't smooth. Keep remembering it must be sticky to get the perfect dumpling texture when it is cooking. (The science behind the meat texture in a dumpling is another blog!)