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.

Watch Yan and a dumpling chef mix the dough for the wrappers, blend the filling so that it's "very, very smooth, and very light," fill the dumplings, pinch them closed, and finally stack them high in steamer baskets. The secret to getting that liquid center? Jellied soup.

The modest dumpling that started a legacy. Each of our Xiao Long Bao is carefully weighed and folded by hand to achieve our signature Golden Ratio of 18 folds and stuffed with top-quality Kurobuta pork marinated in a blend of carefully-selected seasonings.

Lower your heat so that your broth is just barely barely barely boiling and drop these pieces in one at a time. It is important that you DO NOT STIR. We are not going to stir these as we don't want our dumplings cooking up. If you do stir, you will basically cause your dumplings to dissolve.

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.

Don't overmix the dumpling dough!

Overmixing will further develop the gluten, making for a tough or rubbery dumpling.

Once you've made the soup dumplings, it's important to to serve them immediately while they're still hot. Because the longer you let the cooked dumplings sit, the more the dough will absorb the soup and your dumplings will end up less juicy.

Do not try to open up the lid before they're done because you will lose some steam. I've made the mistake of opening the lid too soon to check on my dumplings and found I had no soup because the gelatin hadn't melted yet.

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.

If you add the dumplings too early and they cook much longer than 15 minutes (depending on the size of the dumpling), they will begin to break down. To ensure perfectly cooked dumplings, set a timer and do not peek under the lid.

What is the difference between soup dumplings and dumplings? ›

What makes xiao long bao different from other types of dumplings is its super delicate skin that's thin and elastic, yet soft and almost transparent. They are both filled with that delicious gelatin that turns into soup when cooked. The main difference is that xiao long bao are steamed instead of pan-fried.

Some doughs are too dry, so the dumplings won't stay sealed. Others can be too wet and sticky and end up tearing. If the filling isn't cohesive enough, it will tumble out when you bite into it. If there's air trapped in the sealed dumpling, it will balloon during cooking, causing an explosive first bite.

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.

Don't Overwork the Dumpling Dough

Stir everything together until the wet and dry ingredients are combined and you don't see any more dry flour. The dough might look a little lumpy, but that's okay! Overworking the dough is one of the easiest ways to end up with tough dumplings.

If the dough is too sticky, knead in flour a teaspoon or so at a time. Divide the dough into two portions and shape each portion into a thick log. Cut each log into 8 to 10 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 4- to 4 ½-inch circle, making sure the dough is a little thicker in the middle and thinner on the edges.

Since excess liquid can make for soggy dumplings, cheesecloth can help drain water from cabbage, fat from pork, or other moisture from the filling ingredients. Place the food in the center of the cheesecloth, wrap tightly, and squeeze until all the moisture is removed. It can be repeated as needed.