SHANGHAI STYLE SOUP DUMPLINGS RECIPES

Steps:

• Look for the ingredients and supplies featured here at an Asian market or online at adrianascaravan.com: Chinese-style cured smoked ham (or use Smithfield ham), dried shiitake mushrooms, Shaoxing (also spelled Shao Hsing) wine, black vinegar, dumpling wrappers (don't use wonton wrappers; they are too thin), and bamboo steamer sets.
• Combine 10 cups water and all remaining soup ingredients except gelatin in large pot. Bring to boil, spooning off any foam that rises to surface. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until chicken pieces are very soft and beginning to fall apart, adding more water by cupfuls if necessary to keep chicken submerged, about 2 hours 30 minutes.
• Strain soup; discard solids. Return broth to same pot. Boil until reduced to 2 cups, about 35 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour 3 tablespoons water into small bowl; sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens. Add to hot broth; stir until gelatin is dissolved. Transfer to 13x9x2-inch glass dish. Cover; refrigerate aspic overnight.
• Mix 1 cup black vinegar, 6 tablespoons soy sauce, and 2 tablespoons fresh ginger strips in small bowl. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.
• Combine all filling in large bowl and mix with fork just until blended. Cut aspic into 1/3-inch cubes. Add aspic to pork mixture; stir gently with wooden spoon just until incorporated. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
• Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 1 dumpling wrapper on work surface. Spoon 1 very generous teaspoon filling onto center of wrapper, including at least 2 or 3 aspic cubes.
• Lightly brush edges of dumpling wrapper with water. Bring 1 corner of wrapper up around filling, then pleat remaining edges of wrapper at regular intervals all around filling until filling is enclosed and wrapper forms bundle-like shape with small opening at top.
• Gather top edges of wrapper together and twist at top to enclose filling. Place on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. DO AHEAD Can be refrigerated, covered, for 1 day, or frozen in single layer in covered containers for 2 weeks.
• Line each layer of bamboo steamer basket with cabbage leaves; place over wok filled with enough water to reach just below bottom of bamboo steamer basket. (Or line metal steamer rack with cabbage leaves and set over water in large pot.) Place dumplings atop cabbage, spacing apart.
• Bring water to boil. Cover; steam until cooked through, adding more water to wok if evaporating too quickly, about 12 minutes for fresh dumplings and 15 minutes for frozen. Serve dumplings immediately, passing sauce alongside for dipping.

Steps:

• Remove all the fat layers of pigskin and wash out. Put into a pot 500g pigskin with 15g scallion, 15g ginger, and boil in 10 minutes. Then cut the boiled pigskin into small threads and keep boiling in the pot in 45 minutes until they are overcooked. Filter the base sauce after boiling the pigskin, pour into a mold and refrigerate in 2 hours until set.
• When the gelatin is set, carefully cut into small cubes. Just use about 200g soup gelatin. Freeze any remain of the gelatin for future use.
• Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl, including 30g minced onion, 2 tsp soy sauce, 2 tsp sugar, 1/2 teaspoon, 5g gingers, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt. Then add 300g minced porks and 200g soup gelatin. Stir the gelatin mixture evenly throughout. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Put about 300g of the flour in a large bowl. Pour about 3/4 cups of the hot water with 1/2 teaspoon salt in the flour, then stir thoroughly. Add more hot water and keep stirring. Next, form the mixture of flour in 10 minutes, then let the formed flour mixture rest in 20 minutes. Divide the flour into small pieces with the weight of 10g of each piece.
• Roll one piece of the flour between your palms into a nice, round, smooth ball. Then using a rolling pin to roll it out flat. Fill with 1 tablespoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper, and wrap all the way around. Repeat with the rest. Arrange the raw dumplings into a steamer. Steam for 7-10 minutes.
• Finally, you can serve Shanghai steamed soup dumplings in a bamboo basket. Enjoy the hot, melting gelatin dumplings with soybean sauce and a few slices of ginger. Let's leave us your comment about your own Shanghai steamed soup dumplings.