Xiao Long Bao
A Juicy Surprise is Inside These Xiao Long Bao
With their snow-white dough skin, glistening juices, and tender meat fillings, exquisitely made Xiao Long Bao are an extremely enticing Cantonese treat.
Did you know?
In China, Xiao Long Bao is a popular choice for breakfast. They are filling and people enjoy the ability to choose different meat filling to spice things up. Different fillings also ensure a variety of nutrients and provide choice for people with different dietary restrictions. Most importantly, Xiao Long Bao are quick and easy to eat, which really suits the fast-paced lifestyle of the modern age. For all of these reasons, Xiao Long Bao are now very popular across many different cities, and have become the breakfast of choice for young people today.
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Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (300 grams) all-purpose flour
- 9 ounces (250 grams) picnic ham
- 1.1 pounds (500 grams) pork rinds
Seasonings
- 7 teaspoons shaoxing yellow wine
- 0.5 ounce (15 grams) ginger slices
- 4 stalks green onion
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) ground pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons (7 grams) salt
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
Please see measurements in grams to be more exact for all ingredients and seasonings.
Cooking Directions
Preparations
- Remove hairs from pork rinds and wash. Remove excess fat and cut into fine granules. Place in pot, add 1 tablespoon Shaoxing yellow wine, 5 grams ginger slices, and 5 cups of water. Stew for 1 hour. Scoop out the rinds and ginger. Pour pork rind water into bowl and refrigerate for 45 minutes to allow it to congeal. Cut congealed pork rinds water into 1/3-inch square chunks and place in refrigerator for later.
- Wash the green onions. Mince together with the rest of the ginger slices (10 grams), then put in blender. Add 1/2 cup water and blend into a juice. Filter out any chunks, leaving only the juice.
How to make Xiao Long Bao filling
- Wash pork, then mince. Add 4 teaspoons Shaoxing yellow wine, white sugar, ground pepper, and salt. Use chopsticks or fork to stir evenly in one direction. Add the ginger-green onion juice from Step 2 and sesame oil. Stir vigorously, then refrigerate for 15 minutes. This is the filling.
How to make Xiao Long Bao skins
- Add 6.7 fluid ounces boiling water to all-purpose flour. Stir evenly in one direction to mix a dough with a smooth surface. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes. Then separate dough into individual pieces of about 0.35 ounce each. Form each piece into a circular shape, then press flat, rolling them into slightly thin circular dough skins.
How to assemble Xiao Long Bao
- Place one skin in the front part of the palm of your hand. Place about 0.35 ounce of the meat filling in the center of the skin, then add 1 chunk of pork rind to the filling, compressing it slightly. Use the thumb and index finger of both hands to simultaneously pinch together the ends of the dough skin. In a counter-clockwise direction, pinch 14 creases. Seal the opening. This is the uncooked Xiao Long Bao.
Put it all together
- In a bamboo steamer, lay out oil paper or damp gauze. Place Xiao Long Bao neatly inside, with enough space between each one. Add water to steaming pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add bamboo steamer and steam for approximately 5 minutes, then serve.