No, this isn’t a some new crazy concoction. Soup dumplings are actually an authentic Chinese dish. Curious how you get the soup inside? I’ll tell you the secret. A rich broth is created from boiling the bones and various parts of your meat.

The natural gelatin in it solidifies the broth after chilling. After steaming your dumplings with this jellied broth inside, it’ll melt into a rich, thick, and delicious soup. Now let’s see if you’ve got what it takes to make some out-of-this-world soup dumplings.

Soup

Authentic Chinese Soup Dumplings That Are Worth the Extra Effort

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time:3 hours Cook time:1 hour 15 minutesTotal time:4 hours 15 minutesServings:48 servings

Instructions

Combine pork skin, pig foot, pork bones, scallions, ginger, Shaoxing rice wine, and cold water in a pot.
Once you’ve brought it to a boil, let it simmer for 60-75 minutes.
Continue to skim the foam off the surface until the liquid is almost opaque.
Strain liquid into a 13×9” baking sheet and season the liquid with salt. Solids can be discarded.
Chill for at least 3 hours.

Filling

Authentic Chinese Soup Dumplings That Are Worth the Extra Effort

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 10 minutesCook time: minutesTotal time: 10 minutesServings:48 servings

Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine ground pork, salt, sugar, white pepper, scallions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, and toasted sesame oil.
Once the soup has jellied, cut a crosshatch pattern (1/8” squares). Then mix the soup with the meat filling. Make sure to cover and chill until ready to use.

Dough

Authentic Chinese Soup Dumplings That Are Worth the Extra Effort

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time:1 hour 25 minutesCook time: minutesTotal time:1 hour 25 minutesServings:48 servings

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for surface
1 cup very hot tap water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Instructions

Combine flour and hot tap water, mixing until dough has a shaggy consistency.
Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 min.
Mix in vegetable oil.
Knead dough on a floured surface for 10 minutes, adding additional flour as needed.
Dough should be soft, smooth, supple, and a bit tacky. Once finished kneading, wrap in plastic and let it rest for an hour.

Assembly

Authentic Chinese Soup Dumplings That Are Worth the Extra Effort

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time:2 hours Cook time: minutesTotal time:2 hours Servings:48 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

Divide dough into quarters. I cut the recipe in half, so I divided the dough into halves.
Roll out one of the pieces into about a 12” long rope, while the others are kept covered under a plastic wrap. Use a bench scraper to cut each rope into 1” pieces and make an indent with your thumb. Repeat steps for other pieces.
While the other 1” pieces are covered under a plastic sheet, use the dowel to roll out each piece. You should be working from the center moving outward, applying slightly more pressure as you reach the edges. Repeat this step with the other 1” pieces and make sure to cover the pieces you are not working with.
Take one of the dumpling wrappers and spoon in 1 Tbsp of filling, making sure to put some of the jellied soup pieces in as well. Then, fold the wrapper into 10-12 pleats (18 pleats ideally). Pinch edges and twist to seal. Repeat with other wrappers.
Place your bamboo steamers on some boiling water. Line the inside of the steamer with a couple of cabbage leaves and use a light coating of cooking spray on the leaves. Then place your dumplings into the steamer.
Steam for 8 minutes.