Dim Sum Xiao Long Bao (China)

When we lived in Singapore we often went to Din Tai fung for lunch as a family to eat dim sum. And of course the best was the Xiao Long Bao, originally from Shanghai. It’s a pork dim sum that’s extremely juicy and simply delicious. This is what I wanted to recreate in this gluten-free recipe.

Preparation time 1 hrs

Cooking time 10 mins

Rest time 3 hrs

Total time 4 hrs 10 mins

Difficulty: intermediary

Servings: 4

Ingredients

Ingredients for dim sum dough:
200 g rice flour
50 g tapioca starch (or cornstarch)
1 Tbsp corn flour (optional for more texture)
1/2 tsp salt
250 ml of hot water
1 tbsp vegetable oil (sunflower, rapeseed or other)
Ingredients for the stuffing:
400 g ground pork (preferably loin)
1 tbsp gluten-free soy sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine (or a sweet white wine as a substitute)
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 tsp of sugar
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 clove of grated garlic
2 onions , finely chopped
1 tsp cornstarch
150 ml gelled pork broth (see recipe below)
Ingredients for the gelled broth
150 ml pork or chicken broth (homemade or gluten-free broth)
3 leaves of gelatin

Preparation

1
Mixing the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the rice flour, cornstarch and salt. If using corn flour, add that to the mixture as well.
2
Adding hot water: Heat the water until simmering. Pour the hot water gradually into the flour mixture while stirring with a wooden spoon. Continue to mix until you obtain a thick and homogeneous paste.
3
Kneading: When the dough is warm, add the vegetable oil. Knead the dough by hand for about 5 to 7 minutes, until it is smooth and supple. If the dough is too sticky, lightly dust your hands with tapioca starch.
4
Resting the dough: Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes. This will help the dough become more elastic.
5
Preparing the broth jelly: Heat the pork or chicken broth until boiling. Remove from the heat and add the gelatin previously soaked for 5 minutes in water. Mix well until the gelatin is completely dissolved.
6
Cooling: Pour the broth into a flat container and let it cool to room temperature. Then place it in the refrigerator for about 3 hours, until the broth has completely solidified.
7
Cut into small cubes: Once gelled, cut the broth into small cubes measuring 0.5 cm on each side. These cubes will be added to the stuffing.
8
Preparation of stuffing: Mix stuffing ingredients: In a bowl, combine ground pork, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, sugar, grated ginger, grated garlic, green onions and cornstarch. Mix well until all ingredients are combined.
9
Incorporating the jelly: Gently add the small cubes of gelled stock to the stuffing. Mix gently so as not to break the cubes. It is this jelly which will melt during cooking and create the “soup” effect inside the Xiao Long Bao.
10
Rest: Cover the stuffing with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This allows all the flavors to mix well and makes the stuffing easier to handle.
11
Shaping the discs: Divide the dough into small balls of around 20 g each. Roll each ball on a lightly floured surface to form a small disk (about 8 to 10 cm in diameter). Use a rolling pin or gently flatten them with your fingers.
12
Filling and cooking: Fill each disk with stuffing. Close the dim sums by forming small folds at the edges (you put the circles of dough in the palm of your hand and with the thumb and index finger of your other hand, you close the dim sum by making folds. You must that the dim sum is well closed so that the jelly remains inside.
13
Steam cooking: Place the dim sums in a lightly oiled steam basket or covered with baking paper or a banana leaf. Steam for about ten minutes until the dough becomes slightly translucent.
14
Serve immediately.

Keywords: Glutenm Sum Sum Sum Recipe Recipe Xiao Long Bao Sans Gluten