Xiaolongbao filling?

[David Wong]

There is no soup inside XLB, that is just water and fat that comes out when it's steamed.

That's contrary to what I have heard. (And it also begs the question why other types of pork dumplings aren't soupy inside). I was told that one of the key ingredients is pork stock made from pork bones. The bones cause the stock to be gelatinous when refrigerated. It is then mixed with the other ingedients that go into the filling.

[adrianlondon]

The ones with soup inside need ... soup inside; not just the juices from the meat as they're being steamed.

You need to make some sauce, freeze it (or make it jelly-like somehow) and add it to the contents so that it becomes liquid when steamed.

[skylee]

Not sure if this is relevant (you guys know so much about food), but besides 小籠包, there is also something called 灌湯包/餃.

[flameproof]

That's contrary to what I have heard. (And it also begs the question why other types of pork dumplings aren't soupy inside). I was told that one of the key ingredients is pork stock made from pork bones. The bones cause the stock to be gelatinous when refrigerated. It is then mixed with the other ingredients that go into the filling.

why other types of pork dumplings aren't soupy > That's a good point! I had another look into it....

It's a something that is solid at room temperature (or fridge temp) and then dissolves when heated. You could either use simply a broth + gelatine, or do a broth (maybe blend it) and reduce it A LOT. In either way it should become soft solid when cooled (but does not need to freeze). You can find all sort of different recipes online. It's still quite easy.

For the wrapper I would still buy ready made ones if you are not a dough expert. It's not so easy to control the exact lever of kneading without over or under doing it. And you don't want them to fall apart while steaming.

And do put that salad leaf or a slice of carrot under it so it doesn't get stuck to the steamer - and gone is your soup.

[Lu]

(And it also begs the question why other types of pork dumplings aren't soupy inside)

Actually even the ones that often aren't soupy, the kind that you buy in the street and eat on the go, sometimes have a little soup inside. So there is something to this, although the kind that you eat in restaurants have much more soup, which must be added I suppose.

[jbradfor]

but besides 小籠包, there is also something called 灌湯包/餃.

I had those once. It was at a street vendor in Beijing, and I wasn't sure what to order. So I saw one with 湯 in the name and thought "湯 -- doesn't that mean soup? How do you put soup in a 包?" So I had to order it. Bit into it, and promptly spilled the 湯 all over my shirt.

So yes, I agree with you that 湯包 have a lot more broth in them than 小籠包.

[skylee]

Count yourself lucky that the soup was on your shirt not your tongue. According to my experience, it seems that the soup is almost always scalding.

[adrianlondon]

Not sure if this is relevant (you guys know so much about food), but besides 小籠包, there is also something called 灌湯包/餃

I believe they're the same thing (well, the ones with soup, 小笼汤包); people from different parts of China just call them different things.

[skylee]

I think they are different.

[jbradfor]

I may have the name wrong, but no, they are very much not the same. The size is different (the 湯包 was much bigger) and the wrapper was totally different, the 湯包 has the white thick fluffy bun similar to say a 叉燒包.

[adrianlondon]

Good to know I'm wrong. It means I'm missing out on something that I now need to hunt down and eat.

[David Wong]

小笼包 is a dumpling that has a soupy filling. The wrapper is thin, similar to 饺子 wrapper. A skilful maker is supposed to be able to make 18 folds per dumpling.

小笼汤包 on the other hand is bigger, and looks almost like a 肉包 on steroids. Some people drink the soup by inserting a straw into the 包. The wrapper is often not eaten.

[imron]

Some people drink the soup by inserting a straw into the 包.

Reminds me of the novel 兄弟

[abcdefg]

It's still quite easy.

@flameproof, I'm puzzled. Are you speaking from your personal experience of making them, or ony from a theoretical guess after reading recipies on line?

[flameproof]

Are you speaking from your personal experience of making them, or ony from a theoretical guess after reading recipies on line?

I do cook, so I can read the recipe and classify it as 'easy' (for the filling). So no guessing at all. It's like when you play piano, from seeing the notes you can see if a piece is easy or not. Same with cooking.

[abcdefg]

I see.