Shrimp Soup Dumplings Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Despite burning the roof of my mouth every time I slurp up that first soup dumpling, I am still blown away by the magic of being able to put boiling soup into such a delicate edible wrapper.

It's always fun for me to ask students at the beginning of my soup dumpling class at Brooklyn Kitchen how they think we are going to get the soup into the dumpling. This recipe and instructional blows the top off this dumpling magic trick.

I have written a recipe for basic O.G. soup dumplings in my book, but I love the brashness of mixing pork with luxurious shrimp, which is something this recipe does so well.

Recipe and text from Hey There, Dumpling!: 100 Recipes for Dumplings, Buns, Noodles, and Other Asian Treats (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 2015). —Kenny Lao

Directions

1. For the chicken consommé and the wheat flour wrappers:
2. To make the consommé, in a large stockpot, combine the chicken wings, ham, scallions, ginger, mushrooms, garlic, soy sauce, wine, and 10 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface, then reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer.
3. Simmer for 2 hours, replenishing the water if it falls below the line of the solids in the pot.
4. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water. Remove the stock from the heat and stir in the gelatin until it dissolves.
5. Strain the stock through a sieve, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids.
6. Refrigerate the stock in airtight containers until cold and set, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days. (Mix any leftover consommé with ground meat for the juiciest meatballs or burgers you've ever had.)
7. For the wheat flour wrappers (makes 20): Place the flour in a large bowl. Start stirring with chopsticks and continue stirring while you add the hot water in a steady stream. Keep stirring while adding the oil and the cold water in a steady stream. Knead the dough in the bowl until all the bits of flour stick to the dough mass.
8. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead, adding flour if the dough gets too sticky, until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. When you poke the dough, it should bounce back. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

1. For the soup dumplings:
2. Make the soy-vinegar dip. In a small bowl, stir together all of the ingredients with 2 tablespoons water. If you have time, cover and refrigerate the mixture overnight. Pick out the garlic and throw it away before serving. The dip can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
3. Pulse the shrimp in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a large bowl and add the pork, scallions, onion, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, vinegar, sesame oil, and salt. Use your hands to work all together until well-mixed. It's best to use your hands because you can get everything incorporated into the meat without making the the pieces of meat too small.
4. Fold the cold consommé (which should now be gelatinous) into the rest of the filling ingredients.
5. Cover and refrigerate the filling until cold and firm, at least 20 minutes and up to 2 days. The filling will be easier to spoon into your wrappers when it's chilled.
6. When you're ready to cook, reference the photos and instructions in my article: https://food52.com/blog/14163-yes-you-can-make-soup-dumplings-at-home(1) Cut the dough in half and keep half covered. Roll the uncovered half into 10 equal pieces.(2) Working with one piece of dough at a time and keeping the others covered with plastic wrap, roll the dough into a very thin 5-inch (12-centimeter) round on a lightly floured surface. A small dowel works best for this.(3) You want to roll from the center out, keeping a quarter-sized pad of thicker dough in the middle, and turning the dough with each roll to get an even circle.(4) With your left hand, rotate the skin as you roll it out with your right hand. The edges should end up really thin so that they don't get clumpy when you pleat them at the top of the dumpling.(5) Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of the wrapper.(6) Dab a little water around the edges of the wrapper.(7) Pick up the four "corners" of the wrapper and pull them in toward the center so the filling can settle into the base.(8) Pleat the wrapper between the corners to enclose the filling, then pinch the dough together right above the filling, where all the pleats meet.(9) This is the hard part, so concentrate now! Press the dough above the pinched center to flatten the edges to resemble a tiny flower.(10) Place on a parchment-lined half-sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
7. Fill a wok with water to a depth of 3 inches (7 1/2 centimeters) or so. You basically want as much water as you can get in there without it touching the bottom of the steamer, so pop the steamer on the wok and add or remove water as needed. Bring the water to a boil.
8. Meanwhile, line two bamboo steamers with Napa cabbage leaves or strips of parchment paper. Place the dumplings on top, spacing them 2 inches (5 centimeters) apart. Steam until the wrappers and fillings are cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes. If your wrappers are thin enough, you should see the soup bubbling inside.
9. Serve the dumplings immediately.