Xiao long bao is not a dumpling
A specialty of Northern China, xiao long bao is more part of the dim sum family than dumplings. The difference may seem subtle, but it comes down to the shape of the bite. If the xiao long bao is a small round brioche and puffy like a purse, it is nonetheless a ravioli which always has the shape of a half-moon. Literally the “xiao long bao” is a small (“xiao”) brioche (“bao”) presented in a steam basket (“long”).
The filling of the xiao long bao
Served in a bamboo steamer basket, the xiao long bao is stuffed with a mixture of pork with ginger and a very concentrated juicy broth. Chinese gastronomy has many varieties of broths. The broth that is sipped in a xiao long bao is very tasty and is prepared with ham, meat and cooked bones. It cooks for a long time and the broth is always cooled before being gelled with a little agar-agar to obtain a more consistent texture. Then it is enclosed and wrapped very delicately with the stuffing in a pancake and steamed.
The xiao long bao, a technical feat
It is not necessarily easy to master xiao long bao because the recipe is both sophisticated and technical. Mastering and cooking the broth is complex. And presentation is an art, explains the chef. Indeed, the helping hand which consists of closing the purse without it cracking on contact with the broth or it escaping or the brioche collapsing is a matter of talent. A dish which is often served in restaurants in China and rarely taken as take away like its alter ego the bao!
The Peninsula xiao long bao recipe
For 15 pieces
15 thin round pancakes
150 gr of T55 flour
75 ml of cold water
Prank call
100 g chopped Basque kintoa pork
Broth previously prepared (4 hours minimum cooking)
100 g of agar-agar
2 g of salt
5 g of sugar
10 g minced ginger
Final steam cooking: 5 minutes in a bamboo basket
