ramyaramesh3007These bursting pockets of flavour, also known as Xiao Long Bao are a delightful treat and are a superior way of eating dumplings.
Soup dumplings, also known as Xiao Long Bao, originate from Shanghai, China. They are said to be invented in Nanxiang, a suburb of Shanghai. The dumplings were created ‘accidentally’ by adding gelatinous meat stock to the filling which turned into soup when steamed. The best foods are always accidents, aren’t they?
The dumplings are traditionally filled with a savoury, umami broth and pork mince. The broth is initially solid when cold but turns into a delicious soup when steamed, which is attributed to the gelatin. In this vegan version, we will use agar agar instead.
I’ve formulated this recipe with Anh to make the perfect vegan soup dumplings so you don’t have the miss out on the good stuff!
These take some time to prepare but you can freeze them and have them whenever you’d like! I like to pair them with a dipping sauce made with black vinegar, soy sauce and chili oil. Another way I love to enjoy them is over a bed of spicy peanut sauce. It’s so delicious and I can easily eat 10 of them in one sitting!
Ingredients You Need
- dumpling wrappers – use circular wrappers to wrap dumplings
- solid broth – a bunch of spices and seasonings with the main ingredient: agar agar to thicken the mixture like jelly!
- filling – vegan pork mince or tofu for a wholefood option, spring onions, ginger, sesame oil, seasonings
Vegan Soup Dumplings
Equipment
- Steamer
Ingredients
Soup Jelly
- 1 tsp agar agar
- 1 cube vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp shao xing wine
- 1 tsp mushroom seasoning
- 1 tsp agave syrup
- white pepper
- salt
- 1 cup water
Dumpling Filling
- 25 round wrappers
- 250g vegan pork mince or tofu
- 2 stalks spring onions or chives
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp red chili flakes
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
Dipping Sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp black vinegar
- 1 tsp chili oil
Instructions
- To a pot, add water and ingredients required for soup jelly.
- Bring to a boil and transfer to a container. Let it cool and refrigerate overnight.
- In a mixing bowl, combine all the filling ingredients: ground vegan pork, sesame oil, white pepper, chili flakes, grated ginger, and chopped green onions.
- Chop the solid soup jelly into small cubes and add them to the filling. Mix until well combined.
- Place a spoonful of filling in the center of each dough circle. Carefully pleat and seal the edges of the dough to form a dumpling, ensuring there are no gaps.
- Line a steamer basket with parchment paper or cabbage leaves to prevent sticking.
- Place the assembled dumplings in the steamer basket, leaving space between each dumpling to prevent them from sticking together.
- Steam the dumplings over boiling water for about 8 minutes – do not over steam if not the soup will come out of the dumplings.
- Carefully transfer the steamed soup dumplings to a serving plate using a spatula or chopsticks.
- Serve hot with dipping sauce, immediately.
- Pierce the dumplings with a chopstick or a soup spoon to release the flavorful broth inside before taking a bite.