Soup dumplings (Xiao long bao)

Jellied stock

Bring the stock to the boil with the ginger and spring onion, reduce to approx. 200 ml. Add the aspic powder, simmer until the powder has dissolved, pour through a sieve into a wide dish (approx. 2 l), leave to cool, cover and chill for approx. 1 hr. Remove the jellied stock from the dish, chop finely.

Dough

Empty the flour into a bowl, pour in the water and oil, mix, knead for approx. 10 mins. to form a smooth dough. Shape the dough into a ball, cover and leave to rest at room temperature for approx. 1 hr.

Filling

Place the ginger, spring onion and all the other ingredients up to and including the salt in a food processor, blend to a coarse paste. Mix in the meat, knead well until the ingredients form a compact mass. Mix in the jellied stock.

To shape

Halve the dough, shape each half into a roll approx. 32 cm long. Cut each roll into 16 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pieces of dough into circles (each approx. 8 cm in diameter), leaving the dough a little thicker in the middle. Keep the dough covered at all times to prevent it from drying out. Place 2 tsp of filling in the middle of each circle, gently pleat and twist the edges of the dough over the filling. The dumpling should be completely sealed by the end. Place the dumplings in the prepared bamboo baskets in batches.

To steam

Place the bamboo basket in a wide pan, fill with water to just below the bottom of the basket, bring to the boil. Place the second basket on top, cover and steam over a medium heat for approx. 4 mins. Change the position of the baskets around, steam for a further 4 mins., steam the remainder of the dumplings in the same way. Mix the balsamic and ginger, serve with the dumplings.