🥟 Artisan-Level 【Chinese Soup Dumplings】 Complete Guide

Thin Skin, Juicy Filling, No Breakage

🔥 Core Metrics:

• Dough Thickness: 0.8mm (translucent showing filling)
• Pleat Count Standard: 18-22 folds
• Steaming Time: 6 minutes 30 seconds (using bamboo steamer timing)

🛒 Ingredient List (Makes 30 dumplings)

▫️ Dough

• 300g all-purpose flour
• 160ml cold water (±5ml)
• 3g salt
• 0.5g food-grade alkali (key!)

▫️ Legendary Filling

• 400g pork foreleg (30% fat, 70% lean)
• 200g pork skin jelly (the soul!)
• 20ml ginger juice
• 100ml ice water

▫️ Seasoning System

• 15ml light soy sauce
• 5ml dark soy sauce
• 8g sugar
• 2g white pepper powder
• 10ml sesame oil

👨‍🍳 Traditional Process

1️⃣ 【Making the Pork Skin Jelly】 (Prepare 1 day in advance)

• Blanch pork skin to remove fat, cut into strips
• Simmer on low heat for 4 hours
• Strain and chill until set (gel consistency test: chopstick stands upright)

2️⃣ 【Kneading and Resting Dough】

• Mix flour + salt + alkali
• Add cold water in small portions (strictly 20℃ water)
• "Three rests and three kneads" (15 minutes interval each)
• Final dough temperature controlled at 22℃

3️⃣ 【Preparing the Filling】

• Hand-chop pork finely (no food processors!)
• Add ice water in 5 batches, stirring clockwise 100 times each batch
• Add chopped pork skin jelly (keep chilled during operation)

4️⃣ 【Rolling Wrappers and Wrapping】

• Portion dough at 8g each
• Roll thinner at edges and thicker in center
• Fill with 18g filling (golden ratio 1:2.25)
• Hold wrapper with one hand, keep thumb steady and lift pleats with index finger
• Seal in "carp mouth" shape (leave 0.5mm vent hole)

5️⃣ 【Steaming Secret】

• Line steamer with pine needles (or special steaming cloth)
• Put on steaming basket after water boils, maintain high heat
• Strictly steam for 6 minutes 30 seconds (±10 seconds tolerance)
• After turning off heat, open lid slightly to vent for 3 seconds

💎 Century-old Shop Secrets

▪️ Pork skin jelly substitute: chicken feet jelly (more translucent)
▪️ Anti-stick tip: use potato starch when rolling wrappers
▪️ Emergency fix for broken skin: freeze for 30 minutes then steam
▪️ Perfect dipping sauce: Zhenjiang vinegar + shredded ginger (1:1 ratio)

🚨 Common Mistakes

✖️ Insufficient soup (wrong pork skin jelly ratio)
✖️ Skin breaks when picking up (over-steaming)
✖️ Tough texture (over-kneaded dough)

🍽️ Tasting Tips

"Gently lift, slowly transfer, open the pouch first, then sip the soup."
Best serving temperature: 65-70℃ (fresh sweetness sensed on the tongue)

✨ The ultimate test of Chinese dim sum craftsmanship - each bite bursts with rich, aromatic broth!