Thai Pork Dumpling Soup Recipes

PORK SOUP DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• For the wrappers: Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl and create a well in the middle. Add the boiling water and mix it in with a spatula, then incorporate with your hands until you have a mealy, shaggy mixture. Mix in the cold water and bring everything together into a dough, then turn it out onto a work surface and knead, adding additional flour if it gets too sticky to work with, until you have a smooth and slightly sticky dough, 7 to 10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel for 30 minutes while you make the filling.
• For the soup: Heat the chicken stock, then add the soy sauce and gelatin powder. Whisk to combine. Pour into a shallow dish and chill until set, around 1 hour. Break up the gelatin by fluffing with a fork. Set aside.
• For the filling: Put the pork in a large bowl and sprinkle on the salt, then add the soy sauce, ginger, sambal oelek, sesame oil, rice vinegar and scallions. Mix everything together with your hands (don't overmix), then set up your dumpling folding station.
• Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and dust with flour. To assemble the dumplings, divide the dough into 32 balls and keep them covered when you're not working with them. Roll them out into 3 1/2- to 4-inch circles, flouring the surface as needed. Place 1/2 tablespoon pork filling in the center of each circle and 1/2 tablespoon soup gelatin on top of the filling. Fold up the edges of the dumpling and pinch everything in the center. Repeat with the remaining dumpling wrappers and filling and place on the lined sheet pan.
• To steam the dumplings, line a bamboo steamer with cabbage leaves or parchment paper with a few holes cut out. Place the dumplings in the steamer, leaving a little bit of room between them, then set the steamer over a pot of boiling water. Steam in batches until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Alternately, line a plate with cabbage leaves or parchment paper. Place in a pot of boiling water, making sure the water doesn't cover the plate (you will need about 1/2 to 3/4 cup). Cook 8 to 10 minutes.
• Let cool slightly, then enjoy with a sauce of equal parts vinegar and soy sauce with sambal oelek to taste.

THAI PORK DUMPLING SOUP

Steps:

• To make cilantro paste, puree first six ingredients in a mortar and pestle, or blender, until a fine paste is formed. You can also do this by hand by first chopping all ingredients, except fish sauce, together on a board to form a paste. Then mix with fish sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Follow directions on packages for reconstituting cellophane noodles and dried mushrooms, if necessary. Noodles usually need to soak in warm water for about 15 minutes; mushrooms about 30 minutes.
• While ingredients are soaking, make dumplings by combining ground pork, fish sauce, garlic, and cornstarch in a bowl. With your hands, form small meatballs, about the size of hazelnuts. Set aside.
• When noodles and mushrooms are finished soaking, drain. Remove and discard the tough stems and slice mushrooms into julienne strips. Cut noodles into 2 by 3 inch lengths.
• Place all ingredients near stove and bring chicken stock to a boil in a large stockpot. Reduce heat to a simmer and add pork balls, mushrooms, and noodles. Cook, uncovered, until pork is done, about 10 minutes. Stir in paste and adjust seasonings with pepper and fish sauce. Ladle into serving bowls, sprinkle with sliced scallions and cilantro leaves, and serve immediately.

PORK SOUP DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Make the wrappers: Combine the flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a large bowl and create a well in the middle. Add 1/2 cup boiling water and mix it in with a spatula, then incorporate with your hands until you have a mealy, shaggy mixture. Mix in 1/2 cup cold water and bring everything together into a dough, then turn it out onto a work surface and knead, adding more flour if it gets too sticky to work with, until you have a smooth and slightly sticky dough, 7 to 10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and set aside for 30 minutes while you make the filling.
• Make the soup gelatin: Heat the chicken stock in a saucepan until hot, then add the soy sauce and gelatin powder. Whisk to combine. Pour into a shallow dish and chill until set, about 1 hour. Break up the gelatin by fluffing it with a fork. Set aside.
• Make the filling: Put the pork in a large bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the soy sauce, ginger, sambal oelek, sesame oil, rice vinegar and scallions. Mix with your hands (don't overmix), then set up your dumpling folding station.
• Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and dust with flour. To assemble the dumplings, divide the dough into 32 balls (keep them covered when you're not working with them). Roll out the balls into 3 1/2- to 4-inch circles, flouring the surface as needed. Put a wrapper in your non-dominant hand and make a cup. Place 1/2 tablespoon pork filling in the center and top with 1/2 tablespoon soup gelatin. Begin gathering and pleating the dumpling wrapper using your thumb and pointer finger. Work your way around the edge of the wrapper until you've gathered all the dough; your thumb stays in the same place - it's the pointer finger doing all the work. Twist it at the end, pinching everything in the center. Repeat with the remaining wrappers, filling and soup gelatin and place the dumplings on the sheet pan. (You can freeze the dumplings at this point and steam them directly from the freezer.)
• To steam the dumplings, line a bamboo steamer with cabbage leaves or parchment paper with a few holes cut out. Place a single layer of dumplings in the steamer, leaving a bit of room between them, then set the steamer over a pot of boiling water. Steam in batches until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. (Alternately, line a plate with cabbage or parchment. Place in a pot of boiling water, making sure the water doesn't cover the plate; cook 8 to 10 minutes.)
• Let the dumplings cool slightly, then enjoy with a sauce of equal parts vinegar and soy sauce with sambal oelek to taste.

THAI-STYLE DUMPLINGS WITH CORIANDER DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the filling:
• In a bowl combine well the scallion, the pork, the gingerroot, the bell pepper, the cabbage, the garlic, the oil, the soy sauce, the coriander, the egg, and salt and pepper to taste and chill the filling for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Put about 1 heaping teaspoon of the filling in the center of 1 of the wrappers and moisten the edge of the wrapper. Gather the edge of the wrapper up and around the filling and form a waist with the wrapper, pushing the dumpling from the bottom and keeping the filling level with the top of the wrapper. (The filling should not be enclosed.) Continue to make dumplings with the remaining wrappers and filling in the same manner and arrange them in one layer on a baking sheet lined with wax paper dusted lightly with the cornstarch. (The dumplings may be prepared up to this point 8 hours in advance and kept uncovered and chilled or 1 month in advance and kept covered tightly and frozen. If the dumplings are frozen, do not thaw them in advance.)
• Make the sauce:
• In a bowl whisk together the naam pla, the lime juice, the vinegar, the sugar, the gingerroot, the mint, the coriander, salt and pepper to taste.
• In a large non-stick skillet heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over high heat until it is hot but not smoking and in it fry half the dumplings, flat sides down, over moderately high heat for 1 minute, or until the undersides are golden. Add 1/2 cup water and steam the dumplings, covered, over moderate heat for 3 minutes, or until the pork is cooked through. (If using frozen dumplings, fry them, frozen, for 1 minute, or until the undersides are golden, and steam them, adding 3/4 cup water per batch, covered, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the pork is cooked through.) Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet and cook the remaining dumplings in the same manner. Garnish the dumplings with the coriander sprigs and serve them with the sauce.