Qing Tang Shui Jiao
清汤水饺·(qīng tāng shuǐ jiǎo)
Grandma's Hands (Dough and Comfort)
It isn't a bowl of red oil, it doesn't numb the tongue, and it won't make you sweat. There is no six-hour bone stock here; instead, the genius of the dish lies in a brilliantly efficient bowl-built broth born of rendered lard, dried seaweed, and the starchy cooking water from the dumplings themselves. Pull the filled, store-bought circular wrappers from a rolling boil, ladle that water over a pinch of white pepper to emulsify the lard, and splash with toasted sesame oil.
Ingredients
- water1/3 cup
- fresh ginger1 inch
- scallion1 med
- whole Sichuan peppercorns1 tsp
- ground pork1 lb
- light soy sauce1 tbsp
- salt1 tsp
- sugar1/2 tsp
- toasted sesame oil1 tsp
- Shanghai-style dumpling wrappers1 pack
- rendered pork lard2 tsp
- dried baby shrimp4 tsp
- dried seaweed1/4 cup
- light soy sauce4 tsp
- black vinegar1 tsp
- ground white pepper1/2 tsp
- scallions4 med
- cilantro1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Brew the infused water to hydrate the pork.
In a small bowl, combine the smashed ginger, scallion, and Sichuan peppercorns, pour in the boiling water, and let steep for 15 minutes before straining out the solids.
- 02
Whip the ground pork in a single direction to build a bouncy texture.
In a large bowl, combine the pork, one tablespoon of soy sauce, salt, sugar, and sesame oil. Stir vigorously with chopsticks in one consistent direction—never reversing—while drizzling in the cooled spiced water a tablespoon at a time until the meat is pale, sticky, and aerated.
- 03
Fold the dumplings into simple half-moons.
Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of a wrapper, wet the top edge with a dab of water, fold it over, and press firmly to seal.
- 04
Build the instant broth directly in the serving bowls.
While a large pot of water comes to a boil, portion the pork lard, dried baby shrimp, torn seaweed, remaining four teaspoons of soy sauce, vinegar, white pepper, and chopped scallions evenly among four individual serving bowls.
- 05
Boil the dumplings until they float.
Drop the dumplings into the boiling water, stirring gently to prevent sticking, and when the water returns to a rolling boil, pour in half a cup of cold water to temper the heat so the pork cooks through before the wrappers disintegrate.
- 06
Finish the broth with the hot dumpling water and serve.
When the water boils a second time and the dumplings are plump, ladle about three-quarters of a cup of the hot, starchy cooking liquid directly into each prepared bowl to melt the lard and bloom the seaweed before transferring the cooked dumplings into the broth.
Notes
Sourcing the right wrappers.
Seek out round, white Shanghai-style wrappers from the Asian market, which are thinner and softer than Northern varieties, and explicitly avoid square wonton wrappers.
The undeniable necessity of pork lard.
Rendered pork lard is the undisputed grandmother's secret to the soul-warming flavor and mouthfeel of this broth; substituting it with vegetable oil will severely compromise the authenticity.
From Cook Sichuan in America.