Tom Yum Prawn Soup Dumplings (Thai × Shanghai)

Method

1. Bash the lemongrass with the back of a knife and cut into 5 cm lengths, tear half the lime leaves and split half the chillies. Put them in a pan with the stock and the ginger and simmer gently on medium-low heat for 6 min to infuse. Strain, cool for 2 minutes, then sprinkle in the gelatine and stir until completely dissolved; add part of the fish sauce. Pour into a shallow container and chill for at least 2 hours until set.

   Add in this stepChicken stock (unsalted or low-salt) 150 mlLemongrass stalks 1Makrut lime leaves 1½Galangal or ginger slices 4 gBird's eye chillies ½Powdered gelatine 7 gFish sauce 0.9 tsp

   medium-low heat

2. Roughly chop the prawns and mix with the pork, half the minced garlic, the remaining lime leaves shredded as finely as possible, most of the coriander, part of the fish sauce, half the sugar and the white pepper. Stir in one direction for 3 min until sticky. Cut the set jelly into 5 mm dice, fold it in gently and chill for 15 minutes.

   Add in this stepMinced pork 140 gRaw peeled prawns 80 gGarlic cloves ½Makrut lime leaves 1½Chopped coriander (with stems) 1¼ tbspFish sauce 1¼ tspPalm sugar or light brown sugar ½ tspWhite pepper 1 pinch

3. Take 16 pc shop-bought wrappers and roll just the edges once more with a rolling pin to stretch them thinner, to about 9 cm across. Put a spoonful of filling in the centre and pleat the edge all the way round, twisting the top shut. A dab of water on the edge helps it stick.

   Add in this stepThin round dumpling wrappers (shop-bought) 16

4. When the water is boiling hard, set the dumplings 3 cm apart in the paper-lined 24 cm × 2 steamer (diameter × tiers) and steam on high heat for 8 min. They are done when the wrappers turn translucent and you can see the filling through them.

   high heat

5. While they steam, mix the lime juice with the remaining fish sauce and sugar, the rest of the garlic, the remaining chilli thinly sliced and the rest of the coriander to make a nam jim dipping sauce. Lift each dumpling onto a spoon, nibble a hole, drink the soup and spoon over a little sauce.

   Add in this stepLimes 1Fish sauce 0.9 tspPalm sugar or light brown sugar ½ tspGarlic cloves ½Bird's eye chillies ½Chopped coriander (with stems) ¾ tbsp