Crab and Pork Xiaolongbao with Pork-Skin Aspic (18 Pleats)

Method

1. Put the pork skin in a 18 cm pan of cold water, bring to the boil on high heat and blanch for 5 min, then rinse in cold water. Scrape off all the white fat from the inside with a spoon, pluck any hairs with tweezers and cut the skin into 5 mm strips. Leftover fat makes the aspic cloudy and greasy.

   Add in this stepPork skin 150 g

   high heat

2. Put the skin, the aspic water, part of the ginger, half the spring onions and part of the Shaoxing wine in a pan. Bring to the boil on high heat, skim, then turn down to low heat, half-cover and simmer for 1 h 40 min. It is ready when the liquid has reduced by about half and feels sticky when rubbed between your fingers. Strain through a fine sieve into a shallow container, cool, and chill for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. Freeze any leftover aspic for the next batch.

   Add in this stepWater (for the aspic) 700 mlFresh ginger 6 gSpring onions 1Shaoxing wine 0.6 tbsp

   high heat→low heat

3. Mix the flour and salt with the lukewarm water a little at a time, then knead well for 10 min into a smooth, springy dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.

   Add in this stepPlain flour 100 gLukewarm water 52 mlSalt (for the dough) 1 pinch

4. Crush part of the ginger and the rest of the spring onions and soak them in the water to make ginger-onion water. Cut the pork shoulder into chunks, then chop it rhythmically with two cleavers into rice-grain-sized pieces (it keeps more texture than machine mince). Add the soy sauce, the remaining Shaoxing wine, sugar, salt and white pepper and stir in one direction, adding the ginger-onion water in three additions, for 5 min until sticky.

   Add in this stepFresh ginger 8 gSpring onions 1Water (for the ginger-onion water) 30 mlPork shoulder with some fat 160 gLight soy sauce 2 tspShaoxing wine 0.9 tbspSugar 1 tspSalt (for the filling) 2 pinchWhite pepper 1 pinch

5. Weigh out aspic equal to about 60% of the meat, cut it into 5 mm dice and fold it gently into the pork with the crab meat and sesame oil. Chill for 30 minutes until firm.

   Add in this stepCooked crab meat (with roe if you can get it) 60 gToasted sesame oil 1 tsp

6. Divide the dough into 16 pc (about 8 g each) and roll each into a 7.5 cm wrapper with very thin edges. Add about 18 g of filling, fold 18 pleats and twist a small knot at the top. Leave the centre slightly thicker: a paper-thin base sticks to the steamer and tears.

7. When the water is boiling hard and steam is billowing, set the dumplings in the paper-lined 24 cm × 2 steamer (diameter × tiers) and steam on high heat for 8 min. They are done when the wrappers are translucent enough to see the soup inside and they sag a little.

   high heat

8. Shred the remaining ginger as fine as needles and float it in the black vinegar. Lift each dumpling onto a spoon, nibble a hole in the side and drink the soup first.

   Add in this stepFresh ginger 6 gChinese black vinegar (Chinkiang) 3 tbsp