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Steamed pork dumplings with Shanghai chilli vinegar

Steamed pork dumplings with Shanghai chilli vinegar

“I’m ripping these straight from the bar at Cutler & Co. on the other side of the river, but I’m allowed to do that, not least because they’re delicious. And yes, they’re technically buns, but we call them dumplings.” You’ll need to begin this recipe a day ahead.

Steamed pork dumplings with Shanghai chilli vinegar

Serves 24
Cooking Time Prep time 50 mins, cook 3 hrs 30 mins
450 gm   (1 packet) steamed bun flour (see note)
250 ml   (1 cup) milk
100 gm   caster sugar
1 tsp   vegetable oil
Braised pork
1 kg   boneless pork belly
100 gm   (10cm piece) ginger, thinly sliced
100 ml   soy sauce
6   white peppercorns, crushed
500 ml   (2 cups) chicken stock
Cabbage filling
2 tbsp   vegetable oil
10   golden shallots, finely chopped
8   garlic cloves, finely chopped
400 gm   Chinese cabbage, thinly sliced
1 tsp   rice wine vinegar
Shanghai chilli vinegar
2 tbsp   Fu Chi chilli bean sauce (see note)
1 tbsp   Chinese brown vinegar (see note)
2 tsp   light soy sauce, or to taste


1 For braised pork, preheat oven to 150C. Combine pork belly with ginger, soy and peppercorns in a roasting pan and rub to coat pork. Add chicken stock and roast until very tender (3 hours). Cool, remove pork from stock (discard stock), weight with a large plate, refrigerate until firm (overnight), then remove skin (discard) and cut into 3cm squares.
2 Combine flour, milk and sugar in a bowl, add oil, mix to form a dough, turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead to form a ball (3-4 minutes). Cover and set aside to rest (30 minutes).
3 For cabbage filling, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, add shallot and garlic and stir occasionally until golden (2-3 minutes). Add cabbage and 1 tsp sea salt flakes and stir occasionally until tender (3 minutes). Stir in rice wine vinegar and set aside to cool.
4 For Shanghai chilli vinegar, combine ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
5 Weigh dough into 24 even balls, then roll into 10cm rounds on a lightly floured surface. Top with a thin layer of cabbage mixture, place a piece of pork belly on top. Brush edges of dough with water, pull dough over pork belly to enclose, pinch to seal. Place on baking paper, sealed side down, and steam in batches in a steamer placed over boiling water until dumplings rise (6 minutes). Serve hot with Shanghai chilli vinegar for dipping.

Note Steamed bun flour, Fu Chi chilli bean sauce (made from chilli and soy beans) and Chinese brown vinegar are available from select Asian supermarkets.

This recipe is from the April 2011 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller.

RECIPE Andrew McConnell, Golden Fields PHOTOGRAPHY Sharyn Cairns STYLING Lisa Featherby

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