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Crab "soup Dumplings" (Dim Sum)

Crab "soup Dumplings" (Dim Sum) Recipe

Not soup with dumplings in it, but dumplings with soup in them. This is a famous kind of steamed dumpling for dim sum. You bite a little hole in the dumpling, then carefully sip the scalding hot broth out of it, then dip the rest of the dumpling in a dip and eat. It's amazing how they get it inside-out like that. I have just learned, from a cookbook called "Dim Sum and Other Chinese Street Food" by Mai Leung, that the secret is to gel some broth with agar-agar and seal the solid broth inside the dumplings. When the dumplings are heated, the broth liquifies again, so you get dumplings full of soup. I haven't tried this recipe yet, but I don't usually make my own dim sum, so I thought I'd go ahead and post it for those who do. She says you can only make these a few hours in advance, and if you do, you should refrigerate them before steaming.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 45 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 24 dumplings
Calories 55.4 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup dried agar-agar, loosely packed
  • 2 cups chicken broth, clear

Filling

  • 1 cup crabmeat, fresh or frozen. drained on paper towels
  • 4 ounces shrimp, shelled, deveined, cut into pea-sized pieces
  • 4 ounces lean pork, cut into pea-sized pieces
  • 5 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked in hot water until spongy, stems discarded, caps cut into small squares
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil

Wrappers

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose white flour
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • cold water

Dip

  • 1/4 cup fresh ginger, finely shredded
  • 1/4 cup Chinese red vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons black soy sauce

Instructions
 

  • Hours or a day before making the dumplings, cook the agar-agar in the chicken broth until completely dissolved. Pour into a shallow dish. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours until it gels.
  • Mix all the filling ingredients.
  • Dice the gelled agar-agar/broth into small pieces and mix with the filling ingredients.
  • Refrigerate this mixture.
  • To make the wrappers:.
  • Mix flour and egg.
  • Add water a little at a time until a soft but not sticky dough is formed.
  • Knead until dough is smooth and elastic.
  • Roll the dough into a long sausage, 1 inch in diameter.
  • Cut the dough into walnut-sized pices, then roll them into round balls; cover the balls with a damp towel.
  • You are now going to make crescent-shaped dumplings.
  • Dust your work surface with a little flour.
  • Roll a piece of dough into a paper-thin circle.
  • Put about a tablespoon of filling (now including the gelled broth) in the center of the circle.
  • Fold the circle in half to look like a half-moon.
  • Pleat the top curved edge.
  • Pinch the pleated edge and the unpleated edge together to seal.
  • Gently tap the crescent's round bottom so that it can stand up.
  • Place the crescent-shaped dumpling between towels.
  • Make the remaining crescents in the same way.
  • Place a layer of cheesecloth in the bottom of a steamer.
  • Arrange the crescent dumplings on the cloth.
  • Cover and steam over high heat for 10 minutes.
  • Serve hot with ginger-vinegar-soy dip.
  • To make the dip:.
  • Mix all dip ingredients in a serving bowl, cover, and allow to stand at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before serving; it should keep for hours at room temperature.

Your Own Notes

Nutrition

Serving: 1081gCalories: 55.4kcalCarbohydrates: 7.2gProtein: 3.9gFat: 1.1gSaturated Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 19.1mgSodium: 292.7mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 0.5g
Keyword < 60 Mins, Asian, Brunch, Cantonese, Chinese, Crab, Lunch, Savory, Steam, Stove Top
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