The popular form of soup dumplings XLB orignated in the Shanghai area. But there is another more popular pan fried version of it (or soup bun) that is arguably more popular in Shanghai and in my opinion tastier! (anything fried is).

In the last episode, I showed everyone how to make authentic XLB (small soup dumplings of the Ding Tai Feng variety). Here I will show you how to make authentic Shanghai style Pan Fried Soup Dumplings or Buns.

This dish is actually more difficult to make right than soup dumplings. It uses combination of principles I covered in earlier videos::

Vegetable Buns: Basics of how to make/wrap buns (   • 【 包子 】永不失败的面食第5集  )
Yeast Dough: Principles of Yeast Dough (   • 酵母发面技巧【 蓬松面团 】永不失败的面食第4集  )
Cold Water Dough (   • 手擀面 饺子 春卷皮 【 冷水面团 】永不失败的面食第1集  )
Warm Water Dough (   • 葱油饼 【 温水面团 】永不失败的面食第3集  )
Hot Water Dough (   • 锅贴 烧卖 蒸饺 春饼 【 热水面团 】永不失败的面食第2集  )



A great Pan Fried Soup Dumpling has 3 characteristics:

1. The Skin Semiyeast dough (mix of yeast/nonyeast) that is soft, stretchy, holds broth.
2. The Filling full of savory soup and tasty pork that has a distinct yummy flavor.
3. Crispy Bottom crisp and crunchy.

Below is how I make the recipe. Different recipes use different mixes to control skin characteristics: crispiness, softness, stretchiness, and ability to hold soup with tradeoffs. Here I used a middle recipe that has average characteristics across the board.

【25% Yeast Dough Ingredients】
AP Flour: 100g
Room temperature water: 55g (at normal humidiy)
Sugar: 12g (12%)
Instant Yeast/Dry Yeast: 12g (12%)
Knead and rest until 2x bigger (~23 hours)

【75% Warm Water Dough】
AP Flour: 300g
Hot Water: 100g (mix in first)
Room temperature water: 50g (mix in second)
Knead and rest for 1 hour.

【Forming SemiRisen Dough】
Mix and keand both Yeast Dough and Warm Water Dough into a single dough before wrapping.

【Filling】
Pork (Picnic Ham preferred or Back leg ham. 6070% lean): 300g (100%)
Soup jello: 150g (50%. See my XLB video on how to make)
Steamed Chicken Leg: 60g (dice) and mix in
Salt: 6g (2%)
White pepper: 3g (1%)
Sugar: 6g (2%)
Soy Sauce: 6g (2%)
Rice wine: 6g (2%)
Chicken broth: 70g (25%. Can use the juice from steaming chicken leg)
Egg white: 1 (not use if you want more soup)
Canola oil: 9g (3%)
** After mixing, refrigerate for 2 hours. If you want speed, can put in freezer for 15 min but don't leave it in for too long.

The most difficult part of making this is controlling how long the yeast rises after completing the SemiYeast Dough. If you wait too long, the bun will fall apart. Not long enough and it will be too sticky. See end of the video for details on timing.

Music by Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com)
Mediterranean Nights by Andres Cantu
Fade by Alan Walker [NCS Release]
Spectre by Alan Walker [NCS Release]