make the chicken stock
In a large, deep pot, combine the chicken, pork, ginger, scallions, carrot, broth and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Remove the chicken and, when it is cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bones. Return the bones to the pot and simmer over moderately low heat until the broth is very flavorful and reduced to 6 cups, about 1 1/2 hours longer. Strain the stock and skim the fat from the surface. Reserve the chicken meat and pork for another use.
In a small bowl, combine the gelatin with 1/3 cup of cold water and let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk the softened gelatin into 3 cups of the hot stock until melted. (Reserve the remaining stock for another use.) Pour the gelatinized stock into a 2-quart glass or ceramic baking dish and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours or overnight.
meanwhile, make the dough
In a medium bowl, stir 1/2 cup of the the all-purpose flour with 1/2 cup of the bread flour and 1/2 cup of boiling water until thoroughly combined. Turn the hot-water dough out onto a work surface and knead until fairly smooth, about 5 minutes.
In a glass measuring cup, combine 2 cups of room-temperature water with the saffron and let stand for 5 minutes. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, blend the remaining 4 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of bread flour with the salt. Add the saffron water and beat at medium speed until a smooth dough forms, about 5 minutes. Add the hot-water dough and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 5 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead it into a smooth ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight.
make the filling
In a small bowl, cover the dried mushrooms with boiling water and soak until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain, squeezing out any excess liquid; discard the stems. Finely chop the caps and transfer them to the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle. Add the ground pork, crab paste, chives, potato starch, sesame oil, dark and mushroom soy sauces, sugar, ginger, salt and white pepper. Beat at medium speed until thoroughly combined, about 5 minutes.
In a food processor, pulse the jellied chicken stock until finely chopped; beat into the pork mixture at medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Form and Steam the Dumplings
Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Working with one piece at a time and keeping the rest covered, roll the dough into a 1-inch-thick rope. Pinch or cut the rope into 3/4-inch pieces and roll them into balls. Then, using a small dowel, glass bottle or Chinese-style rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a thin 3 1/2-inch round, dusting with flour as necessary. (For an alternative method, see Note.) Lightly dust the rounds with flour, transfer to a floured baking sheet and cover with a damp towel to keep them from drying out. Repeat with the remaining dough. You should have 4 dozen rounds.
Line 2 baking sheets with wax paper and dust lightly with flour. Working with 1 dough round at a time and keeping the rest covered, spoon a well-rounded tablespoon of the filling onto the center of the round. Using your fingers, pinch and pleat the dough around the filling, leaving a tiny steam vent at the top; transfer to the baking sheet and top with a goji berry, if using. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
Fill a pot with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Arrange the dumplings in a bamboo steamer basket in batches, leaving at least 1 inch between them. Cover and steam over the boiling water until the dough is shiny and the filling is soupy, about 5 minutes. Serve right away while you steam the remaining dumplings.
Make Ahead
The jellied stock can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
The dough can be tightly wrapped in plastic and refrigerated overnight.
The uncooked dumplings can be frozen on a baking sheet until solid and then transferred to a resealable plastic bag for up to 2 weeks.
Freeze uncooked dumplings on a baking sheet; seal in a plastic bad and freeze for up to 2 weeks. Steam until cooked, 10 minutes.
Notes
Crab paste (a concentrated crabmeat condiment) and mushroom soy sauce are available at Asian markets and online at amazon.com.
Serve With
The vinegar dipping sauce alongside for dipping, or drizzle some of the sauce on top of each dumpling before eating.
Suggested Pairing
Fruit-forward, full-bodied white from Oregon.
FAQs
Lower your heat so that your broth is just barely barely barely boiling and drop these pieces in one at a time. It is important that you DO NOT STIR. We are not going to stir these as we don't want our dumplings cooking up. If you do stir, you will basically cause your dumplings to dissolve.
How do they get the soup in soup dumplings? ›
Watch Yan and a dumpling chef mix the dough for the wrappers, blend the filling so that it's "very, very smooth, and very light," fill the dumplings, pinch them closed, and finally stack them high in steamer baskets. The secret to getting that liquid center? Jellied soup.
Why are my dumplings hard and not fluffy? ›
Don't Overwork the Dumpling Dough
Stir everything together until the wet and dry ingredients are combined and you don't see any more dry flour. The dough might look a little lumpy, but that's okay! Overworking the dough is one of the easiest ways to end up with tough dumplings.
How to make dumplings more juicy? ›
Hand-mincing meat and adding more pork belly results in the juiciest dumplings. Traditionally, some Chinese cuisine uses hand minced meat for their dishes. For example, lots of dim sum items like siu mai, pork buns, beef meatball, and more use hand minced meat to control the texture and fat content of the dish!
Why do my soup dumplings fall apart? ›
Homemade dumplings can fall apart for a number of different reasons, or any combination of them. Often they burst during cooking because they have too much filling for the amount of dough. Some doughs are too dry, so the dumplings won't stay sealed. Others can be too wet and sticky and end up tearing.
Do you cook dumplings with lid on or lid off? ›
Once your water is boiling, let your dumplings cook in the steam for about ten minutes. Don't remove the lid as letting the steam escape will disrupt the cooking process and result in undercooked dumplings, so keep that lid on!
Why do my soup dumplings have no soup? ›
Why is there no soup in my soup dumplings? There are a few possible culprits here. Overcooking dumplings can cause the soup inside to evaporate. But if they're left to cool for too long, the gelatin in the soup will solidify.
What is the secret ingredient in soup? ›
It may sound a bit strange and unusual for some, but vinegar is a common ingredient in some soup recipes, and there is a good reason for it. If you think about it, vinegar is really a flavor-enhancer (umami). That's why it is so often used in cooking, sauces, and salad dressings. The same is true with soups.
What are the 3 components of dumplings? ›
What are dumplings made of? The dumpling dough is made of three main ingredients: flour, water and salt. But which flour you use depends on which dumpling you want to make.
How do you make dumplings taste better? ›
A teaspoon of sugar adds an extremely subtle hint of sweetness. It also helps the dumplings retain their moisture through the cooking process and slows gluten development, which ensures tender dumplings. A pinch of salt seasons the dumplings and enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
Overmixing will further develop the gluten, making for a tough or rubbery dumpling. Make sure your soup/stew is nice and hot. A too-cold base won't provide the right environment for the dumplings to steam and puff. Make sure the lid to the pot is tight-fitting.
Why are my homemade dumplings chewy? ›
If you are using a high-protein flour, such as bread flour, the dumplings may be tough. Using a lower-protein flour, such as all-purpose or cake flour, can help to make the dumplings softer and more tender. Overworking the dough: If you knead the dough too much or handle it too much, it can become tough.
What cut of pork is best for dumplings? ›
You's pork dumplings are built on a base of fatty ground pork—for best results, ask a butcher to grind up some pork shoulder for you—mixed with cooking sherry for sweetness, ginger for fresh bite, and just a little soy sauce and salt.
Why do you put cornstarch in dumplings? ›
The cornstarch will absorb excess water, which will then convert to steam, allowing the bottoms to form that crisp crust.
What will thicken dumplings? ›
Use Cornstarch to Thicken Chicken and Dumplings
To give that a little thicker texture we're going to add 1 cup of cool water to 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and stir it up well. Make sure the soup is brought back to a good boil and go ahead and stir in the cornstarch mixture.
Why did my dumplings turn to mush? ›
If the dough is dropped right into the liquid, the simmering action may break up the dumplings. Also, the dough will soak up moisture from the liquid so the dumplings will become soft and soggy.
Why do my frozen dumplings fall apart? ›
“Pull them out of the freezer when you're ready to cook them,” he says. “When they defrost, they start to stick together and they'll break.” He opts for a non-stick pan with a fitted lid, the latter to form a tight seal that allows for the dumplings to properly steam (and to prevent splatters of oil and water).
Why are my dumplings cracking? ›
It appears that at high airflow and low temperature, the surface of dumplings looses moisture very quickly, and, as a direct consequence, cracks and/or crazing develop within a short time.
Why do my Bisquick dumplings fall apart? ›
If it's boiling too hard, the dumpling dough can fall apart. Simmering broth might not be hot enough to raise the dumpling dough. Remove or tilt the lid after they've cooked so the dumplings don't over-steam and get soggy and dense. At least, that's the way I was taught and dumplings come out fluffy and delicious.
