Instant Pot Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao)

To those tho know me well, they may tell you I’m the Soup Dumpling King of NYC.

I’ve been unofficially crowned this title because I’ve been to pretty much all the joints that serve up these little pillows of heaven.

We are talking dumplings that aren’t just regular dumplings.  No, these are dumplings where SOUP is embedded INSIDE the dumpling skin encasing the pork mixture!  They are Shanghai-style and known as Xiao Long Bao in Chinese (and commonly referred to as XLBs).If you go to the right place (after going to all of the “must trys,” I’ve found that Joe’s Shanghai in Flushing, Queens in NYC is consistently THE best) you will literally be transported to cloud nine.

So – HERE IT IS GUYS!  The HOMEMADE SOUP DUMPLING in the Instant Pot!  They are going to make ALL of your nearest and dearest go “WOW! – You actually made these?!

Here’s How I Made It!:

Let’s start off by creating the “soup” part by adding some water to a pot.

Then we’ll add some chicken base…

…soy sauce…

and unflavored gelatin powder.

We’ll bring it all to a boil and stir it up nicely…

…and then transfer the gelatinous soup mixture to a small baking pan.

And let it set in the fridge for a few hours until firm and like Jell-o.

While the soup is becoming firm and jiggly in the fridge, make the black vinegar sauce by combining some black vinegar, soy sauce and some fresh stands of ginger.  Set aside.

And now let’s make the meat mixture by staring with some chopped scallions (use the whiter, crunchier part of them)…

…some chopped shittake mushrooms…

…ground pork…

…some crushed ginger…

…some crushed garlic…

…a little sesame oil…

…and a little Shaoxing wine (or Chinese rice wine or even sake).

Mix it up well by hand and form into a ball…

…put a lid on it and also set it in the fridge along with the soup mixture.

After a few hours have flown by, take the set soup gelatinous mixture out of the fridge and cut into little squares.  Take the meat mixture out from the fridge too.

Then we’ll take a pack of dumpling wrappers…

…and place about a marble-sized ball of the meat mixture and place it in the center of the dumpling wrapper.

Then spoon one of the squares of the soup gelatin on top of it (it’s okay if it becomes a bit messy and is no longer a square).

Using a bowl of water, dip your finger in and run it along the perimeter of the dumpling wrapper as this will serve as our glue.

Now let’s fold our dumplings!  Take two edges of the perimeter and have them meet and “kiss.”

Then, take the other edges and fold them in so the outer edges look like wings (you may want to wet your fingers again for more traction).

Finally, fold all the edges in towards the center and upwards so it forms that classic dumpling shape.  (Think of it like a Troll doll’s hair!)

Repeat until you make as many as you want and then place them all on parchment or waxed paper to rest so they don’t stick.

Take some pre-cut lined parchment paper…

…and line it in a two-tiered bamboo steamer that will fit inside your Instant Pot.

Add the soup dumplings to each tier of the steamer.

Now to the Instant Pot, add the trivet and some water…

…place that adorable bamboo steamer into the Instant Pot, secure the lid and cook on high pressure.

And there you have it!  Soup dumplings made RIGHT IN YOUR INSTANT POT!  Sure to please any crowd at any party.  Just make sure you serve them immediately as beloved XLBs are known to have a short life span before they dry out!

Instant Pot Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao)