Delicious dim sum

Directions

Stock

1. PREPARE THE STOCK: briefly brown the bacon in a saucepan, then add the stock, spring onion cut into large pieces and 1 centimetre of chopped ginger (reserve the rest for later). We use a chicken stock cube. Reduce by half to approximately 150ml stock.

2. STRAIN THE STOCK AND ADD AGAR AGAR: strain the stock and weigh it. Weigh out Agar Agar equal to 1% of that weight. Here we assume 150g stock, so 1.5g agar agar. Whisk the Agar Agar into the stock and leave to hydrate for 10 minutes. Use 1.5g Agar Agar.

3. BRING THE STOCK AND AGAR AGAR TO THE BOIL: bring the stock with the Agar Agar to the boil. Around boiling point, the mixture becomes slightly bubbly.

4. POUR THE STOCK WITH AGAR AGAR INTO A FLAT TRAY: once it boils, leave to cool at room temperature so the gel can set. Speed this up by pouring it out of the hot pan into a flat container. You can speed it up further in the freezer or refrigerator. Once set into a gel, remove from the container, place on a chopping board and chop into small cubes. These cubes become liquid again when heated!

Dough

1. Add the flour, water and oil to the KitchenAid and knead for 10 minutes. If you do not have a KitchenAid, knead thoroughly by hand. Shape into a ball and place in a freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible and leave to rest for 1 hour.

Dim sum filling

1. Grate 2.5cm peeled ginger, reserving approximately 1.5cm for later. We like a Microplane, but any fine grater works. Chop 1 spring onion and mix with the rice wine, sesame oil, soya sauce, sugar, salt and pepper. Add the minced meat and the stock gel cubes. Mix thoroughly and rest for 15 minutes to develop the flavour. The filling is ready.

Sauce

1. Cut the remaining ginger into fine strips (julienne) and mix with the balsamic vinegar and wine vinegar. Leave to rest to develop the flavours.

Preparing the wrappers

1. Remove the dough ball from the bag to make the wrappers. Cut it in half and set one half aside. Roll the other half into a log approximately 30cm long. Cut into 12 pieces and roll each into a flat piece approximately the size of your fingers. Repeat with the remaining half to make 24 wrappers.

2. PORTION THE MEAT MIXTURE: lay out baking paper and divide the filling into 24 equal portions, using scales for accuracy. Our total filling weighed 410g, making 24 portions of approximately 17g (410/24 ≈ 17). Prepare the steamer liner by cutting baking paper to fit the basket. Make holes in it so steam can pass through. We use an old-fashioned hole punch.

3. MAKE THE DIM SUM: take a wrapper, add a portion of filling and fold the edges inward. Twist the top to form a neat dim sum and place in the steamer basket.

4. Repeat until the basket is full.

Cooking the dim sum

1. Steam the dim sum for approximately 6–8 minutes. There are different steaming methods. We use a simple arrangement: put a layer of water in a large pan and use a candle holder to create space between the basket and water. Bring the water to the boil and place the basket on the holder. Cover well so the steam reaches everything; we use the pan lid. The steam cooks the meat and the stock and agar agar mixture turns liquid again, creating this extraordinary dim sum.

Serving

1. Bon appétit!