Juicy and Savory Chinese Soup Dumplings

Wash 500g beef tendon and cut into small chunks. Bring water to a boil in a pot, blanch the beef tendon until the surface changes color and no blood remains, then remove and drain.

Bring about 1500ml water to a boil in a pressure cooker. Add the blanched beef tendon, 1 green onion white stalk (50g), 1 piece ginger (15g), 3 bay leaves, 1g Sichuan peppercorns, 1g fennel seeds, and 1 star anise. Seal the pressure cooker, bring to pressure, then cook over medium-low heat for 1.5 hours until tender and gelatinous.

Once pressure drops naturally, open the cooker, add 6g salt and stir well. Scoop out 500g of beef tendon broth into a large bowl, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight (about 8 hours) until set into a firm broth jelly.

Pour 400g all-purpose flour into a bowl, then slowly add 250g water at 70°C (160°F) while stirring with a spatula until shaggy dough forms without dry flour, then knead into a dough ball by hand.

Leave the roughly kneaded dough ball in the bowl, cover tightly with a lid, and rest for 20 minutes to allow the flour to absorb moisture and relax the gluten.

Remove the lid and knead the dough firmly for 3-4 minutes until the surface becomes smooth and sleek.

Cover the smooth dough ball again with the lid and rest at room temperature for 1 hour to fully relax the gluten for rolling.

In a small saucepan, combine 250g water, 1g Sichuan peppercorns, 1g fennel seeds, and 1 star anise. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 5 minutes until fragrant and reduced to about 125g. Turn off heat and cool completely.

Take 200g green onion white parts (about 3 stalks), slice finely into threads, then mince and chop twice with a knife. Place in a bowl, add 10g ginger paste and 6g salt, mix well with chopsticks, and set aside until softened.

In a bowl with 500g ground beef (with some fat), add 1g Sichuan peppercorn powder, 0.5g white pepper powder, and 1 egg white. Strain in 125g cooled spice water. Stir vigorously in one direction with a spatula or chopsticks until all liquid is absorbed, fibers pull threads, and the meat becomes sticky and cohesive.

Pour the softened seasoned green onion and ginger mixture into the whipped beef filling, and continue stirring in the same direction until fully integrated.

Take out 500g solidified beef tendon broth jelly from the fridge, slice and chop into fine jelly cubes. Pour jelly into the beef filling, fold until evenly mixed, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to wrap dumplings.

Take out the rested dough, poke a hole in the center by hand, stretch into a ring, break open into a log. Dust work surface with 10g extra flour, roll log smooth, cut into small dough portions of about 18g each, dust with flour and press flat.

Take a flattened dough portion. First roll in circles to flatten, then roll like dumpling skins—rotating wrapper with one hand while rolling with the other—creating thin edges with a slightly thicker center.

Take chilled filling from the fridge. Place a wrapper in your palm, fill with meat filling. Pleat clockwise with thumb and index finger for about 24 pleats. Leave top opening slightly open like a fish mouth as a steam hole instead of sealing completely shut.

Bring water to a boil in a steamer pot. Arrange dumplings on parchment paper inside a bamboo steamer basket and place over the boiling pot. Cover with lid and steam over medium-low heat for 10 minutes until cooked through.