Pho Soup Dumplings

For the stock, place the beef stock, spring onion, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, star anise and cloves in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes or until reduced by half. Then stir in the fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar. Strain the stock into a shallow bowl. Set aside to cool slightly. In the meantime, place 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl. Sprinkle with the gelatine. Set aside for 3 minutes to soak. Use a whisk to stir in the gelatine mixture until dissolved. Place in the fridge for 2 hours or until set. 

For the filling, combine the ingredients in a medium bowl. Take the stock jelly out of the fridge and use a knife to roughly ‘cut’ the jelly into cubes. Then scrape the jelly into the pork mixture and stir very well to combine.

To fill the dumplings, place one wrapper in the palm of your hand. Place half a tablespoon of the filling into the centre. Fold the wrapper edges together using your fingers to create pleats and twist to seal at the top (refer to the video for tips). Place on a tray lined with baking paper. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

Line a steamer with baking paper. Use a knife to make small holes in the paper to allow the steam through. Set the steamer over boiling water and steam for 12- minutes or until cooked through.

Alternatively, if you don’t have a steamer, place batches of dumplings onto a small plate lined with baking paper. Make a foil ‘donut’ and place that into a large pan of simmering water. Rest the plate on top of the foil so that the plate sits above the boiling water. Cover with a lid and steam for 12 minutes.

Serve immediately with hoisin sauce, sambal oelek and basil or coriander leaves.