शियाओलोंगबाओ
Shanghai's marvel of a dumpling: a delicate pleated wrapper enclosing seasoned pork and a hidden pool of hot, savoury soup that bursts when you bite in. The magic is solidified gelatinous stock folded into the filling, which melts back to liquid as the dumplings steam. Xiaolongbao reward patience and a careful pleat — and the ritual of dipping in black vinegar and ginger, then sipping the soup, is one of the great pleasures of the table.
First make an aspic: simmer pork skin (and/or use gelatine) into a rich stock, chill until firm, and chop it. Mix it into a seasoned pork filling so each dumpling holds solid 'soup'. Make a firm dough, roll thin rounds with a thicker centre, add filling, and pleat closed with many small folds, twisting the top shut. Steam the dumplings on a lined basket over high heat for about 8 minutes — the aspic melts into hot soup inside. Serve with black vinegar and slivered ginger.
- The 'soup' is gelatinous stock (aspic) chilled solid, folded into the filling — it melts when steamed.
- Roll wrappers thin at the edge, thicker in the centre, so the base holds the soup without bursting.
- Pleat with many small folds and twist the top sealed; steam, don't overcook, and lift gently.
Equipment
- Steamer basket
- Rolling pin
- Bowl
सामग्री
Soup aspic
- 300 g pork skin (or use 10 g gelatine)
- 500 ml chicken/pork stock
- Ginger, spring onion, splash of Shaoxing wine
Filling
- 300 g minced pork (not too lean)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tsp sugar; ginger; white pepper
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine; 1 tsp sesame oil
Dough & dip
- 250 g plain flour
- 130 ml warm water
- Black (Chinkiang) vinegar + slivered ginger, to serve
विधि
- स्टेप01
Simmer the pork skin in the stock with ginger, spring onion and Shaoxing wine until rich and gelatinous (or dissolve gelatine into hot seasoned stock). Strain, chill until firmly set, then finely chop the jelly.
- स्टेप02
Mix the minced pork with the soy, sugar, ginger, white pepper, Shaoxing wine and sesame oil, stirring one direction until sticky. Fold in the chopped aspic. Chill.
- स्टेप03
Knead the flour and warm water into a smooth, firm dough. Rest, covered, 30–60 minutes, then roll into a log and cut into small pieces.
- स्टेप04
Roll each piece into a thin round, leaving the centre slightly thicker. Place a spoon of cold filling in the middle.
- स्टेप05
Gather the edge into many small pleats around the filling, twisting the top to seal into the classic purse shape. Keep the seal tight so the soup doesn't leak.
- स्टेप06
Steam the dumplings, spaced apart on a lined or oiled basket, over high heat for about 8 minutes until the wrappers are translucent and the filling cooked (the aspic is now hot soup). Serve immediately with black vinegar and ginger.
Make ahead
Make the aspic and filling a day ahead (the aspic must be made ahead to set anyway). You can pleat the dumplings and freeze them raw for later, steaming straight from frozen. The pleating is the slow part — doing it in advance and freezing makes serving them easy.
Storage
Best steamed and eaten immediately, while the soup is hot inside. Uncooked dumplings freeze well — freeze on a tray until solid, then bag, and steam from frozen (a couple of extra minutes). Don't refrigerate raw filled dumplings long, as the moisture softens the wrappers. Steamed leftovers lose their soup.
Variations
Crab & pork
Add crab meat and roe to the pork filling for the luxurious xie fen xiaolongbao.
Tang bao
Larger soup dumplings served with a straw to sip the abundant soup.
Shortcut wrappers
Practised cooks make their own thin wrappers; for ease you can use thin round dumpling wrappers, though homemade hold soup best.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
अक्सर पूछे जाने वाले
How do soup dumplings get the soup inside?
The 'soup' is actually a rich, gelatinous stock (aspic) that's been chilled until firm, chopped, and mixed into the pork filling. When the dumplings steam, the solid jelly melts back into hot liquid soup, trapped inside the sealed wrapper. So you don't pour liquid in — you fold in solid jelly that liquefies with heat. That's the whole trick.
How do I stop xiaolongbao from leaking or bursting?
Roll the wrappers thin at the edges but slightly thicker in the centre (the base bears the soup's weight), seal the pleats tightly by twisting the top shut, and don't overfill. Steam on a lined or lightly oiled surface so they don't stick and tear, and lift them gently. A tight seal and a sturdy base are the keys.
How do you eat xiaolongbao?
Carefully — the soup inside is hot. Lift a dumpling gently (a spoon underneath helps), dip lightly in black vinegar with slivered ginger, place it on your spoon, nibble a small hole to let the steam escape and sip the soup, then eat the rest. Biting straight in can burn your mouth and lose the soup.
Can I freeze soup dumplings?
Yes — they freeze well raw. Freeze the pleated dumplings on a tray until solid so they hold their shape, then transfer to a bag. Steam them straight from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes. Since pleating is the time-consuming part, making a big batch to freeze is a smart move.
What's the difference between xiaolongbao and other dumplings?
Xiaolongbao are thin-skinned, soup-filled steamed dumplings from the Shanghai region, defined by the hidden pool of soup and delicate pleated top. They differ from jiaozi (thicker-skinned boiled/pan-fried dumplings) and from baozi (fluffy leavened steamed buns). The soup-filling and very thin, unleavened wrapper are what set xiaolongbao apart.
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