Xiaolongbao
Shanghai soup dumplings with hot broth sealed inside: learn the chilled-stock secret and the pleating that makes them work at the steamer.
70 min
Hard
China (Shanghái)
4 servings
The story behind
Lift the bamboo lid and a cloud rolls off the basket, revealing a row of translucent purses pleated into delicate spirals. Xiaolongbao traces back to Nanxiang, a town on the edge of Shanghai, in the mid-nineteenth century, and it has anchored the dim sum tradition of the Yangtze delta ever since. The trick that makes it almost theatrical lives in the filling: minced pork is folded together with a concentrated stock that has been chilled into a firm jelly. As the dumplings steam, that jelly melts back into a scalding broth, sealed inside the thin wrapper. This is why the dough has to be rolled paper-thin in the middle yet left thicker at the rim where the pleats gather, so it can hold the liquid without tearing. Tradition says to bite a small opening on the side, sip the soup first, then taste the pork, usually with a dish of black vinegar and slivered ginger alongside. Patience while pleating and a properly cold jelly are the two quiet secrets behind a great one.
Instructions
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1Mix the pork with ginger, scallions, and soy sauce, then gently fold in the finely chopped broth jelly.
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2Knead your dough until smooth and elastic; let it rest so it's easier to roll out paper-thin.
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3Roll small dough circles, keeping the edges thinner than the center to hold the weight of the soup.
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4Place a spoonful of filling in the center and create tight pleats to seal the dumpling completely.
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5Steam in a bamboo basket over high heat for about 10 minutes until the skin is delicate and the soup inside is bubbling.
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