Dish · chinese
Xiaolongbao
Steamed dumplings with a savory pork filling and a pocket of hot broth inside, made by folding in meat aspic that melts as it steams.
Where it comes from
Xiaolongbao developed around Shanghai and Nanxiang, where cooks began adding meat aspic to the filling so it would liquefy into broth once steamed, a technique that spread through the region's teahouses.
What cooks argue about
Cooks argue over the pleat count and wrapper thinness needed to hold the broth without tearing, and over how much aspic to use, since too much bursts the wrapper.
Versions
Nobody has published a xiaolongbao here yet. When somebody cooks one from a video and publishes it, their version appears in this list, with a link back to the original.
What goes in it
Each one opens everything else made with it.
ground pork
chicken stock
ginger