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.

Nobody has published a xiaolongbao recipe yet. The page stays out of search until one exists, which is the rule for every thin page here.