Xiao Long Bao are the celebrated soup dumplings of the Shanghai region — thin, hand-pleated wrappers that enclose seasoned pork and an astonishing mouthful of hot, fragrant broth. The 'soup' is no trick of cooking but a clever bit of engineering: a rich pork stock is set with gelatin into a firm aspic, diced, and folded into the filling. As the dumplings steam, the aspic melts back into liquid, flooding the interior. Eating them is a small ritual, lifting one gently into a spoon, nicking the skin to release steam, sipping the broth, then savoring the tender pork. Making them at home is genuinely advanced work, demanding a hot-water dough rolled paper-thin at the edges and the patience to master the delicate spiral pleat, but the reward is among the great pleasures of Chinese cooking.
Serves 4
Bloom the gelatin in a little of the stock, then heat the rest and stir until fully dissolved. Pour into a shallow pan and chill until firmly set, about 2 hours, then dice finely. This solid jelly becomes the soup inside each dumpling.
The richer and more gelatinous your pork stock, the more flavorful the melted soup will be.
Pour the boiling water over the flour and stir into a shaggy mass, then work in the cold water and knead until smooth and elastic. Cover and rest 30 minutes; the hot water partly cooks the starch for a supple, stretchy wrapper.
Resting is non-negotiable — it relaxes the gluten so you can roll the edges paper-thin without tearing.
Combine the pork, ginger, green onions, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, white pepper, and salt, then stir vigorously in one direction until the mixture turns sticky and tacky. This builds the bouncy, cohesive texture of a good filling.
Gently fold the diced aspic cubes through the pork filling, distributing them evenly, then refrigerate until firm. Keeping everything cold makes the filling far easier to portion and wrap cleanly.
Roll the rested dough into a long log, cut into 24 even pieces, and roll each into a 7cm round that's thicker in the center and thin at the edges. This gradient supports the filling while keeping the pleats delicate.
Place about 1 tbsp filling in the center of a wrapper and pleat the edge 18-20 times around, gathering and twisting the top to seal completely. A tight seal is critical so the soup doesn't leak during steaming.
Don't fret over a perfect spiral at first — a leak-proof seal matters far more than picture-perfect pleats.
Arrange the dumplings on parchment or napa cabbage leaves in a bamboo steamer, well spaced so they don't touch, and steam over vigorously boiling water for about 8 minutes until the wrappers turn translucent and the filling is cooked.
Serve immediately with a dipping sauce of Chinkiang vinegar and julienned young ginger. Lift each dumpling carefully into a spoon, nick a small hole to release steam, sip the broth, then eat the rest.
The aspic is the key — it melts into hot soup during steaming, so make a rich, well-set stock.
Practice the pleating motion a few times before committing your best filling; it takes coordination.
Roll the wrapper edges thin and the center thicker to support the filling without splitting.
Keep the filling cold while you work so it stays firm and easy to wrap.
Seal the top completely — even a small gap will leak the precious broth.
Crab and pork XLB (xie fen xiao long): fold lump crabmeat and crab roe into the filling.
Vegetarian: use a mushroom-broth aspic with a mushroom-and-tofu filling.
Extra-soupy: increase the ratio of aspic to pork for a more pronounced broth burst.
Add a touch of black vinegar to the dipping sauce for a sharper finish.
Best eaten fresh from the steamer. To store, freeze uncooked dumplings on a tray until solid, then transfer to a bag for up to 1 month and steam directly from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes. Cooked leftovers lose their soup and are best avoided.
Xiao Long Bao are generally traced to the Nanxiang area near Shanghai in the late 19th century, where the soup-filled style took shape. The dumplings later spread across China and the world, popularized internationally by chains such as Din Tai Fung.
The broth inside is scalding straight from the steamer. Set the dumpling on a spoon, gently bite or pierce a small hole in the wrapper, and wait a few seconds for steam to escape. Sip the broth, dip in ginger-vinegar if you like, then eat the dumpling whole.
Usually the seal wasn't complete or the wrapper was too thin or punctured at the base. Make sure you twist and pinch the top fully closed, keep the center of the wrapper slightly thicker, and avoid overfilling. A leaky dumpling will simply lose its broth into the steamer.
Standard dumpling wrappers are too thick and not stretchy enough for true XLB, and they tend to tear or turn gummy. The hot-water dough in this recipe is what gives the thin, translucent, slightly chewy skin. If you're short on time, the filling and aspic technique still work, but the texture won't match.
Per serving (200g / 7.1 oz) · 4 servings total
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