Chinese Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao): Shanghai's Nanxiang Treasure

Xiao long bao — Shanghai's celebrated "soup dumplings" — are delicate, hand-pleated dumplings that hold a spoonful of seasoned pork and a pool of hot, savory broth sealed inside a tender wrapper, steamed in a bamboo basket and eaten with black vinegar and ginger. According to Wikipedia, xiaolongbao are often referred to as "soup dumplings," and the Nanxiang xiaolongbao associated with Shanghai is the most well known. Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao traces the origin: soup dumplings originated hundreds of years ago in Nanxiang, a canal town, when a chef had the clever idea to put the soup inside the dumpling by mixing pork with a jelly of seasoned broth that melts as it steams. Eat Mila records that a restaurant owner in the Nanxiang area of Shanghai came up with the idea for these "little basket buns," as the name directly translates, and the dumplings became a global icon of Southern Chinese comfort food. The genius of the xiao long bao is the *tang* — the broth, made by simmering pork skin and bones into a rich aspic that is minced into the filling; as the dumpling steams, the aspic melts back into soup, sealed inside the wrapper.

For a party, the dumpling is already the perfect bite — but the pleasure is in the eating: nipping the wrapper, sipping the hot broth, then the vinegar and ginger, then the dumpling.

About the Ingredients

Wrapper — a thin, supple wheat-flour dough, rolled at the edges so the center is thicker (to hold the filling) and the edges thin (for pleating).

Filling — seasoned ground pork mixed with a savory aspic (the *tang*) of pork skin and chicken broth, chilled until set, then minced into the meat; the aspic is what becomes the soup.

Seasoning — soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, ginger, scallion, sugar, and a little sesame oil.

Dipping sauce — black Chinkiang vinegar with thin slivers of fresh ginger.

Ingredients (makes about 24 dumplings): For the aspic (tang): - 1/2 lb pork skin, cleaned - 1 lb pork bones or chicken wings - 1 scallion, 2 slices ginger - 4 cups water

For the filling: - 1/2 cup chilled, set aspic, finely diced - 1 lb ground pork - 1 tbsp soy sauce - 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine - 1 tsp sugar - 1 tsp sesame oil - 1 tbsp minced scallion - 1 tsp minced ginger - Salt and white pepper

For the wrappers: - 2 cups all-purpose flour - 3/4 cup warm water - Pinch of salt

To serve: - Chinkiang (black) vinegar - Thin slivers of fresh ginger - Napa cabbage leaves, for the steamer

Instructions: Make the aspic: simmer the pork skin, bones, scallion, and ginger in the water 2–3 hours until reduced to about 1 cup of strong, gelatinous broth; strain and chill until set. Dice the set aspic small.

Mix the ground pork with the soy, wine, sugar, sesame oil, scallion, ginger, salt, and pepper. Fold in the diced aspic. Chill the filling until firm.

Make the dough: combine the flour, warm water, and salt; knead until smooth. Rest 30 minutes. Roll into a log and cut into 24 pieces. Roll each piece into a thin round, thinner at the edges.

Hold a wrapper in your hand and place a tablespoon of cold filling in the center. Pleat the edges, gathering and pinching to seal at the top, leaving a small vent. Repeat.

Line a bamboo steamer with cabbage leaves. Steam the dumplings over boiling water 8–10 minutes until the wrappers are translucent and the filling cooked through. Serve with the black vinegar and ginger slivers.

The Mimosa Pairing Logic: The delicate, savory dumplings and the rich broth want a refreshing, clean drink that can lift the pork and cool the heat without overwhelming the subtle wrapper. A yuzu honey mimosa is the perfect choice — the yuzu echoes the Asian pantry and its bright acidity mirrors the black vinegar, while the honey tempers the savory broth. A cucumber yuzu mimosa is equally lovely, the cool cucumber a clean, bright contrast to the rich pork. The wine's effervescence refreshes the palate between dumplings. This pairing is, in its way, the brunch equivalent of xiao long bao and a cup of hot jasmine tea in a Shanghai tearoom — a sparkling toast to Nanxiang.

Reference Links: - Xiaolongbao (Nanxiang soup dumplings, Shanghai) overview: Wikipedia - The Nan Xiang story (soup inside the dumpling): Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao - What Is Xiao Long Bao? History, Origins, and How to Eat: Eat Mila

Make-Ahead: The aspic can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept chilled. The filling can be mixed a day ahead and kept cold (the cold aspic is what keeps it solid for folding). The dumplings can be assembled and held, covered and chilled, for a few hours, or frozen on a sheet and then bagged; steam from frozen, adding 2–3 minutes. Steam to order; the tender wrapper and the hot broth are the point, and a xiao long bao waits for no one.

Pro Tips: Keep the filling cold as you fold; warm aspic turns to soup and the dumplings will leak. Roll the wrappers thin at the edges and thicker in the center so the center holds the filling and the edges pleat cleanly. Pleat generously — 18 pleats is the traditional mark of a master — and seal firmly at the top. Steam, don't boil; boiling splits the wrappers. Eat with care: nip the top, sip the hot broth, add the vinegar and ginger, then the dumpling. The broth is very hot — patience is part of the ritual.