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Xiao Long Bao (Soup Dumplings)
Shanghai's supreme dumpling — tissue-paper thin wrappers encasing rich pork filling and an entire pool of hot soup inside.
120 mins
10 mins
6 people
Shanghainese
Plain flour
For wrappers
300g
Boiling water
150ml
Ground pork
300g
Pork skin or gelatin-set chicken stock
Chilled to a jelly — this becomes the soup
250ml
Soy sauce
2 tbsp
Sesame oil
1 tsp
Shaoxing wine
1 tbsp
Ginger
Grated
2 tsp
Spring onions
Finely diced
3
Sugar
1 tsp
White pepper
1/2 tsp
🍽️ Pork skin aspic
→ Gelatine-set rich chicken stock (4g gelatin per 250ml)
Same solid-when-cold, soup-when-hot property
Make aspic: simmer chicken stock with gelatin, pour into a tray and refrigerate until solid. Dice into small cubes.
💡 Pro Tip: The aspic must be completely solid — this is how the soup gets inside the dumpling.
Mix pork with all seasonings. Fold in diced aspic gently — don't melt it.
💡 Pro Tip: Keep filling cold. Warm filling melts the aspic prematurely.
Make dough with flour and boiling water. Knead until smooth. Rest 30 minutes. Roll into thin circles (7-8cm).
💡 Pro Tip: Hot water dough stretches without tearing — critical for thin wrappers that hold soup.
Place filling in center. Pleat and pinch closed in 18 folds, creating a gathered top.
💡 Pro Tip: The restaurant standard is 18 folds. Home standard: just seal well so the soup doesn't leak.
Steam on cabbage leaves in a bamboo steamer 8-10 minutes.
💡 Pro Tip: Cabbage prevents sticking without leaving paper residue. Don't over-steam — wrappers tear.
- ✓The aspic is the genius of xiao long bao — get it right
- ✓Keep everything cold while assembling
- ✓Eat immediately — the soup inside recools quickly
- ✓Dip in ginger-vinegar sauce, bite a small hole, drink the soup first
- →With black vinegar and fresh ginger strips
- →Eat the soup first, then the dumpling
- →With chili oil