History
Xiaolongbao trace back more than a thousand years to taixue mantou, a stuffed steamed bun popular among scholars in Bianjing, now Kaifeng, in the Northern Song dynasty. Northern migrants who moved south in the late Northern and early Southern Song brought wheat dough techniques that blended with Jiangnan ingredients and flavours. In 1871, Huang Mingxian, owner of the Ri Hua Xuan pastry shop in Nanxiang, now part of Jiading district, made the meat bun smaller and thinner-skinned and added meat jelly to the filling, so the dumplings released soup when steamed. They soon became famous as Nanxiang xiaolongbao.
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Common allergens: Gluten, Shellfish
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 160ml cold water
- 6 gelatine leaves
- 400ml good chicken or pork stock
- 400g minced pork, 20 percent fat
- 2cm piece of ginger, grated, plus extra shreds to serve
- 2 spring onions, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- Chinese black vinegar, to serve
Method
- Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 minutes, then squeeze out and stir into the hot stock until dissolved. Pour into a shallow dish and chill for at least 2 hours until firmly set.
- Dice the set stock jelly into small cubes. Mix it through the minced pork with the ginger, spring onions, Shaoxing wine, sugar, light soy sauce and sesame oil until sticky.
- Make the dough by mixing the flour and water to a smooth ball. Knead for 5 minutes, cover and rest for 20 minutes.
- Roll the dough into a log and cut into 16 pieces. Roll each piece into a thin 8cm round, thinner at the edges than the centre.
- Place a heaped teaspoon of filling in the centre of each round. Gather the edges into 18 to 20 small pleats and twist to seal at the top.
- Line a steamer basket with cabbage leaves or baking paper. Steam the dumplings over high heat for 8 minutes.
- Serve immediately in the steamer, with black vinegar and ginger shreds on the side.
Tip from the editors. Lift each dumpling onto a spoon and bite a small opening to sip the broth first, or the initial bite will scald you.
Where to eat xiaolongbao
Xiaolongbao in Shanghai
Nanxiang Steamed Bun ★ 3.6
Nanxiang Steamed Bun at 85 Yuyuan Road is a household name founded in 1900, known for handmade xiao long bao with paper-thin skin and juicy pork filling.
OrderOrder the xiao long bao, or the oversized super buns served with a straw for sucking up the soup.
TipBook a private room with friends or be prepared to wait in line; the dining room was refurbished in 2018 and is modern and airy.
Lai Lai Xiao Long ★ 4.2
Lai Lai Xiao Long is a Dim Sum restaurant at 506 Tianjin Road in Huangpu District, Shanghai.
Wu You Xian 1 ★ ★ 4.5
Wu You Xian at 7 South Maoming Road is a shop famous for crab xiaolongbao that serves over 20 varieties, from crabmeat to roe, and always draws queues.
OrderOrder the assorted option with several varieties in one steamer.
TipFirst-timers can go for the assorted option with several varieties in one steamer.
Jia Jia Tang Bao ★ 3.9
Jia Jia Tang Bao is a Chinese restaurant at 127 Huanghe Road in Huangpu District, Shanghai.
Xiaolongbao in Taipei
Din Tai Fung Xinyi ★ 4.8
Din Tai Fung's Xinyi branch seats diners in a 330-seater, four-storey venue opened in 2020, across the street from its takeaway-only former flagship.
OrderXiao long bao, sweet and sour pork and steamed taro buns.
TipThe former flagship eatery on the other side of the street is takeaway only; dine-in is at this address, so check which door you need.
Hangzhou Xiao Long Tang Bao ★ 4.3
Hangzhou Xiao Long Tang Bao sells no-frills soupy dumplings filled with only fresh pork hind leg meat, with a wafer-thin skin, on Hangzhou South Road.
OrderXiao long bao, plus the spicy stinky tofu in a ground pork sauce.
TipLovers of fiery food should try the spicy stinky tofu in a ground pork sauce with dried shrimps, chilli and spicy bean sauce.
More cities are in research. Want xiaolongbao covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.