History

Xiaolongbao arrived in Taipei with the 1949 mainland refugees from Jiangsu province. Yang Bing-yi and Lai Pen-mei opened Din Tai Fung as a cooking-oil shop at 194 Xinyi Road in 1958, pivoted to dumplings in 1972 when tinned cooking oil killed the retail business. The signature ten-pleat fold and 21-gram weight standard are house inventions of the early 1980s. The New York Times named the Xinyi Road original one of the world's top 10 restaurants in 1993. The chain now operates in 14 countries, but the Xinyi Road original is the canonical pilgrimage.

Common allergens: Gluten, Soy, Pork

Make it at home

Yield 24Hands-on 1 hr 30 minTotal 3 hrDifficulty Advanced

Ingredients

  • 150g pork skin, cleaned
  • 200ml chicken stock
  • 300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 150ml boiling water
  • 250g minced pork, 70 percent lean
  • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon caster sugar
  • 10g grated ginger
  • 2 spring onions, finely chopped
  • Pinch of white pepper
  • 60ml Chinkiang black vinegar
  • 20g fresh ginger, fine julienned, to serve

Method

  1. Make the aspic: simmer pork skin in chicken stock for 90 minutes until completely soft. Strain, refrigerate until set firm, then chop fine.
  2. Mix flour and boiling water with chopsticks, knead 10 minutes until smooth. Rest 30 minutes wrapped in cling film.
  3. Combine pork mince, Shaoxing, soy, sesame oil, sugar, ginger, spring onion and white pepper. Fold in the chopped aspic.
  4. Roll the dough into a long sausage; cut into 24 pieces. Roll each piece into a thin disc, thicker in the centre than the edge.
  5. Place 12g filling in each disc, pleat upward in a spiral pinching 18 to 20 folds at the top. Twist closed.
  6. Steam in a bamboo basket lined with parchment for 8 minutes over high heat.
  7. Serve immediately with shredded ginger in Chinkiang vinegar. Bite the side, suck the soup, then eat.

Tip from the editors. The aspic must be cold and chopped, not melted; it's what makes the soup. Steaming straight from the freezer also works (add 2 minutes).

Where to eat xiaolongbao

Xiaolongbao in Taipei

Din Tai Fung Xinyi ★ 4.8

Xiaolongbao$$daanMon to Fri 10:00-21:00, Sat and Sun 09:00-21:00

Din Tai Fung's Xinyi Road original counter in Taipei is the xiaolongbao queue that turned a 1958 oil shop into a global chain. Bib Gourmand listed.

Signature: Xiaolongbao, Niu rou mian, Cucumber starter

Order: Ten-pleat pork xiaolongbao, niu rou mian, cucumber starter.

Tip: Take the queue ticket on arrival and shop Yongkang Street while you wait.

No. 194, Section 2, Xinyi Road, Da'an District, Taipei City 106 Book →

Kao Chi ★ 4.2

Chinese$$daanDaily 09:30-22:30

Kao Chi on Yongkang St in Da'an is the 1949 xiaolongbao counter that runs the shorter queue alternative to Din Tai Fung two doors down the street.

Why locals love it: Yongkang Street's second xiaolongbao counter, opened 1949, shorter queue than Din Tai Fung two doors down.

Tip: Walk-in; phone reservations for six plus.

No. 1, Yongkang Street, Da'an District, Taipei City 106

Yang Shin Vegetarian ★ 4.6

Cantonese$$zhongshanDaily 11:30-14:30, 17:30-21:30

Yang Shin opened 2013 as Taipei's first vegetarian dim-sum tea house. An all-meat-free Cantonese menu beside Songjiang Nanjing MRT, three sittings daily.

Signature: Vegetarian xiaolongbao, Truffle dumpling

Order: Vegetarian xiaolongbao and the truffle dumpling.

Tip: Open 11:30-14:30, 14:30-16:30 and 17:30-21:30. Reserve via Klook.

2F, No. 128, Songjiang Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City 104 Book →

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