Jiangnan · dumpling
Xiaolongbao (Soup Dumplings)
小笼包 · Xiǎolóngbāo
Steamed dumplings with a thin wheat wrapper and a hot pork-and-broth filling. Eaten in a single bite.
Xiaolongbao originated in Nanxiang (now part of Shanghai) in the 1870s. The wrapper is a thin wheat dough; the filling is minced pork plus a cube of solid pork-skin aspic that melts into broth during steaming. The technique: lift the dumpling by its pleats, place on a spoon, bite a small hole, sip the broth, then eat the dumpling. Black vinegar and ginger threads are the standard condiments.
Where to try
Shanghai: Jia Jia Tang Bao (workhorse), Din Tai Fung (the Taiwanese international chain — Shanghai branches), Nanxiang Mantou Dian (Yu Garden — touristy but original lineage).
Dietary notes
Pork, wheat, soy.
Cities to try Xiaolongbao (Soup Dumplings)
Other east dishes
- Beggar's Chicken叫花鸡
A whole chicken stuffed with aromatics, wrapped in lotus leaves and clay, then slow-baked until the meat steams in its own juices.
- Beggar's Chicken — Jiaohuaji叫花鸡 (江苏式)
A Jiangsu-province variation of clay-baked chicken with a lotus-leaf wrap and a mushroom and pork stuffing.
- Dragon Well Tea龙井茶
China's most celebrated green tea — pan-fired flat leaves from Hangzhou's West Lake district with a sweet, chestnut flavour.
- Drunken Chicken醉鸡
Chicken steamed and marinated in Shaoxing rice wine, served chilled. A Shanghai banquet starter.