Xiaolongbao (Soup Dumplings)

Xiaolongbao originated in Nanxiang, now a district of Shanghai, in the 1870s under dim-sum cook Huang Mingxian, who is credited with developing the soup-filled variant from existing stuffed-bun traditions. The name refers to the small bamboo steamers (xiao long) in which they are cooked and served.

The wrapper is a thin wheat dough, more delicate than the thicker skins used for northern-style jiaozi. The filling is minced pork mixed with a cube of solid pork-skin gelatin (aspic, set from simmered pork rind and collagen); during steaming, the aspic melts into hot liquid broth around the pork filling. A skilled wrapper applies 18 or more pleats at the top to seal the dumpling and contain the liquid.

Eating technique: use chopsticks to lift the dumpling by its pleated top (the xiao long bao is fragile — puncture it and you lose the soup). Transfer to a soup spoon. Bite or pierce a small hole in the side of the wrapper and sip the hot broth first, then eat the rest. Black rice vinegar with shredded fresh ginger threads is the standard condiment — the acidity cuts through the pork fat.

Significant variations include crab-and-pork (xie fen xiaolongbao), popular in autumn during hairy-crab season in Shanghai. The Suzhou version claims a separate origin and uses a somewhat different dough. Din Tai Fung, the Taiwanese chain now with Shanghai branches, standardised the form internationally, though the original Nanxiang house at Yu Garden in Shanghai remains a reference point.