Xiaolongbao

Xiaolongbao are thin-skinned steamed dumplings produced through a precise folding technique: a circle of dough is pleated at least 18 times around a filling of minced pork mixed with chilled pork-skin gelatin. In the steamer the gelatin melts, creating a spoonful of rich broth trapped inside each dumpling. The correct way to eat them is to place the dumpling on a spoon, nip a small hole in the skin, drink the broth first, then eat the dumpling with ginger and black vinegar. Originating in Nanxiang, a suburb of Shanghai, they are now the defining food of the city and found across China. The skin thickness, broth quantity and filling richness distinguish producers — handmade skins are thinner and better than machine-pressed.