Xiaolongbao

Xiaolongbao

Steamed xiaolongbao served in a traditional steaming basket
Alternative names	Soup dumpling, Xiaolong mantou
Course	Dim sum, Xiaochi
Place of origin	Shanghai
Region or state	Chinese-speaking areas
Main ingredients	leavened or unleavened dough, minced pork (or other meats), aspic
Media: Xiaolongbao

xiaolongbao
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	小籠包
Simplified Chinese	小笼包
Literal meaning	little-basket dumpling
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin xiǎolóngbāo Bopomofo ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄌㄨㄥˊ ㄅㄠ Gwoyeu Romatzyh sheaulongbau Wade–Giles hsiao-lung-pao IPA /ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹¹lʊŋ³⁵pɑʊ̯⁵⁵/ Wu Shanghainese Romanization sioh³³-lon⁴⁴-bo Yue: Cantonese Jyutping siu²-lung⁴-baau¹ Southern Min Hokkien POJ siò-làng-pau
xiaolong mantou
Traditional Chinese	小籠饅頭
Simplified Chinese	小笼馒头
Literal meaning	"little-basket steamed bun" "little-basket steamed head"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin xiǎolóng mántóu Wade–Giles hsiao-lung man-t‘ou Wu Shanghainese Romanization sioh³³-lon⁴⁴ meu²²-doe⁴⁴ IPA: /siɔ³³lǫ̃⁴⁴-mø²²dɤ⁺⁴⁴/
Japanese name
Kanji	小籠包
Kana	ショウロンポウ
Hiragana	しょうろんぽう
Transcriptions Romanization shōronpō

Xiaolongbao is a type of steamed bun (baozi) from the Jiangnan region of China, especially associated with Shanghai and Wuxi. It is traditionally prepared in xiaolong, small bamboo steaming baskets, which give them their name. Xiaolongbao are often referred to as a kind of "dumpling", but should not be confused with British or American-style dumplings nor with Chinese jiaozi. Similarly, they are considered a kind of "soup bun" but should not be confused with other larger varieties of tang bao. In Shanghainese, they are more usually known as xiaolong mantou, or (pronounced in Shanghainese) sioh-lon meu-doe. Mantou describes both filled and unfilled buns in the Jiangnan region, whereas elsewhere in China the term describes unfilled buns only.

English translation

The characters that make up "xiaolongbao" translate literally to "small", "steaming basket" and "steamed buns (baozi)", and the whole term may be literally translated as "little-basket buns". The appearance of xiaolongbao and jiaozi (dumpling) has meant that the xiaolongbao is sometimes classified as a dumpling outside of China. It is, however, distinct from both steamed and boiled jiaozi in texture and method of production, and is never regarded as a jiaozi (which is more usually translated as dumpling) inside China. As is traditional for buns of various sizes in the Jiangnan region, xiaolongbao are pinched at the top prior to steaming, so the skin has a circular cascade of ripples around the crown, whereas jiaozi are usually made from a round piece of dough folded in half, and pinched along the semicircle. Instead, xiaolongbao is usually regarded as belonging to a whole family of various steamed buns of various sizes sometimes collectively known as tang bao, literally "soup bun": see "related varieties" below.

The perennial queue outside the Nanxiang Bun Shop in Shanghai.

Origins

Shanghai-style xiaolongbao originated in Nanxiang, a suburb of Shanghai in the Jiading District. The inventor of xiaolongbao sold them in his first store in Nanxiang next to the town's notable park, Guyi Garden. From there the xiaolongbao expanded into downtown Shanghai and outward.

Two specialist xiaolongbao restaurants have a particularly long history. One is Nanxiang Mantou Dian (Nanxiang Bun Shop), which derives from the original store in Nanxiang but is now located in the Yu Garden area. It is famed for its crab-meat-filled buns. The other is Gulong Restaurant, at the original site next to Guyi Garden in Nanxiang.

Ingredients

Chinese buns in general may be divided into two types, depending on the degree of leavening of the flour skin. Steamed buns made with raised flour are seen throughout China and are what is usually referred to as baozi. Steamed xiaolongbao made with partially raised flour are more commonly seen in the south. This means that their skin is tender, smoother, and somewhat translucent, rather than being white and fluffy. As is traditional for buns of various sizes in the Jiangnan region, xiaolongbao are pinched at the top prior to steaming, so the skin has a circular cascade of ripples around the crown.

Xiaolongbao are traditionally filled with pork. One popular and common variant is pork with minced crab meat and roe. More modern innovations include other meats, seafood and vegetarian fillings, as well as other possibilities. The characteristic soup-filled kind are created by wrapping solid meat aspic inside the skin alongside the meat filling. Heat from steaming then melts the gelatin-gelled aspic into soup. In modern times, refrigeration has made the process of making xiaolongbao during hot weather easier, since making gelled aspic is much more difficult at room temperature.

Serving

Traditionally, xiaolongbao is a kind of dim sum ("snack") or xiaochi ("small eats"). The buns are served hot in the bamboo baskets in which they were steamed, usually on a bed of dried leaves or paper mat, although some restaurants now use napa cabbage instead. The buns are usually dipped in Zhenjiang vinegar with ginger slivers. They are traditionally served with a clear soup on the side. Around Shanghai, "xiaolongbao" may be eaten throughout the day, although usually not for breakfast. In Guangdong and the West, it is sometimes served as a dish during Cantonese tea time. Frozen xiaolongbao are now mass-produced and a popular frozen food sold worldwide.

Related varieties

The xiaolongbao is one of kind of tang bao ("soup buns") or guantang bao ("soup-filled buns"). Another form of tang bao with a differently-textured skin but about the same size is the xiaolong tangbao, a specialty of Wuhan.

See also

• Baozi
• Din Tai Fung
• Dumpling
• Jiaozi
• Nanxiang Bun Shop
• Shanghainese cuisine
• Siopao
• Momo (dumpling)