How to make Xiao Long Bao (小笼包, Soup Dumplings)
User Reviews
5
177 reviews
Excellent
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Prep Time
1 hr
-
Cook Time
1 hr 10 mins
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Refrigerate
4 hrs
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Total Time
2 hrs 10 mins
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Servings
20 dumplings
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Chinese
How to make Xiao Long Bao (小笼包, Soup Dumplings)
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Xiao Long Bao are soup-filled dumplings made by wrapping seasoned minced pork and chilled chicken aspic jelly in a tender wheat dough. The aspic melts during steaming to create a juicy broth inside the dumplings. The dough is prepared with hot and tap water to develop a soft, elastic texture suitable for folding and steaming. A dipping sauce of vinegar and julienned ginger traditionally accompanies these dumplings.
Description
This recipe for Xiao Long Bao involves making a rich chicken aspic by roasting a whole chicken with scallions and ginger, then refrigerating the strained broth to set into jelly. The dough combines all-purpose flour with hot and tap water, kneaded until soft and rested to develop elasticity. The filling mixes minced pork with finely chopped scallions, ginger, soy sauce, rice wine, and seasonings, then includes small aspic pieces that melt to form soup inside.
The dumplings are formed by rolling the dough into thin wrappers, filling with the pork and aspic mixture, then pleating and sealing tightly. Steaming cooks the wrappers and melts the aspic, producing a delicate dumpling with a thin skin and rich, hot broth inside. The traditional dipping sauce combines red or black rice vinegar with julienned ginger, enhancing the dumpling's savory flavor with acidity and brightness.
Tools like cornstarch dusting help prevent sticking during shaping. Wrapping the steamer lid with cloth reduces condensation dripping on the dumplings. Variations in flour choice and water ratio may adjust dough texture. The recipe suggests smaller quantities of aspic can be made using chicken parts if preferred.
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Ingredients
For the aspic
- 1 medium-sized chicken see note 1, whole
- 3 talks scallions cut into halves
- 6 lices ginger
For the wrappers
- 180 g all-purpose flour see note 2 for other options
- 60 g water hot
- 35 g water see note 3, tap
For the filling
- 450 g pork minced
- 3 talks scallions finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce light
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
For the dipping sauce
- red rice vinegar or black rice vinegar
- ginger julienned
Instructions
Make the aspic
- Preheat the oven at 390°F/200°C/Gas 6 (Fan-assisted 360°F/180°C)
- Place chicken in an oven-proof pot/pan/baking tray. Put scallions and ginger inside the chicken. Cover TIGHTLY with a lid/tin foil.
- Cook in the oven for 1 hour. Then leave to cool (covered).
- Keep the chicken for other dishes. Pour the liquid into a container. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours until it turns into a piece of jelly-like aspic (about 250g).
Prepare the dough
- In a mixing bowl, add hot water to the flour. Mix with chopsticks/spatula. Then add tap water.
- Combine and knead into a dough. Leave to rest (covered) for 10 minutes then knead again until very smooth.
- Cover and rest for a further 30-60 minutes until it becomes soft.
Mix the filling
- Mix minced pork with all the seasoning until well combined.
- Use a spoon to remove the layer of chicken fat on top of the aspic. Then use a fork to break it into tiny pieces. Add to the pork then mix well.
- Keep refrigerated for at least 30 mins. Don’t take out until you are ready to assemble the dumplings.
Roll the wrappers
- Roll the dough into a rope. Divide into 20 pieces. Then press into discs with the palm of your hand. Cover at all times when not using (with cling film/in a plastic bag/with an upside-down bowl, etc.).
- With a rolling pin, use the “roll and turn” technique to flatten it into a very thin disc, about 12cm/4.7inch in diameter (Please refer to my tutorial video below). Dust the surface with flour if it sticks (see note 4).
- N.B. Assemble the dumpling one by one as you roll out each wrapper (Do not stock up as they are very thin thus dry out very easily).
Assemble
- Place a spoonful of the filling (about 35g) in the middle of the wrapper.
- Pleat into a round dumpling with about 15-20 folds (Please refer to my tutorial video below). You may leave the middle part open or sealed.
Steam
- Line the steamer basket with steamer parchment paper, or cut regular parchment paper into squares (see note 5 if you are using a metal steamer).
- Place dumplings in (leave at least 3cm/1inch space between them).
- Bring water to a full boil in a wok/pot. Then put the steamer basket on top. Turn the heat to medium-low. Steam for 8 mins (if cooking over 10 dumplings at a time, increase to 10 mins).
Serve & eat
- Bring the steamer basket to the table to serve.
- Hold the top part of the dumpling with a pair of chopsticks. Pick up then place onto a soup spoon or a small saucer. Open a small hole with the chopsticks to let the “soup” flow out. Slurp up! (You may directly bite a small hole and suck out the soup but be careful not to burn your tongue)
- Gently dip the dumpling into the dipping sauce (mix vinegar with julienned ginger) then eat in 1-2 bites.
Store
- You may store leftover dumplings in the fridge for up to 2 days. Steam for 3 mins to reheat. However, you may not get any soup as the liquid is absorbed by the wrapper over time.
- Since soup dumplings are very delicate, I don’t recommend you make them in advance or freeze.
Notes
- Use chicken pieces like thighs or wings to make smaller batches of aspic if a whole chicken is too much.
- All-purpose flour is fine for dough, but dumpling or Italian type 00 flour yield a smoother wrapper.
- Adjust the tap water amount in dough slightly based on flour brand and room humidity for a soft, non-sticky dough.
- Lightly dust work surfaces and rolling pin with cornstarch to prevent wrappers sticking during shaping, but use sparingly.
- Brush oil inside metal steamer baskets or line with cabbage leaves to avoid dumplings sticking.
- Wrap steamer lid with cloth or tea towel to prevent water condensation dripping onto dumplings during cooking.
- Traditional dipping sauce combines rice vinegar with julienned ginger; chili oil or other sauces may also be used.
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Overall Rating
5
177 reviews
Excellent
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