Xiaolongbao
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| Xiaolongbao | |||||||||||
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| Cantonese style steamed Xiaolongbao served on a bed of napa cabbage | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese: | 小籠包 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese: | 小笼包 | ||||||||||
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Xiǎolóngbāo (literally "little basket bun"; also known as soup dumpling[1] is a type of baozi (filled bun or bread-like item) from Eastern China, including Shanghai and Wuxi. These buns are traditionally steamed in bamboo baskets, hence the name.
Locally in Shanghai and surrounds, they are more often known as xiaolong mantou (traditional Chinese: 小籠饅頭; simplified Chinese: 小笼馒头; pinyin: xiǎolóng mántóu, in shanghainese: Siolonmeudoe ). Mantou means both filled and unfilled buns in southern China, but only means unfilled buns in northern China. To avoid confusion, the name xiaolongbao is usually used in other areas.
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[edit] Ingredients
Chinese buns can be divided into two types depending on the level of leavening of the flour skin.[2] Steamed buns made with raised flour are seen throughout the country, and are what is usually referred to as baozi. Steamed buns made with unraised flour are more commonly seen in the south. The Xiaolongbao belongs to the latter category. This means that its skin is smooth and somewhat translucent, rather than being white and fluffy. The similarity of this appearance to that of jiaozi ("dumpling") has meant that the xiaolongbao is sometimes classified as a dumpling outside China. It is, however, different from both steamed and boiled jiaozi in texture and method of production.
Unlike other unraised flour buns, and baozi generally, the xiaolongbao has more filling than dough. It is also small in size, typically about 4 cm (1 1/2 in) in diameter.
Xiaolongbao are traditionally filled with soup and meat, but variations include seafood and vegetarian fillings, as well as other possibilities. The soup inside is created by placing some meat gelatin inside the dumpling before steaming. The steam heat melts the gelatin into soup. In modern times, refrigeration makes it easy to wrap up using chilled gelatine which otherwise might be liquid at room temperature during hot weather.
As is traditional for buns of various sizes in the Jiangnan region, these steamed buns feature a skin that is gathered up into fine folds at the top, prior to steaming.
[edit] Serving
Traditionally, the Xiaolongbao is a dianxin or snack item. The bun is served hot. It is dipped in Chinkiang vinegar with ginger slivers, and is traditionally served with a light, clear soup.
The Xiaolongbao has also become popular as a dish in a main meal. In Cantonese regions and the West, it is also commonly served as a yum cha item.
Frozen xiaolongbao are now mass produced and a common type of frozen food sold in China and outside. They can be steamed and served on a bamboo basket.
[edit] Origins in Shanghai
The Shanghai version of the xiaolongbao were originally from a town called Nanxiang, a suburb of Shanghai in the Jiading District. The inventor of xiaolongbao originally sold them in his first store in Nanxiang next to the town's famous park, Guqi Garden.[citation needed] From there on it has expanded into downtown Shanghai and outwards. Two specialist Xiaolongbao restaurants are traditionally regarded as the most authentic.[citation needed] One is the Nanxiang Bun Shop (Nanxiang Mantou Dian), which derives from the original store in Nanxiang but now located in the City God Temple precinct, is famed for its crab meat-filled buns. Nanxiang Bun Shop has at least 105 years of history and has divisions opened in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Singapore[1]. The other is Gulong Restaurant, at the original site next to Guqi Garden in Nanxiang.
[edit] Wuxi variety
Xiaolongbao in Wuxi tend to be sweeter and have a thinner dough skin, and are juicier than the Shanghai variety.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Not to be confused with the "soup bun" (traditional Chinese: 湯包; simplified Chinese: 汤包; pinyin: tāngbao), a steamed bun made with leavened dough, filled with mostly soup, a specialty of Yangzhou.
- ^ From the Annals of Jiading: "Buns can be made with leavened or unleavened dough. Those made with unleavened dough uses clear water for mixing, the skin is thin and the fillings large. It is frequently made in Nanxiang, but is imitated elsewhere, calling it "Xiang style". (《嘉定县续志》: 馒头有紧酵松酵两种，紧酵以清水和面为之，皮薄馅多，南翔制者最著，他处多仿之，号为翔式)
