Steamed xiaolongbao served on a bed of napa cabbage |
|
| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Alternative name(s) | Soup dumpling, Xiaolong mantou |
| Place of origin | Eastern China |
| Region or state | Chinese-speaking areas |
| Dish details | |
| Course served | Dim sum, Xiaochi |
| Main ingredient(s) | leavened or unleavened dough, minced pork (or other meats), aspic |
| Xiaolongbao | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 小籠包 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 小笼包 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | little-basket bun | ||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Xiaolongbao is a type of steamed bun or baozi from eastern China, especially Shanghai and Wuxi. It is traditionally steamed in small bamboo baskets, hence the name (xiaolong is literally small steaming basket). Xiaolongbao are often referred to as soup dumplings or simply dumplings in English[1], but are not regarded as "dumplings" in China - see English translation below.
Xiaolongbao are known as xiaolong mantou in Shanghainese (simplified Chinese: 小笼馒头; traditional Chinese: 小籠饅頭; pinyin: xiǎolóng mántóu). Mantou describes both filled and unfilled buns in southern China, but only describes unfilled buns in northern China.
Contents |
The similarities between 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.
Some English sources translate xiaolongbao as "soup dumpling". As well as causing confusion between the xiaolongbao and the tang bao, which means literally "soup bun", "soup dumpling" is more likely to be understood by a Chinese speaker to be jiaozi or possibly wontons served in soup.
Chinese buns in general may be divided into two types, depending on the degree of leavening of the flour skin.[2] Steamed buns made with raised flour are seen throughout China and are what is usually referred to as baozi. Steamed xiolongbao 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.
Xiaolongbao are traditionally filled with pork, but variations include other meats, seafood and vegetarian fillings, as well as other possibilities. One popular and commonly seen variant is pork with minced crab meat and roe. 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.
Semi-leavened dough is uncommon in northern China, and in those parts of China small buns made with fully leavened dough are often also called "xiaolongbao". These buns are sometimes marketed as "Hangzhou-style" to distinguish them from the Jiangnan-style buns.
Traditionally the xiaolongbao is a kind of dim sum or snack item, as well as a kind of xiaochi or "small eat". The buns are served hot in the bamboo baskets in which they were steamed, usually on a bed of dried leaves or on a woven mat, although some restaurants today use napa cabbage instead. The buns are usually dipped in Chinkiang vinegar with ginger slivers. They are traditionally served with a clear soup.
The buns are traditionally part of Jiangnan-style morning tea. In Cantonese regions and the West it is also commonly served as a Cantonese yum cha item. While not traditionally eaten as part of a main meal, some restaurants have in recent years begun serving xiaolongbao as a main dish.
Frozen xiaolongbao are now mass-produced and a popular frozen food sold worldwide.
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 are often regarded as the most authentic. One is Nanxiang Mantou Dian (Nanxiang Bun Shop), which derives from the original store in Nanxiang but is now located in the City God Temple precinct. It is famed for its crab-meat-filled buns. The other is Gulong Restaurant, at the original site next to Guyi Garden in Nanxiang.
Jia Jia Tan Bao next to the People's Square makes many types and has a long queue waiting to order. Girls fold the dumplings in view from the restaurant.[3]
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||