Xiao Long Bao: Soup Dumplings at the Dim Sum Table

Xiao long bao are small steamed dumplings that hold a spoonful of hot, savoury broth along with their pork filling. They are not Cantonese: their home is Shanghai and the surrounding Jiangnan region of eastern China. But they have been part of dim sum menus in Hong Kong and in Cantonese restaurants abroad for decades, and today many guests would be surprised to find a yum cha table without them.

What is xiao long bao?

The name 小籠包 means "small basket bun", after the little bamboo steamers they are cooked and served in. In Mandarin it is xiǎolóngbāo; in Cantonese, síu lùhng bāau. Each dumpling is gathered at the top into a twist of fine pleats, and the wrapper is thin enough to sag slightly with the weight of the soup inside.

The pleasure is a sequence. First, the warmth of the broth, rich with pork and a little ginger. Then the tender filling, and finally the soft, thin skin. A drop of black vinegar and a few slivers of fresh ginger cut through the richness and reset the palate.

Where does xiao long bao come from?

The most widely cited story places the first xiao long bao in Nanxiang, a town in what is now Shanghai's Jiading District, in the second half of the nineteenth century. A local snack seller is usually credited with making his steamed buns smaller and more delicate, packed with juicy filling. The details vary between accounts, and towns such as Wuxi and Changzhou have long had their own soup-filled buns, often sweeter in seasoning.

From Nanxiang the dumpling became a fixture of Shanghai, and it travelled with Shanghainese communities. Many migrated to Hong Kong in the mid-twentieth century, bringing their restaurants with them, and Hong Kong's Cantonese tea houses gradually added soup dumplings to their own menus. Taiwan, too, helped make xiao long bao internationally famous. By the time Cantonese restaurants were flourishing in Vancouver, a basket of soup dumplings had become an expected part of the dim sum spread.

How does the soup get inside?

The secret is aspic. Cooks simmer a rich stock, often from pork skin and bones, until it is full of natural gelatin, then chill it until it sets firm. The jelly is chopped and mixed into the minced pork. When the dumpling steams, the jelly melts back into broth, sealed in by the pleated wrapper.

That is why the wrapper must be both thin and strong. Too thick and the dumpling is doughy; too thin and the soup leaks before it reaches the table. Shaping takes practice: the dough is rolled into small rounds, thinner at the edges, and pleated quickly by hand into a neat crown.

How to eat xiao long bao

The soup inside is very hot, so a little patience pays off. A common approach:

1. Pour some black vinegar over the slivered ginger in your dish.
2. Lift a dumpling gently by its top knot and place it on a soup spoon.
3. Bite a small hole in the side and let some steam out.
4. Sip the broth from the spoon, then eat the dumpling with a little ginger and vinegar.

Avoid stabbing it with chopsticks or lifting it from the bottom, where the skin is thinnest and the soup collects.

Xiao long bao at Neptune Palace

On our dim sum menu it appears as Juicy Pork Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao), item 116 in the steamed section, served at both our Vancouver location at Marine Gateway and our Burnaby location at The Amazing Brentwood. Like our other dim sum, it is made in house and steamed to order.

It sits naturally beside Cantonese classics such as Neptune Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow, 103) and the flying fish roe siu mai (105), a small reminder that the dim sum table has always welcomed good ideas from other regions. Dim sum is served daily until 3 pm, and reservations can be made by phone.

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