Xiaolongbao (original) (raw)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Type of Chinese steamed bun
Xiaolongbao
 Xiaolongbao in a bamboo zhenglong steamer |
|
|---|---|
| Alternative names | xiao long bao, xiaolong mantou, XLB |
| Type | Baozi |
| Course | Breakfast, xiaochi |
| Place of origin | China |
| Region or state | Changzhou, Jiangsu |
| Main ingredients | Flour dough, minced pork or other meats, lard, gelatin |
 Media: Xiaolongbao |
Xiaolongbao (小籠包 , 'little basket bun') is a type of Chinese tangbao (Chinese: 汤包), traditionally prepared in a xiaolong, a small bamboo steaming basket.[1] The xiaolongbao originates from the city of Changzhou in Jiangsu province, and is an iconic dish of Jiangnan cuisine.
Different cities across the Jiangnan region have varying styles of xiaolongbao. Outside of China, the Nanxiang xiaolongbao associated with Shanghai is the most well known. In the Shanghainese language, they are known as siaulon moedeu or xiaolong mantou,[2] as Wu Chinese-speaking peoples use the traditional definition of mantou, which refers to both filled and unfilled buns. The Suzhou and Wuxi styles are larger (sometimes twice as large as a Nanxiang xiaolongbao) and have sweeter fillings.[3] The Nanjing style is smaller with an almost translucent skin and less meat.[4]
In English, the xiaolongbao are often referred to as "soup dumplings", but "soup dumpling" in Chinese may translate to the broader culinary category known as tangbao, which includes the xiaolongbao and other related dishes.
Xiaolongbao originated in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, where is created by Wan Hua Tea House during the years of Daoguang Emperor (1820 to 1850). It evolved from the guantangbao (soup-filled dumplings/buns) of Kaifeng, in Henan province, which was the capital city of Northern Song Dynasty (AD 960–1127).[5] There are numerous styles of xiaolongbao in Jiangsu cuisine. Shanghai-style xiaolongbao originated in Nanxiang, which was a neighboring village of Shanghai in Jiangsu that eventually ended up becoming an outer suburb of Shanghai's Jiading District.[6][7] 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.
Making xiaolongbao at Nanxiang Mantou Dian store in Roppongi Hills, Japan
Xiaolongbao are typically made of minced pork wrapped in flour dough
Chinese buns, in general, may be divided into two types, depending on the degree of leavening of the flour skin.[8] Buns can be made with leavened or unleavened dough. Those made with unleavened dough use clear water for mixing; the skin is thin and the fillings large. It is frequently made in Nanxiang but is imitated elsewhere, called “Xiang-style”. Steamed buns made with raised flour are seen throughout China and are what is usually referred to as mantou. 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 is pinched at the top prior to steaming, so the skin has a circular cascade of ripples around the crown.[_citation needed_]
Xiaolongbao are traditionally filled with pork.[1] More modern innovations include other meats, seafood, shrimp, crab meat, and vegetarian fillings.
Soup dumplings 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 tangbao during hot weather easier, since making gelled aspic is much more difficult at room temperature.[_citation needed_]
Xiaolongbao are traditionally eaten for breakfast. The buns are served hot in the bamboo baskets in which they were steamed, usually on a bed of dried leaves or a paper mat, although some restaurants now use napa cabbage instead. The buns are usually dipped in Zhenjiang vinegar with chili crisp.[_citation needed_]
Traditionally, tangbao soup dumplings are a kind of dim sum (à la carte item) or xiaochi (snack). The buns are usually dipped in Zhenjiang vinegar with ginger slivers. They are traditionally served with a clear soup on the side.[7][_unreliable source?_] Around Shanghai, "tangbao" may be eaten throughout the day, although usually not for breakfast. They form part of a traditional Jiangnan-style morning tea (早茶).[_citation needed_] In Guangdong and the West,[note 1] it is sometimes served as a dish during Cantonese tea time. Frozen tangbao are now mass-produced and a popular frozen food sold worldwide.[_citation needed_]
Served as breakfast
In vinegar sauce
Xiaolongbao in chili oil from Guangdong
The modern form of xiaolongbao originated during Qing dynasty. A place named Yinggui Teahouse is where people in Changzhou go to have xiaolongbao. The buns from Changzhou are known for its thin wraps, and the soup that spills out after each bite. Among the types, crab-filled xiaolongbao is the most well known type in Changzhou, and are eaten after the Mid-Autumn Festival.[9][_unreliable source?_]
Shengzhou style xiaolongbao with tea eggs
Nanxiang Xiaolongbao from Shanghai have around a hundred years of history. They are known for their unique technique of making the wrappers as well as secret ingredients of the fillings.[10]
Xiaolongbao from Hong Kong
Goubuli Xiaolongbao is the most famous type in northern China. The restaurant Goubuli was founded in 1858 by a young man named Gouzi, who named his xiaolongbao after himself as Goubuli later. Goubuli Xiaolongbao has strictly 18 wrinkles on each bun due to its creator's unique method of making it. They were served to one of the famous queen's mother in Chinese history as a famous dish from Tianjin.[11]
Kaifeng Xiaolongbao, created during the Song Dynasty, is also known as soup filled xiaolongbao. Many famous cooks created their own ways of making soup filled dumplings in Kaifeng and improved the techniques throughout history. Kaifeng Xiaolongbao looks like a "lantern" when they are lifted, and a "flower" when it sits in the steaming basket.[12]
- Baozi
- Din Tai Fung
- Dumpling
- Jiaozi
- Khinkali
- List of steamed foods
- List of buns
- Momo (food)
- Shanghainese cuisine
- Shengjian mantou
- Siopao
- Salteña, another dumpling with a gelatin-based liquid filling
^ the West refers to the Western world
^ a b Food Lover's Guide to the World: Experience the Great Global Cuisines. Lonely Planet Food and Drink. Lonely Planet Publications. 2014. p. 29. ISBN 978-1-74360-581-3. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
^ In ancient times, stuffing in the dough was called steamed buns. See Zeng Weihua, "Ancient Mantou", "Journal of Shanghai Normal University (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition)" No. 2, 1995, p. 157
^ "[How to]: Eat Xiaolongbao Like a Scientist | SmartShanghai". www.smartshanghai.com. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
^ "Shanghai's 7 Essential Soup Dumplings: Xiaolongbao". Xtreme Foodies - The world's Essential Eats curated by local food experts. 2015-07-09. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
^ "Dumplings, a dish on the to-do list". SHINE. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
^ "Food Wars: Xiaolongbao Edition". GOOD. 2016-11-17. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
^ a b "Shanghai Dining – Shanghai Snacks: Nanxiang Steamed Stuffed Bun". China Internet Information Center. July 18, 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
^ From the Annals of Jiading (a district in Shanghai)
^ "小籠包:歷史文化,各地版本,常州小籠包,無錫小籠包,上海小籠包,天津小籠包,開封小_中文百科全書". www.newton.com.tw. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
^ "狗不理包子". www.tjdag.gov.cn. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
^ 郑州食尚香 (2016-11-01). "开封小笼包是怎么来的？小笼包的特色吃法你知道吗？-食尚香郑州小吃培训学校". m.ssxmyxc.com (in Chinese (China)). Retrieved 2022-11-24.