[Shanghai Steamed Bun]
Chinese soup dumplings are a staple of Shanghai street food and once you’ve tried them, you’ll understand why they’ve been so popular with locals for over a hundred years. The Nanxiang xiaolongbao is most famous. These nutrient-rich broth-filled dumplings are in fact a bun that is filled both with soup (broth) and seasoned pork mince combined with shrimps, spring bamboo shoots, crab meat, crab roe, and crab oil, depending on the season.
Before launching into your first serving of xiaolongbao, be warned! There is a technique for eating them. Use chopsticks to pick up the dumpling, then dunk it in the accompanying soy and vinegar sauce. Next, place the dumpling in a soup spoon and poke a hole and drink the soup. Finally, place a piece of sliced ginger on top of the bun and eat it in a single mouthful. For those games enough to try the super-sized xiaolongbao, keep a straw handy because you’ll need it.
Xiaolongbao is recognizable for the distinctive high volume of folds – apparently, 18 is the magic number for a truly authentic xiaolongbao, however, we’re fairly certain you won’t find out because you’ll be too busy devouring these delicious dumplings.
