Xiaolongbao

History

Xiaolongbao is a steamed dumpling whose defining trick is a double filling: seasoned minced pork is wrapped around a cube of jellied pork broth (made by chilling a pork-skin stock until firm), which melts during steaming to release scalding liquid broth inside the dumpling itself. The technique is thought to have developed in Nanxiang, a town near Shanghai, in the 19th century, before spreading across Shanghai and then to major Chinese cities and the global Chinese diaspora.

Making xiaolongbao is considered a feat of artisanal dexterity: the dough must be pleated into at least 18 fine, even folds to seal the filling and broth hermetically without letting liquid escape during cooking, a gesture that specialized cooks train for years to master. Traditionally served in a bamboo steaming basket with black vinegar and slivers of ginger, xiaolongbao follows a precise ritual: gently bite a corner to sip the broth before eating the rest.

Ingredients — for 24 pieces

• 300 g (2½ cups) flour, water, for the dough
• 300 g (10.5 oz) minced pork, ginger, spring onion
• 200 g (7 oz) pork skin (for the jellied broth), or gelatin
• Soy sauce, sesame oil
• Black vinegar and sliced ginger, to serve

Step-by-step Chinese xiaolongbao recipe

1. Prepare the jellied broth by simmering the pork skin for a long time, then chilling it until it sets into a firm block.
2. Cut this block into small cubes and mix them into the seasoned minced pork filling.
3. Knead the flour-and-water dough until smooth and pliable, then roll out thin rounds.
4. Place a spoonful of filling in the center of each round, making sure to include a piece of jellied broth.
5. Seal by pleating the dough all the way around in at least 18 fine, even folds, to close it hermetically.
6. Steam in a bamboo basket lined with parchment paper for about 8 minutes, and serve immediately with black vinegar and ginger.

Cooking method

Technique: quick steaming that melts the jellied broth sealed inside the filling, releasing scalding liquid inside the closed dumpling.

Traditional equipment: tiered bamboo steaming basket, perforated parchment paper to keep the dough from sticking.

Benchmarks: the folds must be fine, numerous and tightly closed; loose pleating lets the broth escape during cooking.

Nutrition, per serving

Calculated from the raw ingredient quantities above, based on six dumplings per serving (four servings from a batch of twenty-four).

Notable amounts: the pork skin used to make the jellied broth adds meaningful protein and fat beyond the minced pork filling alone — it’s this jellied cube, sealed inside each dumpling by at least eighteen fine pleats, that melts during steaming into the dish’s signature mouthful of hot broth.

Economic context

Flour and pork are both inexpensive, widely available staples in China, which keeps the ingredient cost of xiaolongbao modest — the value in this dish sits almost entirely in the labor and years of practice the pleating technique demands, not in what goes into it.

Source: World Bank / FAO, Food Prices for Nutrition database (Cost and Affordability of a Healthy Diet) v4.0, 2024 data, CC BY 4.0, DOI 10.57966/41AN-KY81. Retrieved 29 July 2026. This figure describes the cost of a healthy diet in China generally — it is not a costing of this specific recipe.

Who this dish suits

What about you?

In your opinion, where’s the best place or restaurant to enjoy great xiaolongbao?

Also worth trying