The seven best Hong Kong restaurants for xiaolongbao, Shanghainese steamed pork dumplings
Our quest for the juiciest, best seasoned, most flavourful Shanghainese steamed pork dumplings takes us from a tiny place in Tai Kok Tsui to some of the biggest chain restaurants
Xiaolongbao could easily be mistaken for Cantonese dim sum, but the steamed pork dumplings, typically served in Shanghainese restaurants, are something completely different. Bite into the dainty looking packages and the concentrated juices from the pork explode satisfyingly in the mouth.
There are two theories concerning the origin of xiaolongbao. One has it that a restaurateur from Shanghai’s Nanxiang district called Huang Mingxian invented the dumpling in the 1870s by adding aspic to the pork. The other is that China’s Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) was served the dumplings when he travelled through Wuxi in Jiangsu province. He enjoyed them so much that they became widely popular.
Although the word “long” in xialongbao means “basket”, some say it originally meant “dragon”, in honour of the emperor, because the two words are homonyms.
It’s a tricky dumpling to make. The pork needs the right balance of meat and fat to form a fragrant soup inside when it’s steamed. To tie it all together, the wheat flour wrapper should be thin, but firm enough to hold the filling without it all falling apart in an unholy mess.