Xiaolongbao
Xiǎolóngbāo ( Chinese 小籠 包 / 小笼 包 , Pinyin xiǎolóngbāo - "small (steam) basket bags ") are small dumplings filled with meat and broth . They are a type of baozi native to east China, mainly from the Shanghai and Jiangsu regions . These dumplings are traditionally steamed in bamboo steamer baskets, also known as bamboo steamers.
In Shanghai and the surrounding area they are usually called Xiaolong Mantou ( Chinese 小籠 饅頭 / 小笼 馒头 , Pinyin xiǎolóng mántóu , in Shanghai dialect : Siolon meudoe ). Mantou refers to filled and unfilled pasta in South China, but only unfilled pasta in North China, which is why the name Xiaolongbao is used in other parts of the country, but also increasingly in Shanghai itself.
ingredients
The dough of the Xiaolongbaos is thin, round, slightly transparent and the bag is closed at the top by folding and squeezing. Authentic Xiaolongbao have at least 14 folds. The dough is similar to Jiaozi (see dumplings ), but the production is different.
Xiaolongbao are small baozi, the diameter is usually 3 to 4 centimeters. They are traditionally filled with broth and meat , but there are also variants with seafood or vegetarian fillings. The broth is created in the dumplings during steaming by adding chilled meat gelatine during filling. The hot steam melts the gelatine into a broth.
Serving and eating
Traditionally belonging Xiaolongbao for dim sum so the snacks . They are served hot in the steamer basket in which they were steamed. A Xiaolongbao is carefully removed from the basket with the chopsticks and dipped in a bowl filled with rice vinegar and grated ginger . To prevent burns in the mouth, the hot broth is first sucked out through a small hole in the Xiaolongbao and only then is the whole Xiaolongbao eaten.
Origin in Shanghai
Shanghai style Xiaolongbao originally come from the town of Nanxiang , which is a suburb of Shanghai in the Jiading district. The inventor of the Xiaolongbao originally sold them in his shop in Nanxiang, which was next to the Guyi Garden . From here it has spread to downtown Shanghai and other areas.
Today there are two shops in Shanghai that are considered authentic by the Chinese . The first is Nanxiang Mantou Dian , which grew out of the original shop in Nanxiang, but is now located in downtown Shanghai, in the market by Yu Yuan Garden . It is most famous for crab meat stuffed Xiaolongbao . The business has a long tradition that spans at least 105 years. The business has offices in Hong Kong , Japan , South Korea and Singapore . The second authentic shop is located at the old location of the inventor of Xiaolongbao in Nanxiang.
Wuxi variant
Xiaolongbao in Wuxi are sweeter, have thicker walls, and the filling is more fluid than in Shanghai.
