Shanghainese soup dumplings (xiao long bao) - any fans?

^ My parents say you should poke a little hole in the dumpling and then drink it and then swallow the whole thing.
 
^ Well, I think mostly they have meat and soup inside. It's not just a sack of soup, though from what I understood of the No Reservations episode there's also a special kind which is just filled with soup. But usually they have soup and the meats that you speak of.

I'd be curious to try these, and I'm sure I can find them over here without too much trouble but I'd like to try the best, not some random knockoff from some generic restaurant that's actually run by Vietnamese.

Those are considered to be buns, not dumplings. They are a lot larger and filled with soup. No place that I know of sells those in America, and when i asked my parents about it, they said it was because they taste gross since its usually filled with greasy soup--not my words but my mom's.

And the reason why xiao long bao are better than dumplings is because it is just meat inside, no veggies. The soup inside the dumpling is also extremely rich since it is usually chicken stock cooked with the pork in the bun. Since there is also soup inside, the skin of the dumpling is also very tasty since it absorbs the flavor of the skin.
 
^ My parents say you should poke a little hole in the dumpling and then drink it and then swallow the whole thing.

:yes:

Otherwise, you think they're bite-sized and fit the entire dumpling in your mouth, but when you crush it the searing hot liquid inside will set your face on fire and destroy you from the inside out. It's basically magma.
 
I get what they are ... what I don?t get is why someone would have them over "normal" dumblings and normal soup. :?

You're under the mistaken impression that ppl are divided into two camps on this

group 1: only eats soup dumplings and shuns normal dumplings and separate soup

group 2: the opposite of above.

The reality is the ppl who like and enjoy xiao long bao also enjoy and frequently eat normal dim sum style dumplings and chinese soup.

In fact at some dimsum places soup dumplings are among the choices of all the dumplings they serve. I just highlighted in the OP a couple restaurants that specialize in soup dumplings and attract customers for that reason but they also serve normal dumpligs of many varieties on their menus as well.

Hope that makes sense to you.

:yes:

Otherwise, you think they're bite-sized and fit the entire dumpling in your mouth, but when you crush it the searing hot liquid inside will set your face on fire and destroy you from the inside out. It's basically magma.

Ive done this before with hilariously tragic results

i.e. fumbling with the burning hot dumpling in my mouth and sometimes spitting it out in an unclassy manner onto my plate.
 
Last edited:
When I have an entire long (basket) to myself, the process usually goes something like this:

First 1/3 of the long is eaten by biting a tiny hole, drinking the soup, and then eating the dumpling because these are usually the hottest.

Second 1/3 of the long is eaten by taking one bite, then finishing it off with a second (they've cooled a little by now).

Last 1/3 is just eaten by plopping it in my mouth whole, that way you get the feeling of the soup and the meat and skin in your mouth at the same time, but you should only do this when the soup has cooled considerably.

Oh, and I always use a dipping sauce of chinese black vinegar, some chili oil, and finely sliced ginger.
 
I think you're supposed to eat them by first sucking out the soup then eating the remaining meat dumpling.

EDIT: oops, posted not reading the 2nd page. Mods, feel free to delete this post.
 
Last edited:
Top