Recipe 19 / 19
CN · Nanxiang / Shanghai
Xiao Long Bao
Shanghai-style soup dumplings built from a firm pork-skin aspic, cold cohesive pork filling, and an unleavened wrapper rolled thin at the edge but stronger in the centre. Pleats matter because they seal soup - not because one number is magic.
Seal clear hot soup inside a delicate wrapper that survives the steamer and reaches the spoon intact.
- Place & style
- Nanxiang / Shanghai / Jiangnan Chinese · Small plate
- Yield
- 24 dumplings · 6 servings Pork · spice 0/5
- Time
- 5 hr 45 min + overnight aspic setting 3 hr 10 min prep · 2 hr 50 min cook
- Cook level
- Patient Chinese · Shanghai · Nanxiang · xiao long bao · xiaolongbao · soup dumplings · xiaolong mantou · pleating · aspic
Bumbu / flavour foundation
pork-skin aspic, cohesive ginger pork filling, thin-edged unleavened wrappers, black vinegar and ginger
Long-simmered skin stock sets into cuttable collagen, so soup can be folded into cold pork without wetting the wrapper. One-direction mixing binds the filling, a thicker wrapper centre supports its weight, and high steam melts the aspic only after the pleats are sealed.
Equipment
- 2-3 L saucepan
- fine sieve
- shallow metal aspic tray
- digital scale
- narrow rolling dowel
- bench scraper
- bamboo or metal steamer
- probe thermometer
Read the visual cue before each step. The clock is guidance; the food decides when you move.
01 · Market sheet
Know what you are buying.
Every ingredient is shown in context, named in English and Bahasa Indonesia, and tied to its job in the dish.Meat or seafoodDaging atau seafood
225 g
cleaned pork skin
kulit babi yang sudah dibersihkan
collagen source that makes the natural soup aspic firm enough to dice
Watch: Contains pork. Remove hair and thick surface fat before blanching.
450 g
meaty pork neck bones
tulang leher babi berdaging
pork flavour and additional gelatin in the clear aspic stock
Watch: Contains pork. Discard the first blanching water and scrub away grey residue.
330 g
ground pork, about 70% lean
daging babi giling, sekitar 70% tanpa lemak
fat-balanced cohesive filling that stays juicy around the melted aspic
Watch: Contains pork. Keep at 4°C or colder and cook a separate test portion - never taste raw filling.
Dry pantryBahan kering
1.082 L
fresh water, divided
air bersih, dibagi
950 ml extracts aspic and smaller cold portions hydrate dough and filling
160 g
plain flour
tepung terigu serbaguna
unleavened wrapper dough with enough gluten to roll thin and pleat
Watch: Contains wheat and gluten.
4.5 g
fine salt
garam halus
strengthens the pork bind and seasons the soup from within
4.5 g
white sugar
gula putih
small Shanghai-style sweetness that rounds soy and pork
3 liners
perforated parchment or napa cabbage leaves
kertas roti berlubang atau daun sawi putih
prevents sticking while leaving steam paths open
Watch: Never use an unperforated solid sheet that blocks steam and collects water.
Fresh produceSayur & bahan segar
55 g
fresh ginger, divided
jahe segar, dibagi
15 g perfumes stock, 10 g seasons filling, and 30 g becomes fine serving matchsticks
1 stalk
scallion
daun bawang
gentle whole aromatic in the aspic stock, removed before setting
SaucesSaus & bumbu botol
37 ml
Shaoxing wine, divided
anggur Shaoxing, dibagi
15 ml perfumes stock and 22 ml rounds the pork filling
Watch: Contains alcohol and may contain sulphites.
14 ml
Chinese light soy sauce
kecap asin ringan Tiongkok
salt and fermented savour in the pork filling
Watch: Contains soy and commonly wheat.
3 ml
toasted sesame oil
minyak wijen sangrai
restrained nutty perfume in the filling
Watch: Contains sesame.
90 ml
Chinkiang black vinegar
cuka hitam Chinkiang
dark aromatic acid served with ginger, never poured into the filling
Watch: Some brands contain wheat or sulphites; check the label.
SpicesRempah
0.5 g
ground white pepper
lada putih bubuk
quiet warm finish without dark flecks
02 · Method
Cook in order. Read the decisive cue.
8 stages · 5 hr 45 min + overnight aspic setting total
Stage 01
Blanch clean and extract the pork aspic
Cover pork skin and bones with cold water, boil 5 minutes, drain, and discard that water. Rinse, scrape residue from the skin, scrub dark matter from bones, and wash the pot. Add the cleaned parts, 950 ml fresh water, 15 g ginger, scallion, and 15 ml Shaoxing. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer gently for 2 hours. Strain and reduce if necessary to exactly 500 ml. Cool in a shallow tray and refrigerate at least 6 hours.
- Move on when
- Cold stock is a clear pale-gold gel that jiggles as one firm mass and cuts into sharp 3-4 mm cubes.
- Common mistake
- Using the dirty blanch water or stopping with a loose spoonable gel produces cloudy soup or filling too wet to wrap.
- Recovery
- Lower the heat immediately, skim or stir gently, and continue at a small simmer until the surface calms.
Stage 02
Knead rest and divide the wrapper dough
Add 110 g warm 40-45°C water to 160 g flour in three additions and stir with chopsticks until shaggy. Knead 10 minutes, cover and rest 20 minutes; knead another 5 minutes and rest covered for 30 minutes. Roll into a uniform rope and weigh twenty-four 11 g pieces. Keep every piece under a damp cloth so no dry skin forms.
- Move on when
- The rested dough is smooth, soft, and springs back slowly without cracks or sticky smears.
- Common mistake
- Adding lots of bench flour before the first rest makes wrappers dry; uncovered portions crack before pleating.
- Recovery
- Pause before the next step, compare the cue, then correct heat, moisture, or seasoning while the dish is still flexible.
Stage 03
Build sticky pork then fold in cold aspic
Mix pork, 22 ml Shaoxing, 14 ml soy, 22 ml cold water, 10 g ginger paste, salt, sugar, sesame oil, and white pepper firmly in one direction for 2-3 minutes. Cook a separate 15 g test portion to 71°C and taste; never taste raw filling. Re-chill the bowl, gently fold in 220 g very cold aspic cubes, chill 20 minutes, then portion 25 g for each dumpling, bringing only six portions to the bench at once.
- Move on when
- Pork is glossy and tacky before aspic; afterward distinct gel cubes remain visible and each cold portion holds a tidy scoop.
- Common mistake
- Warm loose filling smears the gel and wets the seam; flour or starch does not repair melted aspic.
- Recovery
- Spread the food out, raise heat only after moisture drops, and hold back extra sauce until the pan is frying again.
Stage 04
Roll a thin edge and stronger centre
Flatten one 11 g piece and use a narrow dowel while rotating the disc with the opposite hand. Roll from the outer edge toward - but not all the way through - the middle until 8-9 cm wide. Keep the perimeter about 0.5 mm and slightly translucent while the centre remains about 1 mm and opaque. Work one wrapper at a time so it cannot dry.
- Move on when
- The edge shows fingertips faintly through it, while the stronger centre remains visibly opaque and supports filling without sagging.
- Common mistake
- An evenly thick wrapper makes a doughy knot, but a paper-thin centre tears when the aspic melts.
- Recovery
- Reduce uncovered and season in small rounds, checking the visual cue before adding more salt, sugar, or sauce.
Stage 05
Portion pleat and seal without chasing a number
Place 25 g cold filling in the wrapper centre and keep the border clean. Pinch one point, rotate the dumpling while the thumb stays near the filling, and make narrow overlapping pleats. Aim toward 18 on a confident batch, but seal a sound 12-pleat practice dumpling rather than tearing it. Twist the final opening into a small closed knot; remove a little filling if the wrapper strains.
- Move on when
- The raw dumpling stands upright with a symmetrical pouch, narrow pleats, a small sealed top, and no grease or filling on the seam.
- Common mistake
- Overfilling or touching the rim with pork prevents a complete seal and leaks the soup before it reaches a spoon.
- Recovery
- Pause before the next step, compare the cue, then correct heat, moisture, or seasoning while the dish is still flexible.
Stage 06
Line and space the steamer
Use perforated parchment or individual napa-cabbage leaves so steam can pass. Arrange no more than eight dumplings per basket, leaving at least 3 cm around each and keeping them clear of the wall. Bring the water to a rolling boil before setting the basket on top; water must never touch the dumplings.
- Move on when
- Every matte raw dumpling has open space to expand and every liner opening remains visible between them.
- Common mistake
- Touching dumplings fuse together, while a solid unperforated liner traps water and cooks the base unevenly.
- Recovery
- Pause before the next step, compare the cue, then correct heat, moisture, or seasoning while the dish is still flexible.
Stage 07
Steam high and verify the first batch
Cover and steam fresh dumplings over already boiling water for 8 minutes without lifting the lid. Move the whole basket off the heat and rest 60-90 seconds. For the first batch, sacrifice one dumpling and insert a clean probe through the top: minced pork must reach 71°C. If not, return the basket immediately for 2 more minutes and recheck.
- Move on when
- Wrappers are glossy and semi-translucent, pleats remain defined, dumplings look slightly inflated, and no soup has leaked.
- Common mistake
- Weak steam or opening early undercooks the centre; oversteaming eventually tears a wrapper that cannot be repaired.
- Recovery
- Spread the food out, raise heat only after moisture drops, and hold back extra sauce until the pan is frying again.
Stage 08
Support open and sip without a burn
Cut 30 g ginger into hair-fine matchsticks and serve with Chinkiang vinegar. Lift each dumpling gently by the knot while supporting it immediately in a Chinese soup spoon. Add a little vinegar and ginger, make a small opening in the side, wait for steam to escape, and sip the clear soup cautiously before eating the wrapper and pork.
- Move on when
- An intact dumpling reaches the spoon, a small side opening releases clear golden soup, and the pork centre is fully cooked and juicy.
- Common mistake
- Biting a whole dumpling straight from the steamer can scald; squeezing with chopsticks ruptures it over the basket.
- Recovery
- Spread the food out, raise heat only after moisture drops, and hold back extra sauce until the pan is frying again.
03 · Source & shop
Where the guidance comes from.
Technique guidance is stable editorial material. Prices, stock, and local availability should be rechecked before a special trip.Melbourne
- Best source: start with a high-turnover Chinese butcher or Asian grocer for cleaned pork skin, meaty pork neck bones, fresh ginger, divided; buy cleaned pork skin, meaty pork neck bones, fresh water, divided from the supplier with the best cold-chain and turnover.
- Specialty watch: compare exact labels for fresh water, divided, Shaoxing wine, divided, plain flour; protect cleaned pork skin because it controls the structure or service identity of Xiao Long Bao.
- Acceptable swaps: Shaoxing wine, divided: dry sherry, or equal water plus 2 ml mild rice vinegar for an alcohol-free path.
- Allergen and dietary check: pork, wheat, soy, sesame, sulphites depending on Shaoxing wine and vinegar; verify soy, vinegar, wine, sesame, wrapper, pork, and sulphite requirements before shopping.
- Fresh vs packaged: buy fresh ginger, divided, scallion fresh and cold; packaged fresh water, divided, Shaoxing wine, divided, plain flour is reliable only when seals, dates, and ingredient labels are clear.
Jakarta
- Best source: use a trusted Jakarta pork butcher and Chinese supermarket or online grocer for kulit babi yang sudah dibersihkan, tulang leher babi berdaging, jahe segar, dibagi; confirm pork handling and delivery refrigeration before ordering.
- Specialty watch: source fresh water, divided, Shaoxing wine, divided, plain flour before starting; brands vary in wheat, sulphites, alcohol, and salt.
- Acceptable swaps: Shaoxing wine, divided: dry sherry, or equal water plus 2 ml mild rice vinegar for an alcohol-free path.
- Allergen and dietary check: pork, wheat, soy, sesame, sulphites depending on Shaoxing wine and vinegar; this recipe contains pork and may not suit halal kitchens or shared equipment.
- Fresh vs packaged: use high-turnover chilled pork and clean fresh aromatics; keep imported pantry products sealed and within date.
Editorial provenance
The Woks of Life - Shanghai Soup Dumplings (Xiaolongbao)
Cross-checks pork-skin-and-bone stock set into aspic, cold diced aspic folded through a sticky pork filling, hand-rolled wrappers, careful pleating, lined-steamer spacing, steaming, and black-vinegar-and-ginger service.
Supports: natural pork aspic for soup, cold filling and hand-rolled wrapper workflow, pleat, steam, and vinegar-ginger service.
Boundary: This is a thoroughly documented family recipe rather than the protected Nanxiang producer specification. It is suitable for a home-cook workflow, while Shanghai government sources take precedence for cultural and heritage claims.
Reviewed 2026-07-10Shanghai Municipal Government - Shanghai's culinary heritage: Nanxiang xiaolongbao
Uses Shanghai's official cultural record to ground Nanxiang xiaolongbao in Jiading district, unleavened flour wrappers, minced pork, jellied pork skin, thin semi-translucent steamed skins, and protected heritage technique.
Supports: Nanxiang and Shanghai cultural context, unleavened wrapper and pork aspic, thin semi-translucent steamed form.
Boundary: The page states that protected Nanxiang examples have at least 18 pleats. That is a producer and heritage specification, not proof that every legitimate xiaolongbao everywhere requires exactly 18 folds.
Reviewed 2026-07-10MICHELIN Guide - Din Tai Fung: From Humble Taipei Roots to a Global Culinary Landmark
Uses first-party comments from Din Tai Fung leadership reported by the MICHELIN Guide to document that restaurant's precise 18-fold construction and its functional aim of leaving room for filling and soup expansion.
Supports: documented 18-fold restaurant standard, expansion room during steaming, precision and consistency context.
Boundary: Eighteen folds are Din Tai Fung's branded production standard and also appear in Nanxiang heritage descriptions, but the number is not magical. Seal quality, thin-even perimeter, thicker centre, cold filling, and leak-free steaming matter more for a beginner.
Reviewed 2026-07-10FoodSafety.gov - Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures
Applies 71°C / 160°F to the ground-pork filling and requires a clean fine probe in a test dumpling; translucent dough, puffing, steam, or clear soup alone cannot verify safe meat temperature.
Supports: 71°C ground-pork minimum, test-dumpling probe check, appearance is not a safety test.
Boundary: Repeatedly probing every dumpling would cause leaks. Validate the largest test dumpling from the batch and keep size, steamer load, starting temperature, and steam intensity consistent.
Reviewed 2026-07-10Food Standards Australia New Zealand - Cooling and reheating food
Applies two-stage cooling to pork stock and aspic: cool from 60°C to 21°C within two hours and from 21°C to 5°C within four hours, preferably in a shallow metal tray with measured temperature checks before dicing and mixing.
Supports: safe aspic cooling, shallow-tray method, 5°C cold-chain boundary.
Boundary: Gel formation does not prove safe cooling. Keep aspic and filling cold while portioning, count cumulative time in the 5-60°C danger zone, and discard filling left warm long enough for the gel to melt.
Reviewed 2026-07-10Bumbu Lens generated visual cue reference
Recorded as a local editorial or generated visual cue asset, not an independent external source.
Supports: finished-dish appearance, image credit boundary.
Boundary: A local or generated asset is visual guidance, not evidence of authenticity, ingredient quantities, timing, safety, or method accuracy.
Reviewed 2026-07-10Bumbu Lens editorial method audit
Reviewed Xiao Long Bao as an ordered cook flow with visual cues, common mistakes, and recovery notes.
Supports: method sequence, visual checkpoints, mistake and recovery notes.
Boundary: Use this as editorial guidance; run a tested-kitchen pass before publishing nutrition, safety guarantees, or commercial pack quantities.
Reviewed 2026-07-10Bumbu Lens Melbourne/Jakarta sourcing heuristic
Mapped ingredient groups to likely Melbourne grocer, supermarket, butcher, pasar, and Jakarta supermarket paths.
Supports: Melbourne sourcing, Jakarta sourcing, volatile availability boundary.
Boundary: Ingredient availability, price, and store stock change; verify with local grocers before travel, bulk shopping, or holiday cooking.
Reviewed 2026-07-10Your next cook
Kitchen notes
Record the batch size, timing, substitutions, and visual cue you want to remember next time.