Xiaolongbao filling?

[Lu]

Last week I learned how to make baozi (xiaolongbao), but I kind of forgot what went into the filling. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[skylee]

Anything like this?

馅料 :

肉碎 300克

生抽 1大匙

蛀油 1大匙 [what is this btw?]

匙盐 1/2小匙

麻油 1小匙

青葱粒 1大匙

姜茸 1大匙

水 3大匙

粟粉 1/2小匙

[liuzhou]

Last week I learned the secret of the universe. But I forget what went in the filling.

[Lu]

Skylee: thank you, although I was hoping for something in English, my kitchen Chinese is very poor.

Liuzhou: 42.

[Long Zhiren]

Try cutting and pasting those characters into:

http://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php

for translations.

Just in case, remember this: 小龍包

[skylee]

Here is a recipe in English -> http://www.galaxylink.com.hk/~john/food/cooking/shanghai/xiaolongbao.htm

Filling

285 grams ground pork

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ginger and scallion water

pepper

sugar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 teaspoons chinese rice wine

[Lu]

Thanks a lot, again, Skylee!

[cardcaptort]

I would like to know the recipe for Baozi. Xiao long bao..with filling..

please and THANK YOU!

[crazy-meiguoren]

I found a recipe on the web. Xiaolongbao Recipe

I may get a little adventurous and try to make some xiaolongbao. Well, maybe find a good local restaurant that serves it. I've first heard about it in one of my Chinese lessons, and wanted to try it ever since. I can almost taste that burst of meat and broth as I bite into the bao.

[abcdefg]

Making xiao long bao is a labor intensive cooking project that requires a lot of experience and some special equipment to do well. They are cheap and delicious on the street. Better off cooking other things at home, I would think.

I realize you may not be in China and can't just walk outside and get them from a nearby vendor. If that's the case, I don't know what to say. I cook a lot of every-day Chinese food, but wouldn't dream of tackling xiao long bao. Especially not the ones with soup inside. 灌汤小笼包

[Lu]

It's not that hard. It does take time though, and they probably won't look as good as the ones in the shop, but they can taste close enough. I don't recall using any special equipment either, just a steaming basket, which was for sale in the local Chinese shop.

Just go for it, good luck and enjoy!

[crazy-meiguoren]

I did get some bao recently... but I would not consider it true xiaolongbao based on what I've learned about it. Found a box of it in the cold case at Costco. Didn't need a bamboo steam basket, just a microwave. No burst of soup, the filling was mostly shredded pork and hoisin sauce. I thought there was too much bun, and not enough filling. Maybe someday I'll get my chance to visit China and try the real thing. Until then, this was the best I could do.

[adrianlondon]

Depends where in the states you live (assumption based on your username). Din Tai Fung, a Taiwanese chain, does pretty good xiaolongbao. I wish they'd open one in London.

http://www.dintaifung.com.tw/en/area_a_detail.asp?AreaNO=122&AreaCountryNO=91

[crazy-meiguoren]

@adrianlondon: The next time I'm in the LA area, I'll check it out. Thanks for the tip. The nearest town that has XLB is Vancouver BC. It looks like none can be found in either Seattle or Portland, unless someone can tell me otherwise.

[jbradfor]

I can't tell you otherwise for sure, but I'd be truly surprised if no Seattle or Portland restaurants has XLB. Most dimsum places serves them. [The quality, however....]

[crazy-meiguoren]

It's probably the quality, all right. The issue is the lack of authentic Shanghai style XLB. Dim sum is available everywhere. Some of the Google hits explicitly said so. Which is surprising, since Seattle has had a strong Chinese community throughout most of its history. I understand that scanning Google hits lacks depth, though. There could be some little known place off the beaten path. (However, if you're keeping up with Cafe World, Shanghai Dumplings are now on the menu - bamboo steam basket and all... if only the real-world recipes had single-click convenience... lol)

Oh well... it's on my list of interesting dishes to try. I'm in no hurry. This thread definitely caught my attention, though. I'm glad it's here.

[bhchao]

LA's San Gabriel Valley would be your best bet in the States if you desire easy access to authentic xiaolongbao. Din Tai Fung's xiaolongbao is just above average. I guess I'm holding xiaolongbao to a higher standard because it is so accessible in LA's Chinese communities.

You actually can get much better xiaolongbao at one of the lesser known restaurants. The best xiaolongbao I had was at a small restaurant in San Gabriel owned by immigrants from Shanghai.

[Quakebum]

FYI, they just opened Din Tai Fung which serves tang bao in Seattle. I haven't been to the one in Seattle (actually Bellevue) yet, but at the Shanghai branch and it was really good, but over priced. For about 5 ppl, it cost around $80 USD. I kind of prefer the xiaolongbao I usually have in Qingdao though, which costs about $10 for about 6 ppl.

[flameproof]

Making xiao long bao is a labor intensive cooking project that requires a lot of experience and some special equipment to do well.

Not really, quite the opposite, very easy. Nothing special needed. Just the steaming basket. Get normal dough sheets (I would probably buy the wrapping outside) and use the fillings recipe from above. You may use also some egg-white as glue if you like for the dough edges. There is no soup inside XLB, that is just water and fat that comes out when it's steamed. To get that, make sure the minced pork is not too lean.

They are cheap and delicious on the street.

You can make them better at home. You can use better quality meat and not use MSG. I would do plenty in one go and freeze the rest.

[abcdefg]

Glad to hear of your sucess with them. That's good to know that they aren't as difficult as they sound. Maybe I will give them a try sometime.