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© Jack Tsen-Ta Lee
Last updated on 13 July 2011 (1 headword). No reproduction without permission.

xiao long bao /siow ləng pow, ɕiau luŋ pau/ n. [Eng. (Hanyu Pinyin) translit. of Mand. 小笼包 xiǎo lóng bāo: xiǎo small, little + lóng basket, container; (food) steamer + bāo wrap; bundle, package (Chi.–Eng. Dict.)]  A northern Chinese steamed dumpling with a smooth skin containing minced pork and a small amount of soup, which is usu. dipped into black vinegar and sliced ginger for eating.
2006 Wong Ah Yoke The Sunday Times (LifeStyle) (from Straits Times Interactive), 15 October. Xiao long bao: The steamed pork dumplings are slightly larger at Crystal Jade.. and come with thicker skins, which is not usually good. But when we bite into them, out gushes hot, flavourful stock. The meat filling also has lots of bite. 2006 Tan Hsueh Yun The Sunday Times (LifeStyle) (from Straits Times Interactive), 22 October. There was something very galling about not being able to communicate with other Chinese people. And to be fleeced at a xiao long bao eatery because they thought I was a stupid tourist. 2006 June Cheong (quoting Tan Siang Yee) The Sunday Times (LifeStyle) (from Straits Times Interactive), 29 October. I also like Crystal Jade because of its xiao long bao (steamed pork dumplings). Among all I’ve tried, those are the most fragrant and they have a lot of soup inside when you bite into them.  2007 Wong Ah Yoke The Sunday Times (LifeStyle), 19 August, L27 [T]he xiao long bao (soup dumpling) is pretty good.  2008 Rebecca Lynne Tan The Sunday Times (LifeStyle), 19 October, 23 A northern Chinese invention, a xiao long bao consists of a mound of marinated minced pork wrapped inside paper-thin dough skin. The dumpling is sealed on top with a series of folds tied into a knot. When it is steamed, the juices of the meat ooze out and form a “soup” within the dumpling. .. Chefs from various xiao long bao eateries agree that the secret to a perfect dumpling is the ratio of meat to skin and the freshness of the ingredients. They also maintain that good xiao long bao must have skin that is very thin yet strong enough to hold the meat and broth without breaking.

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