Blog on Shanghai and China

Unless you're vegetarian, this is a MUST try in Shanghai. Most Chinese restaurants serve them but I've never found them to be as good as the ones in Shanghai (and I always order them if they're on the menu, hoping to be proved wrong!). These xiao long bao zi 小籠饅頭 are pork and vegetable dumplings that are streamed in bamboo baskets that somehow have delicious soup inside.  I don't know how they get the soup inside-- special ingredients or way of cooking that releases steam and juices inside, injection by syringe after they've been cooked?  It doesn't matter... they are simply delicious.

Be careful when you take your first bite since the soup will squirt out.  Clumsy foreigners will impress the Shanghainese if you do like they do:

1. Pick up the dumpling and blow gently to cool

2. Dip in a bit of vinegar sauce, which contains dark vinegar, sugar, fresh ginger

3. Bite a tiny hole on the side and suck out the soup

4. Swish it around and wait for the hint of poached pears and nutmeg (just joking-- just eat the dumpling)

Here's a great blog post on How To Eat a Xiao Long Bao

The best place to get them in Shanghai is in the oh-so-touristy area of Cheng Huang Miao (Temple to the Town Gods) 城隍庙 and Yu Yuan (The Mandarin's Garden) 豫园 in Huangpu District 黄浦区.  My family's favorite is Lu Bo Lang (Green Wave) 绿波廊.  The picture on the right was taken there in February during the last Wu Clan reunion (note my cousins' perfect position to fire spitballs at tourists below).

If you have a craving in Boston, the next best thing is served at New Shanghai on Hudson St. in Chinatown.  Read reviews on Yelp.