Small Steamed Bun

small steamed bun

Today, my breakfast is Xiaolongbao, or "small steamed bun", is a type of traditional stuffed bun popular in Shanghai, Wuxi, Changzhou and other places in the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The buns are usually steamed in specially-made small bamboo steamers, hence the name.

The nice-looking buns are small in size, with a thin dough skin and lots of filling.  

The buns are also filled with soup, tasty and refreshing. The skin is made of flour dough and it is so thin that a freshly steamed bun looks semitransparent. The skin is elastic but will not stick to your teeth. There are various types of fillings, with pure pork being the most popular choice. Sometimes, crab meat, crab yolk or shrimp balls are added into pork as the filling. Whatever filling it may be, tasty soup must be added to give a unique taste to the buns. Otherwise, the buns would not be qualified for being Xiaolongbao.

The steaming of Xiaolongbao is also special. First of all, you need to apply some oil to the steamer; then put some vegetable leaves or pine needle in the steamer before applying more oil to the leaves or pine needles. Then put in the buns and steam for seven or eight minutes. When ready, the buns will not stick to the steamer but taste delicious and fresh. 

When served onto the table, the buns are best to be eaten while they are hot. They’ll taste even better and less oily after a dip in the vinegar with ginger slivers.

By yinyuan zhou

14/10/2016