Andrea Nguyen is a chef, writer, cookbook author, and educator whose expertise in Asian and Vietnamese cuisines has inspired legions of cooks the world over.

Andrea Nguyen

Tender, porky filling. Rich, ginger-laced broth. Paper-thin dough pleated into pretty little purses. If there’s a better one-bite dish than Shanghai-style soup dumplings, we’d like to try that, please. Author and culinary instructor <a href="http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/">Andrea Nguyen</a>, who wrote <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1580089755/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1580089755&linkCode=as2&tag=chefsteps02-20&linkId=5a6afe9ec51d6f48a63ca268591c3ce3">a whole book about dumplings</a>, has been making dough-wrapped snacklets since she was a kid. Yet she still marvels at the ingenuity of the nineteenth-century cooks who formed the very first xiao long bao, or Shanghai-style soup dumpling. The cooks’ impressive innovation: make a rich broth, then turn that broth into little gelatinous cubes. Wrap those jelly cubes, along with filling, in some dough, and then steam the whole shebang in a bamboo basket. Steaming the dumplings melts the gelatin, returning the broth to a liquid state. And there it is: a soul-warming, soupy satchel that captivates all who have the pleasure of eating it. Xiao long bao are a signature dish of Shanghai, where locals judge them by a few key factors. First, the filling must be plentiful and delicious, so use meat fatty enough to melt in your mouth; lean pork is a no-no. Second, there should be lots of soup that really sings with flavor; a very viscous pork stock is traditional, but it’s easier to get terrific results with chicken stock and gelatin. This frees you up to concentrate on the trickiest bit: the dough should be thin enough that it almost seems to dissolve as you bite, yet it must be strong enough to hold the hot soup right up to the moment of truth.And now, with Nguyen’s guidance, you are going to make xiao long bao yourself. If you don’t have a bamboo steaming basket, invest in one now. They are inexpensive, and you can serve the dumplings right up in there. And if you’re inviting friends over to share your pork-stuffed treats, plan to make a lot. These little dumplings disappear quickly.This recipe is adapted from from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Asian-Dumplings-Mastering-Spring-Samosas/dp/1580089755">Asian Dumplings: Mastering Gyoza, Spring Rolls, Samosas, and More</a> by Andrea Nguyen, copyright © 2009. Published by Ten Speed Press (Crown/Penguin Random House LLC).

Shanghai Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao)