Steamed Dumplings(xiao long bao )

Small cage bag method:

Raw materials for making small cage bag:

600 grams of noodles, 250 grams of meat paste, onion powder, ginger powder 50 grams each

Ingredients for making small cage bag:

Appropriate amount of salt, soy sauce, monosodium glutamate and sesame oil

Production steps of small cage bag:

1. Knead long strips of hair into small dough

2. Mix minced meat, onion, ginger, salt, soy sauce, monosodium glutamate and sesame oil to make a filling

3. Roll the small dough into thin skin, wrap it in meat stuffing, knead it into bun shape, put it into the steamer covered with white cloth, and steam for 15 minutes with high heat

Steamed Dumplings

Xiaolongbao, also known as xiaolongmantou, is used to be called xiaolongmantou in southern Jiangsu, Shanghai and Zhejiang, xiaolongbaozi in Sichuan and Wuhu, and steamed bun in Wuhan. There are 10 steamed buns in one steamer, and 10 steamed buns in one steamer. It originated from guantangbao in Kaifeng, capital of Northern Song Dynasty, and inherited, developed and evolved in Jiangnan in Southern Song Dynasty. Xiaolongbao is a famous Jiangnan traditional snack in Changzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Jiaxing and other areas south of the Yangtze River.

During the reign of Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty, the modern form of xiaolongbao appeared in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, and formed their own characteristics in various places, such as Changzhou delicious, Wuxi sweet, Suzhou delicious, but they all have the common characteristics of thin skin, stewed feet, delicious and so on, and also spread in Kaifeng, Tianjin and other places. Nanxiang Xiaolong, who was born in Tongzhi ten years in the late Qing Dynasty, also has a long history and enjoys a good reputation at home and abroad.

History and culture

The history of xiaolongbao can be traced back to the Northern Song Dynasty, and there is a similar "guantangbaozi" spread to this day.

The modern form of xiaolongbao originated from Changzhou Prefecture in Daoguang period of Qing Dynasty, and formed its own characteristics in various places, such as Changzhou delicious, Wuxi delicious, Suzhou delicious, but they all have the common characteristics of thin skin, stewed feet, delicious, and so on, and also spread in Kaifeng, Tianjin and other places. It is difficult to verify the history of the formation of modern Jiangnan xiaolongbao. However, it is generally believed that modern xiaolongbao has a close relationship with the "cave plum blossom bun" and "guantangbaozi" in the Northern Song Dynasty. After the Jingkang incident, it evolved from the Northern Song Dynasty when the royal family moved to the south of the Yangtze River. It is closely related to the popular guantangbaozi in northern China, and its inheritance has not been broken for thousands of years And it has been innovated and developed all over the country. In the Qing Dynasty, Wanhua tea house in Changzhou created "steamed bread with crab" in Daoguang period, and Huang Mingxian in Nanxiang Town in Shanghai created "steamed bread with crab" in 1871, including Wuxi folk steamed bread popular in Qinyuan area of Huishan in Wuxi in Guangxu period of Qing Dynasty, and Kaifeng, Tianjin and other places in modern times. Changzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Wuhu and other places in the south of the Yangtze River all have a long history of xiaolongbao cooking, and there are many century old restaurants with xiaolongbao as the characteristic.

Since more than 50 years ago, Chinese immigrants started to operate Chinese restaurants in Spain, Chinese xiaolongbao also began to enjoy a high reputation among Spanish diners. The explanation on the Spanish menu is: "Chinese bread with meat in the center.". Because of its delicious taste, some Spanish restaurants or bars also sell food similar to Chinese buns, but they are called "Spanish Chinese buns".

Since the 1990s, a large number of Chinese immigrants have entered Spain, and Chinese restaurants have sprung up everywhere. Xiaolongbao is one of the main foods for every hotel. However, xiaolongbao was no longer written as "xiaolongbao", but as "Xiaolong". Some write "little dragon of China", some write "little dragon of Shanghai". For this "Little Dragon bag", the Spanish note is even more unique: "bread with Chinese dragon meat".

As for who changed "xiaolongbao" into "Xiaolong", the reporter can't find out for a moment. Because the dragon is the symbol of China, the Chinese are all descendants of the dragon. Anyway, the "Xiaolong" and "giant dragon" are all Chinese people and things. Some Spanish restaurants have carried out bold reforms and simply interpreted "Little Dragon bag" as "Chinese dragon bread". As a result, the name "dragon bread" quickly became popular in Chinese and Western restaurants. "Dragon bread" is delicious and easy to remember, unlike other Chinese food names, which are not easy to say or remember.

After 2000, "Little Dragon bag" has changed again. In order to commemorate the outstanding contribution of martial arts superstar Bruce Lee to martial arts movies, TV stations all over the world have opened up special topics on Bruce Lee movies. In Spain, colorful posters printed with Bruce Lee can be seen in every street. Spanish children are like Bruce Lee and Chinese Kung Fu. At this time, the meaning of "Little Dragon bag" changed again. Some restaurants interpreted "Little Dragon bag" as "Chinese meat bread that martial arts superstar Bruce Lee likes best". The Spanish name of "Little Dragon bag" is "Bruce Lee". When people order, they say to the running room, "I want Bruce Lee". The running room knows that the diners want Chinese small cage bags. Famous abroad, famous all over the world, xiaolongbao is undoubtedly a famous snack food.

Local version

Changzhou xiaolongbao

The modern form of xiaolongbao originated from Changzhou Prefecture in Daoguang period of Qing Dynasty (refer to Changzhou Local Chronicles). In ancient times, there was Wanhua, and in modern times, there was Yinggui. Now people in Changzhou know that to eat xiaolongbao, you have to go to Yinggui (Yinggui baozi). Yinggui tea house was founded in 1911. It is well-known and loved by the public because of its good management and quality. The product has the characteristics of "thin and transparent skin, rich marinade, pungent crab flavor, fat but not greasy, rich juice, fresh and tender meat". Supplemented by vinegar, tender ginger, better flavor, can be called Changzhou unique. In 1985, it was rated as the city's high-quality products, and included in the "Jiangsu Province snack recipe", and in 1990, it was listed as one of the top ten famous spots by Changzhou Municipal People's government.

Jiaxie xiaolongbao is a traditional seasonal snack in Changzhou. It is available every year around the Mid Autumn Festival when osmanthus is in full bloom. Add crab dumpling, originally called add crab dumpling. Steamed buns, called "steamed bread" in ancient times, are also called "steamed bread" by Changzhou people.

Xiaolongbao is also divided into three types: suihao, Duixiang and Jiaxie. "Suihao" does not add crab oil, "Duixiang" is a cage of steamed buns. There are six steamed buns with crab oil, and the other six without crab oil. "Jiaxie" is all steamed buns with crab oil. A cage of steamed buns is also called a guest, so the old Changzhou people often call it "two guests to set" when they eat a small cage of steamed buns. Or: "ten guests and crabs, I'll take them to Shanghai." The old diners usually only order "Dui Xiang" when they eat in the guest room. They think that only when they eat the steamed stuffed bun with crab and one with crab, can they fully appreciate the delicious taste of crab. If you always eat the steamed stuffed bun with crab, your taste will be a little dull, and you will not feel the fresh taste of crab more and more. Therefore, it will produce the conventional name of "pair inlay".

Changzhou adds the crab small cage, the foreskin is thin, the stuffing is big, the bittern is many, fastidious one "would rather the person and so on the package, not the package and so on". That's the best way to taste. You should take the small cage bag out of the vinegar dish and soak it in it. Hold it up with chopsticks. The bag is a little outside. Bite the skin at the bottom. First, carefully suck the delicious brine, then soak the opened bag in the vinegar. Let the vinegar enter the bag, and then put the whole bag into your mouth. If you don't suck up the juicy water first, you'll either burn yourself or shoot it in a mess.

Wuxi xiaolongbao

Wuxi's xiaolongbao is famous all over Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou for its thin skin, rich bittern and sweet taste. It is a traditional name in Wuxi and has a history of more than 100 years. It is made of superior flour, with fine materials, steamed in small cages, and some fresh, sweet and delicate Jiangnan flavor. It has the characteristics of "not breaking the skin, turning over, sucking bittern, not greasy".

Wuxi xiaolongbao has two kinds: fresh meat xiaolongbao and crab meat xiaolongbao. The meat stuffing of fresh meat xiaolongbao is tight, the skin is thin, the stuffing is full of bittern, and it is fresh, tender and fragrant. Adding cooked crab powder and crab butter to the fresh meat stuffing is the famous "Wuxi crab powder small cage bag". It tastes delicious and has good taste. It is not only suitable for instant consumption, but also a special gift for relatives and friends.

It is said that Emperor Qianlong of Qing Dynasty, who has the reputation of "Youlong", visited famous mountains and rivers, especially the beautiful mountains and waters, gardens and historic sites, and folk customs in the south of the Yangtze River. He had made six tours to the south of the Yangtze River. During Qianlong's tour to the south of the Yangtze River, he traveled along Nanjing, Yangzhou, Changzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou and Hangzhou, and every time he went to Huishan, Wuxi. In 1751, Emperor Qianlong began his first tour to the south. He decided to visit the Qinyuan (Jichang Garden) in Huishan, Wuxi, long before his tour. On February 19, the Royal boat team arrived in Wuxi and docked at huangbudun wharf. On the morning of February 20, Emperor Qianlong changed to a boat and came to Qinyuan. He cooked tea with Huishan spring water, enjoyed tea and food, and tasted local snacks, such as xiaolongbao. It can be seen that there were the rudiments of xiaolongbao among the people in Jiangnan at that time.

Shanghai xiaolongbao

Nanxiang xiaolongbao in Shanghai has a hundred year history and was born in the 10th year of Tongzhi in the late Qing Dynasty. The original founder was Huang Mingxian, the owner of a refreshment shop - the day Hua Xuan dim sum shop. Later, his son set up a branch in the Old City God Temple of Yu Garden. It's in this bustling Yu Garden.

Nanxiang xiaolongbao was originally called "Nanxiang big meat bun", later called "Nanxiang big bun", and then called "guyiyuan xiaolongbao", now called "Nanxiang xiaolongbao". The method of "heavy stuffing and thin skin, big to small" is adopted for big meat steamed stuffed bun, and refined white flour is used to roll it into thin skin; and refined meat is used as stuffing, instead of monosodium glutamate, chicken soup is used to cook the skin, and the frozen skin is mixed in, so as to make it fresh and sprinkle it

Chinese PinYin : Xiao Long Bao