Tangbao

Name: Tangbao (Soup Dumplings)
Prep time: 90 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 102 min
Yield: Makes about 18 dumplings
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: 300 g (10½ oz) pork belly (skin on); 100 g (3½ oz) pork skin; 1 L (4¼ cups) water; 3 g (1 tsp) ginger slices; 15 g (1 tbsp) Shaoxing wine; 1 g (¼ tsp) salt; 300 g (10½ oz) ground pork (20% fat); 10 g (2 tsp) soy sauce; 5 g (1 tsp) dark soy sauce; 10 g (2 tsp) Shaoxing wine; 3 g (1 tsp) sugar; 3 g (1 tsp) salt; 2 g (½ tsp) white pepper; 8 g (1½ tsp) ginger; 30 g (2 tbsp) scallion; 100 g (scant ½ cup) water or pork stock; 300 g (2¼ cups) all-purpose flour; 150 ml (⅔ cup) hot water (~60°C/140°F); 30 ml (2 tbsp) cold water; 1 g (¼ tsp) salt; 10 g (2 tsp) neutral oil

Also known as xiaolongbao, soup dumplings, xiaolong tangbao

📍 Shanghai (Jiangnan) ★ 4.4

Last updated Aug 24, 2026 · Reviewed by the WhatWhereVacay editorial team

Tangbao are Chinese soup-filled dumplings, best known as Shanghai xiaolongbao, with rich broth sealed inside a pleated wrapper and dipped in black vinegar and ginger.

About Tangbao

Tangbao are a family of Chinese soup-filled dumplings, the broad name covering several styles of which the best known is xiaolongbao, the small, pleated "little basket buns" from Shanghai. What sets tangbao apart from ordinary dumplings is a rich, hot broth sealed inside the skin, which is created by folding a firm meat jelly into the filling that melts into soup as it steams. The result is a parcel that bursts with savoury liquid at the first bite.

The classic Shanghai xiaolongbao is made from a thin wheat-flour wrapper enclosing pork or crab and the aspic that becomes soup. It is steamed in small bamboo baskets and eaten gingerly, usually cooled by a dip in black vinegar and a thread of slivered ginger. A larger cousin, tangbao proper, can carry a bigger amount of soup and is often drunk through a straw.

Soup dumplings demand a delicate balance: the wrapper must be strong enough not to tear yet thin enough to stay tender, and the filling should be juicy without being greasy. Mastery of the folds, the timing and the jelly is a point of pride among Shanghai chefs and a defining dish of the city's breakfast and dim sum culture.

🏛️ History & Culture

Tangbao, often called soup dumplings, are a beloved Chinese delicacy known for their delicate wrappers and rich, savory broth. Their precise origins are debated, but they are most famously associated with the Jiangnan region, particularly Shanghai and nearby cities like Wuxi and Nanjing, where they have been refined over centuries. The key innovation is the gelatin-rich filling that melts into soup when steamed, a technique that likely developed during the late Qing dynasty or early Republic era, though no single inventor is reliably documented.

Regional variations highlight local tastes: Shanghai-style tangbao are typically smaller with a thinner skin and a lighter, clearer broth, while Wuxi-style versions are larger, sweeter, and often include more pork fat. In Nanjing, tangbao may be served with crab roe, and in some areas, they are eaten with vinegar and ginger to balance the richness. Culturally, tangbao are a staple of dim sum and morning tea culture, symbolizing culinary craftsmanship and the joy of communal dining—each bite is meant to be savored slowly, making them a cherished emblem of Chinese gastronomic heritage.

🍳 How to make Tangbao

AI-assisted, not kitchen-tested

Tangbao (Soup Dumplings)

Tangbao are delicate steamed soup dumplings from the Jiangnan region, prized for their thin skin and a mouthful of rich, savory broth. The trick is a gelatinized pork aspic that melts into soup during steaming, so every bite bursts with flavor.

Prep: 90 min
Cook: 12 min
Total: 102 min
Serves: Makes about 18 dumplings
Difficulty: Hard

Recipe ingredients

300 g (10½ oz) pork belly (skin on), for the aspic
100 g (3½ oz) pork skin, for the aspic
1 L (4¼ cups) water, for the aspic
3 g (1 tsp) ginger slices
15 g (1 tbsp) Shaoxing wine
1 g (¼ tsp) salt
300 g (10½ oz) ground pork (20% fat), for the filling
10 g (2 tsp) soy sauce, light
5 g (1 tsp) dark soy sauce
10 g (2 tsp) Shaoxing wine
3 g (1 tsp) sugar, caster
3 g (1 tsp) salt
2 g (½ tsp) white pepper, ground
8 g (1½ tsp) ginger, finely grated
30 g (2 tbsp) scallion, white part only, finely chopped
100 g (scant ½ cup) water or pork stock, cold, for the filling
300 g (2¼ cups) all-purpose flour, for the dough
150 ml (⅔ cup) hot water (~60°C/140°F), makes a half-hot dough
30 ml (2 tbsp) cold water
1 g (¼ tsp) salt
10 g (2 tsp) neutral oil, for kneading

Steps

1 Make the aspic 1 day ahead: Place pork belly, pork skin, ginger, Shaoxing wine, salt and 1 L water in a pot. Bring to a simmer, skim, then gently simmer for 3 hours until the pork skin is soft and the broth is cloudy.
2 Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a shallow metal tray. Discard solids. Cool, then refrigerate until fully set into a firm jelly, at least 6 hours or overnight.
3 Make the dough: Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Pour in the hot water and stir with chopsticks until shaggy, then add the cold water and bring together. Knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth, adding oil near the end. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
4 Make the filling: Combine ground pork with soy sauces, Shaoxing wine, sugar, salt, white pepper, ginger and scallion. Stir in one direction, gradually splashing in the cold water or stock until the mixture is paste-like and holds its shape.
5 Dice the chilled aspic into 5 mm (¼ in) cubes. Fold the aspic cubes gently into the pork mixture. Keep cold.
6 Roll the dough into a 2 cm (¾ in) rope and cut into 18 pieces (~15 g each). Roll each into a ball, then flatten and roll out to thin wrappers about 9 cm (3½ in) across, keeping the center slightly thicker than the edge.
7 Place about 20 g (a heaped tablespoon) of filling in the center of a wrapper. Pleat the edge: rotate the dumpling in one hand while folding the edge over the filling, making 14–18 pleats and twisting to seal the top into a small closed knot.
8 Line a bamboo steamer with parchment paper squares or cabbage leaves (lightly oiled). Place dumplings seam up, spaced 3 cm apart so they don't touch.
9 Bring a wok of water to a full boil. Steam the dumplings over rapidly boiling water for 10–12 minutes; the wrappers should turn translucent and the dumpling should feel heavy with liquid.
10 Serve immediately with Chinkiang vinegar and julienned ginger for dipping. Eat in one bite through the side: pierce the skin, let the steam escape, sip the soup, then eat the dumpling.

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🧺 Key ingredients

wheat flour
water
pork
crab (variation)
pork or chicken stock
gelatin (for soup jelly)
ginger
black vinegar
scallions

🍴 Where to eat it

The classic place to eat tangbao is Shanghai, where xiaolongbao are a morning ritual served from bamboo steamers in breakfast shops, dim sum restaurants and specialised soup-dumpling houses. Look for places that steam to order and pack the dumplings tightly in the basket to hold their shape. They are served with black vinegar and fresh ginger, and eaten by lifting the top pleat, biting a small hole to let the steam escape, then spooning in the broth. Larger soup dumplings meant to be pierced and drunk through a straw are more common in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

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