No wrap xiao long bao recipe (Chinese soup dumpling lasagna)
Easy no-fold soup dumpling cups with juicy filling. A cozy, Chinese-inspired dumpling lasagna–style shortcut to xiao long bao at home.
Servings: 12 cups
Equipment
- 12 small thin ceramic tea cups (mine are about 3.25–3.5 inches in diameter and roughly 2 inches tall)
Ingredients
For the soup dumpling:
- 1 lb ground pork or half pork; half chicken
- 0.25 oz ginger grated (about a 1.5-inch small knob)
- 0.32 clove garlic grated from 2 medium
- 2-3 scallions dice to small rounds
- 6 tbsp chicken broth
- 3 tbsp sake or 2 tbsp Chinese rice cooking wine
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- ½ tsp coarse sea salt
- ¼ tsp sugar optional
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 24 sheets wonton wrappers defrosted (or gluten-free version)
Serve:
- 1-2 scallion dice to small rounds
- 0.5 oz ginger peeled, julienne to thin strips (about a 2.5 inch fat knob)
- Drizzle Light soy sauce
- Drizzle Chinese black vinegar or rice vinegar
Instructions
Prepare the soup dumpling mixture
- In a large mixing bowl, add everything from the ground pork to the white pepper. Stir in one direction for about 3 minutes until the mixture has no more lumps. It will feel very wet at first, but as you mix, it becomes springy and thicker.
Fill the cups
- Place 1 wonton wrapper at the bottom of each cup.
- Scoop about 3 tablespoons of the pork mixture into each cup and use the back of a spoon to level it. Don’t press it down, and don’t overfill.
- Aim for about 2–3 small bites per cup. Too much meat will make the bao feel heavy and throw off the meat-to-wrapper balance.
- To “seal” the bao, dip 1 wonton wrapper in water to moisten it and place it on top of the filling. Gently press so it adheres. Repeat with all cups.
Steam the xiao long bao
- In a 12-inch deep sauté pan with a flat bottom, add ½ cup water and place the cups inside. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat, about 4–5 minutes. Drop the heat to low and steam for 12 minutes.
Check doneness
- Use a teaspoon to press gently into the meat. The juices should run clear. You can also break the center open to check for pink. If it’s not fully cooked, steam for 2 more minutes.
How to serve
- Carefully lift the cups out. Top each with scallions and a few ginger strips. Add a small splash of soy sauce and vinegar.
- Serve immediately while the wrappers are soft and the filling is warm. If served cold or at room temperature, the wrappers turn dry and lose their silky texture.
Notes
- Why add so much liquid to the filling? The chicken broth keeps the meat tender and juicy, so the dumplings don’t taste dense.
- Make-ahead: The pork mixture can be prepared 1 day ahead. Let it sit at room temperature to remove the chill before steaming.
- Steaming time: The exact time depends on the size and thickness of your ceramic cups.
- Use low heat: Keep the heat low while steaming. Medium or high heat can cause the water to bubble up and spill over.
- Batching tip: When filming, I steamed 12 cups by splitting them into two batches of 6 cups per pot.
- Smaller portions: You can cut the recipe in half or freeze extra filling. Defrost overnight before using.
- If using thicker ramekins: Add 2 extra minutes to the steaming time.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 153kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 314mg | Potassium: 141mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 35IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg
