15. Xiaolongbao Kaifeng xiaolongbao, also called soup dumplings, trace their roots back to broth-filled buns …
15. Xiaolongbao
Kaifeng xiaolongbao, also called soup dumplings, trace their roots back to broth-filled buns from the Eastern Capital, Kaifeng. People say that among the city's seventy-two famous restaurants, Wanglou once sold "Cave Blossom Buns," crowned "Kaifeng's finest."
But that's for scholars to write down and tourists to repeat.
If you really want xiaolongbao, find a proper local stall. Order a bowl of millet soup first, squeeze into a gap at one of those low tables, and sit shoulder to shoulder with the locals. Then ask for a steaming basket of dumplings.
Let the millet soup cool a little and sip it from the rim. Too hot and it burns. Too cool and the aroma fades, and the soup starts to set.
While you wait, get ready for the real work. Unlike breakfast foods that taste the same in every bite and can be wolfed down without thinking, xiaolongbao is the most delicate thing on the stall's menu. The soup inside is scalding and fragrant. Bite too big and you'll pay for it. Bite too small and the soup, filling, and thin skin fall apart into separate mouthfuls, and that's no fun at all.
Xiaolongbao takes practice. Eat enough of them, and you'll finally learn how to enjoy them properly.
Millet soup might not be everyone's first choice, but anything too salty dulls the dumplings, and tofu pudding is too light. Millet soup is nearly plain yet still fragrant, with little grains that press against your tongue. That solid, honest sip makes the dumplings feel even thinner-skinned, meatier, and more beautiful.
As for why it's millet and not rice, maybe it's just because that street only sells millet soup. Still, if you spot another soup, try it. You might discover something new.