Dishes
Soup dumplings (tangbao)
湯包
Also called: 小籠湯包 · tangbao · xiaolongbao · 小籠包
Steamed buns with a pork filling and a mouthful of hot broth inside.
Photo: momo from Hong Kong, CC BY 2.0What it is
Tangbao is the family of soup-filled steamed buns that includes xiaolongbao. Kaohsiung's breakfast version is large and plump and looks more like a bun, with a cabbage and minced pork filling and plenty of broth.
Where it comes from
Xiaolongbao are usually traced to the Jiangnan region, with Changzhou and Nanxiang, now part of Shanghai, both named as birthplaces, and grew out of the soup-filled buns of Kaifeng.
How it is made
The meat filling is mixed with set aspic, wrapped in dough and steamed. The aspic melts into soup. Dough can be unleavened or partly leavened, the latter common in the south, which gives a softer, smoother skin.
How to eat it
The soup is very hot. Bite a small hole and sip the broth first, or hold the dumpling on a spoon. At Hsing Long Ju it is a pre-dawn breakfast with shaobing and salty soy milk.
In Kaohsiung
Queues form early in the morning at Hsing Long Ju, near Liuhe Night Market, which has made its big soup buns for more than 60 years.
Where to eat it in Kaohsiung
Sources