The following is the recipe for the famed giant soup dumplings. The recipe makes two large soup dumplings, and instructions for the dipping sauce are also included in the recipe. You'll start by preparing an aspic, a gelatinous pork broth that's the secret to the dumpling's soup-like interior and which needs to rest for 24 hours to solidify. The dough is made the following day, as is the filling, which needs to have a paste-like consistency, and the dumplings are then assembled and, ideally, should be steamed in individual bamboo baskets. Apart from their deliciousness, it's also their visual appeal that made them hugely popular.

This recipe gives instructions on preparing the steamed char siu bao in a way adjusted to Western kitchens and in less time. The buns will be done in a few hours instead of days, as is the case with the traditional recipe. The dough is leavened with yeast and baking powder; the cornstarch makes for super white buns, and the baking powder causes the buns to crack open at the top during steaming. 

The following is the recipe for traditional Shanghai-style xiaolongbao dumplings. It gives instructions on how to make the wrappers and the pork and jelly filling from scratch. The recipe comes from Clarissa Wei, a freelance journalist and expert on Taiwanese and Chinese cuisine. Made in Taiwan is her first cookbook. We suggest using two wrappers to practice forming a dumpling then use the remaining eight for making the dumplings.

The following is the recipe for Wuxi-style xiaolongbao dumplings, which are sweeter and have thinner skin than those from Shanghai. In this variant, the filling is seasoned with oyster sauce, which is both salty and sweet, and sugar, thus resulting in sweeter-tasting dumplings. The recipe gives instructions on how to prepare the wrappers, the pork jelly for the filling, and the filling from scratch. For even more sweet flavor, it's best to pair these dumplings with Chinese black vinegar, which has a slightly sweet and acidic taste.

This recipe gives instructions on preparing baked cha siu bao buns. The dough is super soft and fluffy, while the filling is full of flavors that balance each other out perfectly. The sesame seeds for the topping are optional but don’t forget to glaze the buns with sugar syrup while still hot to give them a lovely shine.