How to Eat Shanghai Soup Dumplings

Co-authored by Hannah Madden

Last Updated: June 18, 2020 References Tested

Soup dumplings are delicious balls of dough that contain pork and broth inside. When they first come to your table, you might be tempted to pop one in your mouth right away. However, since they are so hot, you may end up burning your tongue. With a few simple steps, you can let the dumplings cool down and add some sauces for extra flavor before enjoying your delicious appetizer.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:
Adding Sauce and Ginger Slices

1
Mix soy sauce, vinegar, and sliced ginger together in a bowl. You can do whatever ratio of sauces you’d like, but the most common is 1 part soy sauce to 3 parts vinegar. Grab some sliced ginger and mix it in with the sauces to give it a kick.^{[1]
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- Use one of the small bowls that is specifically for sauces.
2
Pick the dumpling up with chopsticks. Hold 2 chopsticks with your thumb and pointer finger. Pinch the chopsticks together near the top of the sticks so you have more control. You can pick up the dumpling however it’s easiest, but you may have better luck grabbing it near the knot of dough at the top.^{[2]
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- The dumplings will be hot, so don't try to grab them with your bare hands.
- Chopsticks can take a little practice to use. Don’t worry if you need to try a couple times!
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3
Dip the dumpling into the sauce mixture. Holding the dumpling with your chopsticks, gently dip it into your soy sauce, vinegar, and ginger mixture. You can put on as much or as little sauce as you’d like to.^{[3]
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- You don’t have to add sauce if you don’t want to, but it does add some nice complementary flavors to the dumpling.
Alternative: You can also pour the sauce into the spoon, then set your dumpling in it to soak if you want more flavor.
4
Top the dumpling with ginger if you’d like to add some spice. If you like a little kick with your food, grab a few slices of the fresh ginger and dab them onto the dumplings. Ginger is super strong, so only use 1 or 2 slices.^{[4]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:
Spooning the Dumpling into Your Mouth

1
Set the dumpling onto the large spoon. Your dumplings most likely came in a wooden basket along with a large, wide spoon. Use your chopsticks to drop the dumpling into the spoon, holding the spoon on your non-dominant hand.^{[5]
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- The spoon should be just large enough to hold your dumpling.
2
Poke a hole in the dumpling with your chopsticks. Holding your chopsticks close together in 1 hand, push them into the side of the dumpling and then pull them apart to make a hole. After that, you can set your chopsticks aside.^{[6]
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- This will release the juice and flavor of the dumpling so that it runs down the sides. It will also allow some heat to escape so that you won’t burn your mouth when you eat it.
- You shouldn’t need to work too hard at poking a hole, since dumplings are pretty thin.
3
Eat the entire dumpling in 1 bite. Pick up the spoon by the handle and put the entire dumpling into your mouth. It should be cool enough that you can eat it without burning your tongue.^{[7]
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- If it’s too hot, let your next dumpling cool down for a few minutes after you poke the hole in it.
Alternative: You can also let the juices run out of the dumpling, take the dumpling out of the spoon, and then drink the juices. After that, you can eat your dumpling whole in 1 bite.^{[8]
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Warnings

When the dumplings first come to your table, they’ll be super hot. Resist the temptation to eat them right away, and open them up with a hole to release some of the steam.

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