Soup dumplings are filled with chicken or a mixture of pork and crab at Dashi Sichuan Kitchen + Bar.

These soup dumplings are filled with pork at Tang Street.

These soup dumplings are filled with chicken or pork at Tiger’s Chinese Cuisine.

Soup dumplings are filled with chicken or a mixture of pork and crab at Sichuan House.

Xiaolongbao, better known as soup dumplings in the U.S., are nothing new, but they are having a moment in San Antonio. The small, broth-filled pouches of dough have popped up on menus and Instagram accounts across the city in recent months.

If you’ve spent any time tracking dining trends online, you’d think soup dumplings were invented about five years ago, when they took social media accounts and food blogs across the country by storm. But the dish’s history goes much further back. Soup dumplings were first developed more than 150 years ago in Changzhou, China, and are most often associated with Shanghainese cuisine.

In their most elemental form, xiaolongbao are petite nibbles not unlike many forms of steamed dumplings found on menus or dim sum carts in Chinese restaurants. Their defining characteristic is a small ball of meat and a pool of fragrant and flavorful “soup” contained inside a thin skin of dough held tight by a series of pleated folds.

That “soup” is the result of molten gelatin. The fillings for soup dumplings are typically made by folding together meat, aromatic components and finely diced aspic made by simmering bones, skin and other animal parts containing high levels of gelatin that is cooled until set. When the dumplings are steamed, that gelatin melts and turns liquid again.

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Kristina Zhao, owner of Sichuan House and Dashi Sichuan Kitchen + Bar recently added soup dumplings to the menu at both of her restaurants, and they’ve become a quick hit with customers.

“People have been asking for them for a long time,” Zhao said. “We had to bring our game.”

At Zhao’s restaurants, soup dumplings come in two forms: one filled with chicken, and the other stuffed with a mixture of pork and crab. But soup dumplings, like many other foods that have evolved over time, can vary widely.

“You can put whatever filling you want in dumplings. They’re open to interpretation,” she said. “It’s about how you utilize ingredients and make something delicious out of them.”

Soup dumplings are often delivered to the table in a piping hot steamer basket. The biggest faux pas a diner can make, Zhao said, is popping one directly into their mouth. The violent eruption of near-boiling broth that’ll occur when you bite down is a surefire recipe for a scorched and scalded palate.

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Instead, Zhao suggests placing the dumpling in a soup spoon, making a tiny incision in the dough with your teeth and allowing the steaming broth to escape into the spoon. Once it’s cooled for a few seconds, it’ll be safe to eat without risk of bodily harm.

The most common condiment served alongside soup dumplings is a soy-based dipping sauce, but those can vary as much as the dumpling itself. Some restaurants offer straight soy sauce, while others whip up a more dynamic and complex blend of flavors. Zhao flavors hers with vinegar, ginger, garlic and sesame oil.

“People like to enjoy them with a little acidity and a little vinegar bite to it,” she said.

However you like your soup dumplings prepared, there are more options than ever to try them in San Antonio. Here are four restaurants where you can find them on the menu.

Soup dumplings are filled with chicken or a mixture of pork and crab at Dashi Sichuan Kitchen + Bar.

At this stylish new Thousand Oaks area restaurant, xiaolongbao are called “soup dumplings” on the menu and are filled with either chicken or a mixture of pork and crab, and served six to an order for $14. The skins on these dumplings are remarkably thin and taut with very precise pleated folds sealing in a generous quantity of flavorful broth.

While you’re there, be sure to sample some of Dashi’s remarkable Sichuanese fare, including whole fried fish, spicy lobster and lamb chops flavored with chile and cumin. Dashi also has a full bar serving a wide range of beer, wine and craft cocktails.

Dashi Sichuan Kitchen + Bar, 2895 Thousand Oaks Drive, 210-562-3343, sichuandashi.com, Facebook: @sichuandashi

Soup dumplings are filled with chicken or a mixture of pork and crab at Sichuan House.

You’ll find the same soup dumplings served at Dashi at this West Side staple located near Ingram Park Mall. They’re just as plump and overflowing with flavorful broth, all that goodness encased in a wrapper with a perfect chew. When augmented with a splash of tangy and savory dipping sauce, these soup dumplings deliver an unforgettable flavor that will keep you coming back for more.

Sichuan House is the perfect place to enjoy those dumplings (six for $14) with a bottle of wine from your own cellar. While the restaurant doesn’t have a bar, they do allow you to bring your own booze for corkage fee that varies based on the bottle.

Sichuan House, 505 Wurzbach Road, Suite 102, 210-509-9999, sichuaneats.com, Facebook: Sichuan House

These soup dumplings are filled with pork at Tang Street.

Soup dumplings have been available at this restaurant since it opened on the North Side along U.S. 281 in 2013, although you’ll have to hunt for them on the menu. They’re listed as “Steam Pork Buns” and sold seven to an order for $7.99.

The broth in these dumplings is remarkably thick and full-bodied with a deep, porky flavor that’s perfectly accompanied by a dipping sauce spiked with pungent scallion. But you’ll have to enjoy them on the go: Tang Street is currently open for takeout only.

Tang Street, 16111 San Pedro Ave., 210-490-1788, tangstreet.net, Facebook: Tang street Chinese restaurant

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These soup dumplings are filled with chicken or pork at Tiger’s Chinese Cuisine.

This newcomer from Houston arguably kicked off the recent soup dumpling craze in San Antonio when it opened in February. The restaurant has been packed since then, with most tables sporting at steamer basket loaded with soup dumplings. They’re listed on the menu as “xiaolongbao” (10 dumplings for $9.95) and available with either pork or beef.

While not as brothy as other dumplings available in San Antonio, these have a very deep and savory flavor with well-seasoned meat and a touch of aromatics that require nothing more than a dribble of soy sauce to shine. Wash them down with an ice-cold Asahi or Tsing Tao beer for a perfect appetizer experience.

Tiger’s Chinese Cuisine, 12730 W. Interstate 10, Suite 312, 210-538-5080, tigerchinesecuisine.com, Facebook: Tiger’s Chinese Cuisine

pstephen@express-news.net | Twitter: @pjbites | Instagram: @pjstephen

Paul Stephen moved to San Antonio from North Carolina in 2017 to join the Express-News Taste team. In that time, he's cooked through about 1,000 recipes, noshed at more than 200 restaurants and seriously considered getting a map of the city's grocery stores tattooed on his arm for easy reference. He cannot be trusted around your cookbook collection.