Frozen XLB

Having been relatively deprived of good Xiao Long Bao, I was happy to discover a cheap and decent fix for my XLB habit. Wei Chuan introduced a new product called "Mini Pork Buns"
http://www.weichuanusa.com/images/products/Product%20updates%203-10-06/Mini%20Buns.gif
that could give local restaurants a run for their money.
I bought a package of 22 at H-Mart for $3.69 (though likely also available in Chinatown markets) and the first thing I noticed was that the buns are not pre cooked like other frozen bao's. They were also appropriately small sized. I rushed to get them on to the steamer before they started melting and thus get sticky. I lined my steamer with cheese cloth (didn't have the suggested cabbage leaves on hand) which caused some breakage when I tried to pluck them onto a plate. The intact ones were great though: they were soupy! The skin was thin but unfortunately not to the translucent level. The meat was strong on ginger, which suited me but might not others. I was too thrilled by the soup and having the happy dilemna of whether to wait for the bao to cool down and risk a decreased volume of soup or to go all out for the soup and risk burning my mouth. In the end I compromised with the nip a hole into the side and blowing for just a couple of seconds before popping the whole thing into my mouth.
I'm pretty thrilled about them and according to Wei Chuan's page http://www.weichuanusa.com/a_product_new.htm, there's a crab flavor too, but I didn't see it at H-Mart. I think the keys to preparation are direct from the freezer to the steamer and a good base on the steamer that allows for easy non skin breaking release.
I hope to hear from other people on the board to see how they compare this XLB to the restaurant versions.[/url]

Thanks, apx, I have H-Mart on my schedule today. You've just added something very intriguing to my list. Looking forward to your further finds.

-ramon

Hey Ramon, I was just at H-Mart this afternoon! Sorry I missed seeing you there. Didn't read this dumpling thread until just now, so I missed those, too.':cry:'

However, I've decided to do my Christmas shopping at super H-mart, and I am quite sure that I will run into someone from the board there sooner or later. Live blue crabs $2.99/lb.!!!

BTW they were located in the open freezers (not the ones with the doors) in the frozen food aisle the last couple of times I went.