HC Dumpling House

Hu Chiang Dumpling House - CLOSED
Cupertino Village
10877 North Wolfe Road
Cupertino, CA 95014
(408) 873-4813

Vitals:
closed Tuesday
kid friendly
accepts credit cards
price: $6-15

If you’ve ever had Shanghi steamed dumpling (xiao long bao), then this place makes some of the best that I’ve found in my many years of searching. If you haven’t had these, then you have to try them at least once and you’ll be in for a treat.
Generally, xiao long bao is made as follows:

• the wrapping is a thin skin made of unleavened flour
• the stuffing in a traditional dumpling is made of fatty pork, but you can find combinations of pork and some other meat or vegetable
• a small amount of chopped pig skin or gelatin may be wrapped within the meat stuffing in order to get a soupy consistency
• steamed in small bamboo containers

The place is generally packed so either come early or late otherwise you’ll be waiting for a while. They will ask you at the front whether you’d be willing to share a large table with another party, and generally I’m so hungry that I don’t mind sitting across some stranger as I’m usually stuffing my face as fast I can with the delicious steamed dumplings.

The best way to eat the dumplings is to pick one up as gently as possible so that you don’t break the thin skin and then place it in one of the wide spoons provided. I like to dip my dumpling first in the black vinegar and put some slivers of ginger on top. Since the dumplings are scalding hot when they arrive at the table, for the first dumpling, I test the temperature by biting the skin so that some of the juice comes out and then slurp the entire dumpling into my mouth. Utter bliss. Sometimes I’m impatient and end up burning my mouth (but it’s almost worth it). After the dumplings have cooled a bit, I’ll just slurp the entire dumping into my mouth. I think the reason why so many people are passionate about xiao long baos is that it is such a decadent food in a neat little package. The skin is thin but is slightly chewy, the meat melts in your mouth and you get a squirt of the soup or juice that has a delicious and salty richness. I’d try the traditional dumplings first, but the other varieties are also noteworthy. The pork and crab dumplings are also really good as are the shrimp and loofah dumplings (both pictured below, the shrimp dumplings are in the back of the picture). What’s nice is that you get 8 dumplings (my dining companion took one of the dumplings before I could take a picture) per order, and when I order several types of dumpling, it's enough to share and satisfy my dumpling cravings.

Other than the dumplings, which should the centerpiece of your meal (otherwise, why else are you going to a dumpling house?) there are a few other good dishes. The beef roll is good as an appetizer. The bread surrounding the beef is chewy but not too tough and it’s a nice complement to the beef. If you’re in the mood for something spicy, the spicy chicken in the cold dishes/appetizer section is also pretty good. I also like to order some veggies with my meal, so I generally order the sautéed vegetables (either spinach, broccoli or other seasonal vegetable) or the eggplant with basil. The eggplant comes in a hotpot and the eggplant isn’t too mushy, but is covered with a strong soy basil sauce that is salty and slightly sweet at the same time. The dish may be a bit strong, but I love the combination of flavors.

Recommendations:

• traditional Shanghai steamed dumplings
• steamed dumpling with crab meat paste
• shrimp and loofah dumplings
• eggplant with basil
• green beans with pancake

Dishes that didn’t impress:

• vegetarian dumpling with mushroom. The texture was a bit strange and the dumplings didn’t have much flavor.
• rice cake. People either love or hate this dish. I found that the pieces of rice cake were chewy and hard and the sauce didn’t have any flavor (other than a bit of saltiness). I guess the texture just turned me off a bit.
• green onion pancake. The pancake was thin, tough and dry and didn’t have much of a green onion taste. I’m used to the ones that are toasted on the outside and the inside is soft and chewy and there is a slightly salty green onion flavor in each bite. Sadly disappointed with this dish.

Tip – if you pay in cash you may get an additional 5% discount.