Why The XCJ is a Seattle Favorite for Dumplings

Are you looking for delicious Chinese dumplings just like the ones you’ll find on the streets of Shanghai?

Well, look no further because Xiao Chi Jie in Seattle has everything you’re looking for. Our dumplings stand out because we focus on the use of fresh ingredients and classical techniques. 

Keep reading to hear what customers and our community have to say about their experiences at XCJ.

Distinguished Chinese Street Food 

When people think about Chinese Food, it tends to be Americanized dishes created to fit the Western palate. Images of General Tso’s chicken, crab rangoons, and fortune cookies come to mind.

Our mission has always been to bring high-quality Chinese street food stateside to our customers. We wanted to make the best Chinese Street food in Seattle while still accurately representing Chinese cuisine.

To learn the classical art of the dumpling, we moved to China in March 2017 to train with masterful dumpling chefs in Shanghai. These chefs were dedicated to their process, oftentimes waking up at 3 am to prep, and not finishing until well past 9 pm making dumplings. Under these skilled mentors, we spent an immense amount of time studying recipes passed down and perfected through generations, and learning how to recreate their magic. We were dedicated to learning such a rich craft and mastering their classical techniques. 

Our time was well spent and we returned to the U.S. aiming to bring these rich textures and flavors to Seattle locals. Not only did we do this, but we also brought this beloved Chinese street food to the hearts and homes nationally with our frozen soup dumplings.

What Are Chinese Baos and Dumplings? 

If you're not familiar with these delicious Chinese dishes, you’re about to be!  

A Bao is a soft, steamed bun, usually filled with a savory filling, and is traditionally steamed in a bamboo basket to waft a wooden aroma. But, The XCJ specifically makes soup dumpling baos. This includes xiao long bao, which is similar to a steamed dumpling, and sheng jian bao, which is its pan-fried cousin with a more soft bun-like texture. 

While you could probably eat a whole dumpling bao it's not always advisable as it could burn your mouth. It is recommended that you let it cool, use chopsticks to retrieve it from the steamer, plop it onto a soup spoon, dunk it in traditional Chinese dipping sauces and enjoy!

Reviews of The XCJ 

Before sinking your teeth into any menu, you want to know what others are saying about it. 

The Seattle Met notes that The XCJ has broadened the spectrum of what a soup dumpling can be. The delicious, soup-filled parcels known as xiao long bao are traditionally steamed. But, The XCJ also produces an authentic Sheng Jian Bao, a pan-fried, pork-filled dumpling that has a crispier, thicker skin to keep the broth inside.

The Seattle Times reports that food critic Tan Vinh tried over 1,000 frozen dumplings and listed The XCJ in his top 10 favorites. He stated that the "pork tastes leaner than some of the other contenders" and suggests you give the chili oil and umami sauces a try. Not only this, but he also compliments the pork-shrimp dumplings, saying they were better than the pork-crab dumplings other restaurants were serving up. 

Alyssa Therrien from Daily Hive, Dished Seattle said that these soup dumplings are the "quarantine food you didn't know you needed," suggesting you should give this Seattle favorite a try. 

And if you're looking for the opinion of regular consumers, The XCJ has tons of reviews on our website. Overall, we average a 5-star review out of our 723 reviews in total. 

There’s high acclaim all around!

The Menu 

If you want a taste of the best dumplings in Seattle, you must give one of these items a try. It is a simple yet perfectly crafted menu to give you all the flavors you're looking for. 

We offer a 2-piece and 5-piece sheng jian bao filled with pork, one with the option to add a side of Sichuan cabbage or sliced garlic cucumbers. Additionally, we also offer a steamed 12-piece xiao long bao filled with either pork or a shrimp-pork filling. And for the oh-so-important traditional Chinese dipping sauces, you can get our XCJ crafted jars of classic black vinegar, ginger and scallion umami, and chili oil crisp. 

And it's all decently priced, so you won't break the bank for this delicious meal!

Frozen Dumplings 

Not only can you enjoy our mouthwatering, steamed dumplings fresh from the restaurant, but you can also have them at home. 

Making dumplings from scratch at home can be challenging, tedious, and they often don't come out how you envision. But The XCJ offers frozen dumplings that are the real deal, just eaten at your own convenience. We make the dumplings only a day or two before you actually receive them, so you're always getting a fresh product. 

The frozen dumplings we offer include a 50 pack of xiao long bao soup dumplings delivered straight to your door, which steams in just minutes.

And if you don’t have experience steaming food, not to worry. The XCJ offers a bamboo steamer basket and provides detailed steaming instructions for your xiao long bao. This steamer is a traditional Chinese cooking tool and very easy to use!  

And if you can't get enough of this frozen meal, you can also get a monthly subscription box.

Get the Best Dumplings Seattle Has To Offer 

If you weren't hungry before reading this, you probably are now. So go get some baos and soup dumplings! You won't regret eating these fresh Chinese dumplings Seattle is known for.