I grew up before soup dumplings were commonplace. I remember my father, who immigrated to the United States as a young college student from mainland China, trying to explain them to me before I visited Shanghai for the first time. He made me practice how to say xiao long bao and taught me how to recognize this region’s most famous dumpling style.
There, the dumplings are served with straws sticking out of the tops for easy slurping. Still, I burned the heck out of my mouth in my eagerness. I wasn’t used to the type of Chinese black vinegar available in China, plus I accidentally ordered celery dumplings, so the whole experience left a bad taste in my mouth.
Ironically, it wasn’t until I was back in the U.S., and several years older, that I finally understood what the fuss over soup dumplings was all about.
Frozen soup dumplings took off during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of us couldn’t go out for food, but food could come to us from practically anywhere — fancy restaurants, innovative startups, even your neighbor’s kitchen. Cozy comfort was what was needed then, as it is now — and what’s more cozy and comforting than adorable pockets of dough filled with meat, literally bursting with rich broth that warms you with experiential joy?
My new-favorite brand, Synear, was previously only available in select Asian markets. Recently I spotted them in Costco, and yes, they are available in stores nationwide. A comfort, indeed.
What’s So Great About Synear Pork Soup Dumplings?
The chicken soup dumplings are objectively great, but the pork ones steal the show.
With either filling, these bite-size dumplings are extra soupy. They pop like juicy boba if you eat them incorrectly (like me) and throw them sauced and whole in your mouth rather than nibbling off the top and allowing the broth to spill out into your soup spoon. Both are filled with lean-but-flavorful meat. The texture is firm but not dense or overworked, and soft but not loose.
The dough is also flawless. It’s thicker and therefore less fragile and less prone to breakage after steaming, compared to other brands I’ve tried, but considerably thinner than Western-helmed brands, providing an ideal dough-to-filling ratio.
Then there’s the flavor — particularly that of the pork-filled. It’s the most gingery iteration I’ve tried from any freezer aisle, which gives the richness of the pork broth a zesty spark that lightens it up without sacrificing savory satisfaction. The rice wine in the recipe adds a subtle zip that enhances the presence of the ginger and counters the salinity of the broth.
This soup dumpling’s recipe was clearly developed with the Chinese palate in mind, which is perhaps why it’s been low-key “the top-selling brand in the ethnic and specialty stores,” according to Synear’s U.S. website. It was the exclusive supplier of dumplings for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. The Zengzhou, China-based company later started distributing them from the Chatsworth, California, subsidiary established in 2015.
What’s the Best Way to Use Synear Pork Soup Dumplings?
The best way to cook them is with a bamboo steamer lined with perforated parchment paper (you can use the liners more than once). This will keep the dumplings from sticking to the base of your steamer baskets and tearing upon removal.
Set up your steamer tray(s) as you get the water in your skillet or wok to a rolling boil, then let the water vapor do its thing for 12 minutes as you cook them covered. After that, let it sit, covered, for a minute to let it settle down.
Normally, dumplings like these are appetizers and not meals; they’re meant to be served family-style and plucked individually, directly from the steamer basket, by each diner. But I love me a mess of dumplings for dinner. I carefully grasp each of them ever-so-gently with grippy chopsticks (I use these textured fiberglass ones), pile them into a pasta bowl, then douse them in chili crunch oil, like the ones from Bowlcut or MiLa before pouring a glug of Chinese black vinegar over it. (Chinkiang vinegar is fairly accessible at most Asian markets and more traditional, but I love the Shanxi mature vinegars for their bold depth and full body.)
You can also go the fusion route and do Tia Lupita Salsa Macha for even more complex texture or sweetness. The one with peanuts adds a great crunch, but the juicy cranberry version is amazing if you like sweet and salty as a combo.
Serve with a big, refreshing salad or simply seasoned sautéed veggies to allow the soup dumplings to remain the star. It’s an easy and satisfying meal that’s ready in under 15 minutes.
Have you spotted a new-favorite grocery at Costco? Tell us about it in the comments below.
