Types of Sauce for Soup Dumplings | MiLa

Your Cart

Free shipping for orders over $99!

Products

Total

Shipping

Calculated in checkout

Taxes

Calculated in checkout

Subtotal

(0 items)

Sale price: $0.00

Continue to Checkout

Continue Shopping

Your cart is currently empty.

Click here to continue shopping.

Menu of Cravings

\ \ Dumplings\ \ \ \ Noodles\ \ [New\ \ \ Bundles\ \ \ \ Desserts\ \ [Retail Exclusives\ \ [Sauces\ \ [Steamer basket\ \

Shop all Products Subscribe

Group GiftingEdit gift message 🎁

More Log in

\ \ Spicy Hot Pot Beef Soup Dumplings](/content/products/spicy-hot-pot-beef-soup-dumplings-3pk-30-dumplings/index.html)

\ Soup Dumplings\ \ 6 Flavors Available](/content/products/classic-pork-xiao-long-bao/index.html) \ Potstickers\ \ 1 Flavor Available](/content/products/potstickers/index.html)

Back Shop all Dumplings

Store Locator More Log in

\ Spicy Dan Dan Noodles \ Braised Beef Noodles \ Caramelized Scallion Noodles \ Sweet & Savory Noodles

Back Shop all Noodles

MiLa’s Cookbook

All Recipes

\ Pho Soup Dumplings with Basil Wrap](/content/blogs/recipes/pho-soup-dumplings-with-basil-wrap/index.html) \ Cheese Crusted Juicy Potstickers](/content/blogs/recipes/cheese-crusted-juicy-potstickers/index.html)

Support

Gifting Experience Shipping FAQs Contact Us

About MILA

About Us Press Blogs Careers Affiliate Program

Back

Store Locator Log in

Types of Sauce for Soup Dumplings

October 26 2023

A soup dumpling without sauce to pair with it is like Bert without Ernie—sure, you can have one without the other, but they just work better together. That’s why it’s a great idea to find a sauce for soup dumplings that perfectly suits your palate.

Here’s a primer on what you need to know to zhuj up your soup dumpling experience with the perfect sauce.

Flavor Profiles of Soup Dumpling Sauces

Soup dumplings themselves are a savory, meaty, umami experience with light but complex flavor profiles in their own right. However, several different flavors complement the fillings in our soup dumplings perfectly, each one adding a unique depth to your Xiao Long Bao experience.

Acidic Flavors

The law of “opposites attract” is hard at work here. Because soup dumplings have a pleasant rich flavor in their own right, topping them with an acidic sauce made with vinegar is a great way to balance out the flavors. That way, the acidity cuts through the umami flavor in a way that allows it to still shine through in every bite.

Spicy Flavors

This combination is responsible for the same reason Buffalo wings are so deliciously addictive. Using spicy sauces like chili oil with soup dumplings allows the savory flavors in the broth and filling to shine. Together, they create a flavor experience with more than enough sass to keep things interesting with every bite.

Málà

We count mala (麻辣) as a different flavor subset that is distinct from ordinary spice. Derived from Sichuan peppercorn and chili, in addition to the spicy heat involved, there are also tingly, numbing elements that make mala a flavor all its own.

Sichuan peppercorns are tiny powerhouses that are responsible for that tingling sensation in everything from chili oil to mapo tofu.

A Note on Soy Sauce

Contrary to some common misconceptions, soy sauce typically isn’t a great pairing for soup dumplings on its own.

While we’re certainly not going to stop you if you do (more power to you), the salty flavor of soy sauce tends to clash with the salty, rich broth inside the soup dumpling. Therefore, the delicate flavor of the dumpling quite literally gets lost in the sauce.

If you’re looking for a balanced flavor that provides elements of the salty experience though, we offer an alternative that won’t compete quite as much with your late-night dumpling snack. Let’s start with one of our favorites.

Some of Our Favorite Sauces for Soup Dumplings

[_Add our sauce trio to your cart_](/content/products/hulu-sauce-jars "Click to add our Sauce Trio to your cart"/index.html)

Black Vinegar for Soup Dumplings

These two are like the Jay-Z and Beyoncé of the dumpling world—a true power couple. They’re also the most traditional way of enjoying soup dumplings, alongside thin slices of fresh ginger.

Zhenjiang black vinegar (鎭江香醋) originated in the eastern Chinese city of the same name and is made with black sticky rice and other grains. It’s also had 1,500 years to perfect itself into a condiment that adds acidity and a subtle sweetness to countless Chinese dishes. While it was once reserved only for royal officials and the ridiculously wealthy, it’s now considered a kitchen staple that can be found in practically every Chinese parent’s kitchen arsenal.

If you’re a sucker for a good soup dumpling like us, you also might have a jar of black vinegar waiting in the wings. If you’ve been enjoying your dumplings plain, we offer our own brand of classic black vinegar that will be your new go-to.

This tangy sauce slices through our umami-packed dumpling filling like a hot knife through butter, making for a perfectly balanced pair and an out-of-this-world dining experience, whether it’s time for an early brunch or a 3 a.m. late-night munchy.

Ginger Scallion Oil

Originating in Guangzhou, ginger scallion oil is a great way to get a taste of Cantonese cuisine in a few drops of sauce. After all, it perfectly captures the flavorful, fragrant dishes that are popular both in the region and in Chinese communities worldwide.

If you want to turn your soup dumplings into an umami explosion, it’s hard to go wrong with ginger scallion oil. Infusing the bold flavor of ginger with green scallions, this sauce goes with just about every situation under the sun and brings out the best in your dumpling experience.

We have our own take on this sauce, where we took a cue from Hainanese chicken rice sauce to bring out the flavors in our soup dumplings. And, it paid off—it’s now our best-selling condiment!

Chili Crunch

Using soybean and sesame oil as a base, chili crunch oil (or “chili crunch” for short) is a Sichuan-inspired blend, featuring 12 unique spices—with an extra-crunchy texture—that creates a tingly, spicy sensation that spreads over the whole tongue. It’s been popular all across China for centuries, where chefs from different regions all put their own spin on the recipe.

Since then, this fragrant, spicy oil has been enjoying a long spell in the limelight, and with good reason. It has earned a reputation in the West as being “delicious on anything,” including curries, pizza, and even the occasional charcuterie plate. The same holds true in China. Some fans will use it for everything from sauce for dumplings to part of their hotpot recipe.

However, we can’t help being a little biased—we love pairing our soup dumplings with chili crunch. Our handcrafted chili crunch is among the best, with its savory roasted flavor; bright, garlicky aroma; and tantalizing crunch.

Spicy Tomato Sauce for Soup Dumplings

If you’ve ever had Tibetan or Nepalese momos, this option might taste familiar. Following the idea of using acidic flavors like vinegar, a tomato-based sauce will cut through the umami of the soup dumplings the same way. This tomato sauce is spicy, tangy, and garlicky in a way seldom achieved by anyone other than Tibetan grandmas who have been making it alongside beef or chicken momos their whole lives.

However, this spicy tomato sauce is also pretty easy to make at home if you want to try crafting your own version of the recipe. You’ll just need these ingredients:

Simply blend the ingredients like a salsa and you’ll be on your way to a deliciously hot paradise. The tomatoes add an acidity that balances out with the rich, meaty filling inside a soup dumpling for a flavor experience that is both unusual and unforgettable.

Peanut Sauce

This one might sound like fighting fire with fire since peanut butter has savory elements to it as well, but we’ve tried it—and it works beautifully, especially when you pan-fry our soup dumplings. The creamy savory elements of the peanuts are just one level of the flavor depths in this sauce.

Combine our chili crunch with creamy peanut butter, light soy sauce, rice vinegar, and garlic to provide a vinegary contrast with just enough of a sweet-and-spicy kick. This will take your dumplings up a notch while impressing your date if you bring them back to your place after date night. Talk about a way to show that you’re partner material!

Tangy-Spicy Dumpling Sauce

Think of this as the Swiss Army knife of dumpling sauces—it’s a multipurpose sauce that works with everything from jiaozi (饺子) and shumai (烧卖) to our soup dumplings. It’s spicy, sweet, and salty, with just enough tang to bring it all together.

The Woks of Life created this sauce for themselves using sugar, rice vinegar, chili oil, soy sauce, garlic, and sesame oil.

This sauce is also the exception that proves our rule about using soy sauce for soup dumplings. Sure, it’s in the recipe, but it’s just one of the key players alongside our chili oil and rice vinegar. It all combines into a deep flavor that makes every bite of our soup dumplings into a symphony.

Let Your Dumplings Take a Dip Today

Don’t have any of the sauces we mentioned here at home? We can help you fix that—pick out your favorite sauce or order all three members of our Sauce Trio and start completing your dumpling experience today!

Thanks for contacting us! We'll get back to you shortly.

Thanks for signing up!

CloseRemove

Seal It with a Message

Tell us who’s lucky enough to receive MìLà, and what you’d like to say.

To

To is required

Invalid

From

From is required

Invalid

Message

0/210

Message is required

Invalid

Recipient's email

Invalid

Recipient's phone number

Invalid

Enter a mobile phone number

Email is required

When should we send your message?

Select a method for your message

Your message will be sent when you complete your order

Your message will be sent at the selected date and time

Date

Date is required

Select a date in the future

Time12:00 AM12:30 AM1:00 AM1:30 AM2:00 AM2:30 AM3:00 AM3:30 AM4:00 AM4:30 AM5:00 AM5:30 AM6:00 AM6:30 AM7:00 AM7:30 AM8:00 AM8:30 AM9:00 AM9:30 AM10:00 AM10:30 AM11:00 AM11:30 AM12:00 PM12:30 PM1:00 PM1:30 PM2:00 PM2:30 PM3:00 PM3:30 PM4:00 PM4:30 PM5:00 PM5:30 PM6:00 PM6:30 PM7:00 PM7:30 PM8:00 PM8:30 PM9:00 PM9:30 PM10:00 PM10:30 PM11:00 PM11:30 PM

Time is required

Select a time in the future

Your message will be sent when your order is delivered to your shipping address

Save messageAdd to cart

Powered by

Message saved

Gift card added to cart!

Message removed

Add a gift message 🎁Edit gift message 🎁

Check the balance of your gift card

Searching...

Not found

Expired on

Balance:

Initial balance:

Expires on:

CloseRemove

Seal It with a Message

Tell us who’s lucky enough to receive MìLà, and what you’d like to say.

To

To is required

Invalid

From

From is required

Invalid

Message

0/210

Message is required

Invalid

Recipient's email

Invalid

Recipient's phone number

Invalid

Enter a mobile phone number

Email is required

When should we send your message?

Select a method for your message

Your message will be sent when you complete your order

Your message will be sent at the selected date and time

Date

Date is required

Select a date in the future

Time is required

Select a time in the future

Your message will be sent when your order is delivered to your shipping address

Save messageAdd to cart

Powered by

Message saved

Gift card added to cart!

Message removed

eatmila.com

eatmila.com is blocked

This page has been blocked by an extension

ERR_BLOCKED_BY_CLIENT

Reload

This page has been blocked by an extension

shop.app

shop.app is blocked

This page has been blocked by an extension

ERR_BLOCKED_BY_CLIENT

Reload

This page has been blocked by an extension

Your Cart

Close Cart

Free Shipping

You are $99.00 away from FREE SHIPPING!

Progress: 0%

An Item in your cart is in high demand. Order now to reserve your delivery.

Your cart is reserved for the next 29:55 minutes

Your cart is empty.

Fill your cart for a delicious feast!