Zhong dumplings are a Chengdu institution, named for the snack shop that has served them since the early 1900s. Unlike northern dumplings, which lean on vinegar, these are drenched in a sweetened soy and chili oil sauce that makes them unmistakably Sichuan. The original shop still draws lines of regulars, home cooks have spent a century trying to copy the sauce, and a proper bowl of Zhong dumplings is a rite of passage for visitors to Chengdu.
Chengdu’s sweet-and-spicy dumpling institution
The filling is simple, just pork and a whisper of ginger, but the sauce is the point: glossy, sweet, garlicky, and only mildly spicy. The dumplings themselves are small and neat, with thin wrappers that turn slightly translucent where the sauce soaks through. They are served as a snack or appetizer, though most people admit to finishing a plate as a meal, spooning extra sauce over each dumpling as they eat.
Craving more? Explore all Sichuan Kitchen recipes.
New to these flavors? Our Beginner’s Guide to Asian Sauces & Seasonings explains every pantry staple used here.
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