Cover Eating baozi and dumplings is akin to opening a surprise. (Photo: Mikhail Nilov / Pexels)
Eating baozi and dumplings is akin to opening a surprise. (Photo: Mikhail Nilov / Pexels)
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Go beyond baozi in this journey through chewy skins, crisp edges and gelatinous treasures
If there’s one unspoken rule in Asian kitchens, it might be this: everything tastes better when there’s something hiding inside.
Across the region, entire food traditions are built on the act of wrapping, folding or tucking one ingredient into another. It’s part craft, part instinct and wholly satisfying—because inside every stuffed food lies something more than just filling. It’s labour, recollections and comfort packed into dough, leaf or gelatinous shell. Some are hand-pinched with surgical precision. Others are scrappy, rustic and meant to be eaten in two unceremonious bites. But they all deliver the same thrill: bite in, and surprise awaits.
In case you missed it: The different types of rice dumplings
Here’s a textural tour of Asia’s most beloved filled foods, from the crispy puffs and the chewy dumplings to the meltingly soft baozi. When it comes to culinary satisfaction, Asia has always known to tuck the good stuff in layers and surprise the eater.
1. Curry puffs (Southeast Asia)
A colonial-era hybrid that took on a life of its own, the curry puff is flaky, golden and unapologetically greasy (but in the best way). Found everywhere from Singapore kopitiams to Thai night markets (karipap), these half-moon snacks are filled with curried potatoes, chicken or sardines, often with a whisper of sweetness. Think of them as a crisp baozi. However, what makes them addictive is the contrast: a blistered, crunchy shell that flakes apart as your teeth sink into something molten, spiced and soulful. This is Asia’s answer to the empanada, but with an extra layer of complexity in both flavour and pastry technique.
Don't miss: The best curry puffs in Singapore, according to local chef Willin Low
2. Baozi (China and the rest of Asia)
Above Xiaolongbao falls under the baozi category. (Photo: Yu / Unsplash)
Xiaolongbao falls under the baozi category. (Photo: Yu / Unsplash)
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Soft, pillowy and eternally comforting, the bao feels less like a snack and more like a soft hug disguised as breakfast. Whether it’s savoury pork-stuffed cha siu bao or sweet red bean buns, there’s something deeply satisfying about tearing into a warm bun and discovering a steaming centre. The dough is half the story: made with yeast and sugar, it becomes a tender wrapper that holds moisture, flavour and warmth. Across Asia, variations abound: Korea’s hoppang, Japan’s nikuman and the now-global xiao long bao. The bao’s genius lies in its texture: slightly chewy, slightly squishy, always gentle.
3. Momos (Tibet, Nepal, India’s Northeast)
High-altitude dumplings with low-key cult status, momos are bite-sized miracles. Thicker-skinned than their Chinese baozi cousins, they’re often filled with minced meat, vegetables or yak cheese, and served with a face-punching chilli-tomato achar. Each fold speaks to its maker’s hands. Steamed or pan-fried, momos offer the ultimate chew—resilient but never tough, yielding just enough to make you pause before reaching for another. Born in the Himalayas, they’re now beloved in Delhi food trucks and beyond.
4. Zongzi (China)
Sticky rice, braised pork belly, salted duck egg and shiitake mushrooms folded together and bound in bamboo leaves? That’s the zongzi blueprint, but within it lies endless regional expression. Eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival, zongzi is one of the oldest stuffed traditions in Asia, with origins tracing back to ancient China. Its power lies in its density. Chewy glutinous rice absorbs the fatty umami of the filling, and the leaf imparts an earthy fragrance you can’t recreate with foil. Sweet versions exist too, with red bean or dates, proving once again that rice can carry everything—flavour, history, emotion.
5. Saku sai moo (Thailand)
These glutinous tapioca pearls filled with sweet-savoury minced pork and peanuts are tiny bombs of texture. Known as saku sai moo, they’re steamed until translucent, then brushed with garlic oil and served with fresh chillies and crisp lettuce. The first bite is confusing in the best way: the skin is slippery and sticky, barely containing the punchy, gingery filling inside. Popular as street snacks and temple offerings, they’re a masterclass in balance. Each bite is a battle between soft versus crunchy, sweet versus salty and refined versus rustic.
6. Siomai / shumai (China, Philippines, Indonesia)
Above Shumai (Photo: Change C.C / Pexels)
Shumai (Photo: Change C.C / Pexels)
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A dim sum mainstay turned street-food staple, siomai adapts to its surroundings. In Hong Kong, it’s a shrimp and pork blend wrapped in thin dough and steamed to a bouncy finish. In the Philippines, it’s often filled with ground pork and topped with garlic oil and soy-calamansi dip. Indonesia adds its own twist, sometimes pairing it with peanut sauce. No matter the country, the joy is consistent. Here, you get a soft wrapper clinging to juicy meat, the steam rising as you bite in. Just like baozi, this is the kind of food you eat three of before realising you meant to have just one.
Sasha Lim Uy Mariposa is a lifestyle journalist who is known for her food writing. Based in Manila and currently a marketing content specialist, she still dabbles in entertainment, beauty and dining coverage. She was the former managing editor of Esquire Philippines and was the food editor at SPOT.ph. She also edited several best-selling books about food.
She now writes for the different Tatler Asia markets as a contributing writer for T-Labs.
