This one-bite morsel, which means "little basket buns," looks simple to make. Yet only a few chefs in the world have mastered the meticulous process needed to make these pork-filled pouches.

Those who can prepare the elusive dish quickly reach celebrity status.

That explains why a recent visit by master chef Chang Jui-Ching created dumpling delirium in Utah.

Chang, 45, is the former chef at Din Tai Fung, a restaurant in the heart of Taipei. In 1993, it was named one of the best restaurants in the world by The New York Times largely because of its ethereal-tasting xiaolongbao.

Utah connoisseurs - who have to go to San Francisco or New York to get top-tier dumplings like Chang's - lined up early for his noontime demonstration at Kimball Distributing.

"When I was young, I used to eat a lot of dumplings," explained Jacob Tsai, a native of Taiwan who now lives in Provo.

"I try to learn," he said as he leaned in to get a better look at the chef in action, "because you can't get food like this in Utah."

Dozens of dumplings: In 1949, when the Communist Party took over mainland China, more than 2 million people escaped to the tiny island country of Taiwan. Taiwan's food was immediately injected with flavors from Canton, Peking, Hunan, Sichuan and Mongolia. The Taiwan people were especially fond of the little steamed dumpling from Shanghai.

"They took it and made it better," said Max Chang, a Utah businessman and a self-described dumpling fanatic who has eaten xiaolongbao all over the world. He and other members of Utah's Taiwan community brought the master chef and other artisans to Utah as part of a weeklong cultural festival.

Of course, there are dozens of kinds of dumplings in Taiwan.

Chef Chang, who began learning his craft at 17, served guests a baked, flaky-crust dumpling filled with pork and topped with black and white sesame seeds; a boiled shrimp-filled "water" dumpling; and sui mei or four-color dumpling, where the dough is pinched to create four open pockets that are filled with minced pieces of ham, carrots and cooked egg whites and yolks.

The dumplings are dipped in a mixture of soy sauce and vinegar.

"I lived in Taiwan and I miss the dumplings," explained Park City resident Bruce Cummings, who took time off work to attend the demonstration. "There's just a unique flavor to them that makes them the best on the planet."

Eating explosion: While all of Chang's dumplings were delicious, most attendees were there for xiaolongbao.

The dough for the dumpling, Chang explained through an interpreter, is a simple recipe made from two parts all-purpose flour, one part cold water and a dash of salt. The difficult part is rolling the dough into a small disc thin enough to melt in your mouth, but resilient enough not to break.

After placing a bite-size piece of seasoned pork filling into the middle of a piece of dough, Chang then seals each bun with dozens of tight twisted pleats. He makes the process look easy, but it is a skill that takes years to master.

Movie fans might remember the process expertly portrayed in the 1994 movie Eat Drink Man Woman.

The most time-consuming part of the xiaolongbao is the filling, which requires making a soup stock from scratch and cooling it to an almost solid state. Minced pieces of the solid stock are added to a pork filling. When the dumplings are steamed, the fat melts, bathing the meat in a rich, flavorful broth.

Xiaolongbao is then consumed in one bite, releasing the soup and creating an ethereal rich, warm explosion in your mouth. Inexperienced diners sometimes puncture the bun, he said, draining the soup and depriving themselves of this other-worldly dining experience.

"Xiaolongbao," said Max Chang, "is truly one of those foods that not only feeds the stomach but also the soul."

Four-color sui mai

1/4 pound ground pork

1 cup chopped bamboo shoots

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cornstarch

Dash black pepper

1/2 to 1 tablespoon sesame oil

30 wonton skins or wrappers; if frozen, defrost and bring to room temperature

3 tablespoons minced mushrooms

3 tablespoons cooked ham, minced

3 tablespoons cooked eggs, minced

3 tablespoons minced carrots

Hoisin or soy sauce

For the filling, combine pork with bamboo shoots and mix well with the salt, cornstarch, pepper and sesame oil. Set aside. To stuff the dumplings, place a small portion of the meat filling in the center of each skin or wrapper and pinch each one together like a beggar's purse, leaving four holes or openings on top. Fill each hole with a tiny bit of mushroom, ham, egg and carrot, respectively. Place the finished dumplings on a steamer shelf lined with large leaves of lettuce or a doubled piece of cheesecloth. Steam for 15 minutes. Serve hot, and with hoisin sauce, if desired. Makes 30 dumplings. Source: adapted from www.flavorandfortune.com

Shanghai soup dumplings (xiaolongbao)

Soup:

10 cups water

2 3/4 to 3 pounds chicken wings, backs and necks

2 1/2 ounces Chinese-style cured smoked ham or Smithfield ham, cut into 4 slices

3/4 cup coarsely chopped green onions (white parts only)

2 (1-inch-diameter, 1/2 -inch-thick) slices peeled fresh ginger

1 whole dried shiitake mushroom

1 large garlic clove, flattened

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin (from 2 envelopes)

3 tablespoons water

Sauce:

1 cup black vinegar

6 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons very thin matchstick-size strips peeled fresh ginger

Filling:

1 pound ground pork

1/4 pound peeled deveined uncooked shrimp, finely chopped

1/3 cup finely chopped green onions (white parts only)

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 large garlic clove, minced

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine)

1/4 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

Dumplings:

2 (14-ounce) packages (about 75) 3-inch, square or round dumpling wrappers

1 large head of Napa cabbage, leaves separated

Bamboo steamer baskets

To make the soup, in a large pot over high heat, combine water and all remaining soup ingredients except gelatin. Bring to a boil, spooning off any foam that rises to surface. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until chicken pieces are very soft and beginning to fall apart, adding more water by cupfuls if necessary to keep chicken submerged, about 2 1/2 hours. Strain and chill. Strain soup; discard solids. Return broth to same pot. Boil until reduced to 2 cups, about 35 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour 3 tablespoons water into a small bowl; sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens. Add to hot broth; stir until gelatin is dissolved. Transfer to a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass dish. Cover; refrigerate aspic overnight.

To make the sauce, combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.

To make the filling, combine all filling ingredients in large bowl and mix with fork just until blended. Cut aspic into 1/3 -inch cubes. Add aspic to pork mixture; stir gently with wooden spoon just until incorporated. Cover and refrigerate.

To assemble dumplings, line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 1 dumpling wrapper on a work surface. Spoon 1 very generous teaspoon filling onto center of wrapper, including at least 2 or 3 aspic cubes.

Lightly brush edges of dumpling wrapper with water. Bring 1 corner of wrapper up around filling, then pleat remaining edges of wrapper at regular intervals all around filling until filling is enclosed and wrapper forms bundle-like shape with small opening at top.

Gather top edges of wrapper together and twist at top to enclose filling. Place on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. The dumplings may be frozen at this time.

Line each layer of the bamboo steamer baskets with cabbage leaves; place over a wok filled with enough water to reach just below bottom of a bamboo steamer basket. (Or line a metal steamer rack with cabbage leaves and set over water in large pot.) Place dumplings atop cabbage, spacing them so they don't touch. Bring water to boil. Cover; steam until cooked through, adding more water to wok if it evaporates too quickly, about 12 minutes for fresh dumplings and 15 minutes for frozen. Serve dumplings immediately, passing sauce alongside for dipping. Makes about 75 dumplings.

Source: Bon Appétit, May 2007

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* KATHY STEPHENSON can be contacted at kathys@sltrib.com or 801-257-8612. Send comments about this story to livingeditor@sltrib.com.