Jiangnan · dumpling
Sheng Jian Bao (Pan-Fried Pork Buns)
生煎包 · Shēngjiānbāo
Shanghai pan-fried pork buns with a crispy bottom, soft fluffy top and juicy filling.
Sheng jian bao are Shanghai's pan-fried-bun answer to xiaolongbao. The filling is similar (minced pork plus aspic-broth), but the wrapper is thicker leavened dough. Cooked in a flat pan with a thin layer of oil and a sprinkle of water that steams under a lid. The bottom emerges golden and crispy, the top stays soft. Bite carefully — the broth squirts.
Where to try
Shanghai: Yang's Fry Dumplings (small chain, busy and excellent), Da Hu Chun.
Dietary notes
Pork, wheat.
Cities to try Sheng Jian Bao (Pan-Fried Pork Buns)
Other east dishes
- Beggar's Chicken叫花鸡
A whole chicken stuffed with aromatics, wrapped in lotus leaves and clay, then slow-baked until the meat steams in its own juices.
- Beggar's Chicken — Jiaohuaji叫花鸡 (江苏式)
A Jiangsu-province variation of clay-baked chicken with a lotus-leaf wrap and a mushroom and pork stuffing.
- Dragon Well Tea龙井茶
China's most celebrated green tea — pan-fired flat leaves from Hangzhou's West Lake district with a sweet, chestnut flavour.
- Drunken Chicken醉鸡
Chicken steamed and marinated in Shaoxing rice wine, served chilled. A Shanghai banquet starter.