Xiaolongbao, those glorious steamed dumplings with a meat and soup filling, have migrated far beyond Shanghai and gained a cult following. Meanwhile, another obsession-worthy Shanghainese specialty has remained a local secret.
Shengjian bao, they call it here. Think of it as a fried version of xiaolongbao. Well, a bun, really. A soup bun that is pan-fried until the bottoms are just crisp and the sesame seeds and chives on top meld into the crunchy casing.
When I come to Shanghai I get my shengjian bao from two places. One is in the French Concession, a 3-minute walk from where i usually stay. The baozi aren’t spectacular, but they’re great for a cheap lunch or hunger fix. The other is the venerable and endearingly misspelled Yang’s Fry-Dumpling, just north of People’s Square and right across the street from another cheap-eats institution. If you eat shengjian bao only once in Shanghai (or twice, or thrice), do so at Yang’s.
Chowing down on shengjian bao is trickier than on xiaolongbao. First,the thick crunchy casing is such a good insulator that the soup is still piping hot 10 minutes after you sit down. Burnt tongues are common, but worth dealing with.
Second, each bao is about the size of a small plum, making it impossible to eat in a single bite. This means squirtage is inevitable, at least for a non-local. With practice, or luck, the soup will squirt into the boundaries of your plate instead of at the person across from you. (The woman with the baby will appreciate this.) Again, just concentrate; these are easy hurdles. Because the mouthfuls of crunchy bun and soupy pork goodness to come will be very, very satisfying.
Did I mention a plate of four shengjian bao costs about 60 US cents?
Yang’s Fry-Dumpling
97 Huanghe Lu
Shanghai
哇哦~~超级棒的说
oh my gosh.. that looks delicious. i lovelovelove shengjian bao. i love the warm, crispy bun and the juicy, flavorful meat on the inside. mmm, thinking about it right now makes me miss home…
Oh yeah, those were a guilty indulgence when we lived in Shanghai. So oily (in a good way). The place we frequented had big jugs of vinegar on the table — perfect for cutting the dumpling’s porky fattiness.
…this looks so delicious, I think I have to look into the next available flights to Shanghai asap!!!
They were sooooo good and cheap! But the one I went is a different shop. The broth was absolutely to die for, better than XLB, a lot more pork-ier.
By the way, you captcha is too hard, I have to refresh 5 times every time I leave a comment here. I can’t even see the words. You should consider changing it or do without it and just moderate comments. ;)
Oooh I’d love to taste those!
Great post and pics.
Can you show us the inside?! I’ve heard a lot about these soup dumplings. I’d love to try one!
I would love to be there!
Hm, I wonder if they are available here in the Bay Area.
was in shanghai april this year, and hubby’s friend told us about yang’s. according to hubby and girls, they were awesome, simply to die for…. the three of them have yang’s at least once a day during our stay!
Why oh why is Shanghai so far?! Those look drool-on-my-keyboard worthy. Now I will just have to try to make some. Hopefully it won’t be a disaster lol
Rasa Malaysia – Thanks for the heads-up! Captcha now changed back.
Hillary – In the first photo one of the blurry dumplings in the back has been slit open. Not too clear though. Think a pork meatball bathed in soup.
Nate – If you find out let me know!
Any idea how to make this deliciousness? Shanghai is soooo far away… :(
I didn’t know about this stall when I was in Shanghai (for a few months at a time over 2 years). Now I kind of wish I’m back there, to try out Yang’s shengjian bao!
Wow, these look soo good, wish I could be there right now, I love the pan-fried versions as well as the steamed versions, your pics have me salivating.hehe
Do you know a good recipe/method for making these at home?!? They look so amazingly good I’m actually getting angry that I’m not eating them RIGHT NOW! ;-)
Heather – Hmm, unfortunately I don’t have a recipe. These are one of those miraculous local foods I leave up to the pros…What I know is the shenjian bao take a lot of wrapping skills and a good formula for the soup gelatin. The closest (easy) method I can think of is buying frozen baozi from Chinatown (the white, fluffier kind, not dumplings), and pan-frying them instead of microwaving/steaming. Of course, they won’t have soup on the inside.
Sheng Jian Bao is heaven! I eat it everyday when I go to Shanghai!!! oh god i feel hungry just thinking about it.
Oh god, these make me miss Shanghai like a polar bear missing its coat. >.< Awww, they look so *good.*
And as for making them, I would recommend finding a good recipe for soup dumplings and using the filling to make normal steamed buns. Maybe I’ll try it some time and let you know how it turns out :)
I used to eat something similar when I was in Taipei, but I don’t remember too much soupy goodness. I do remember them being very juicy though so maybe that was the soup? Maybe the cook was a Shanghai transplant?That particular street vendor usually showed up pretty late in my area, maybe 8:00-9:00 pm? Even so, I’d make the walk out there even if I already had dinner. Yum!
I’m so glad Wandering Chopsticks directed me to your blog! I didn’t realize China would block sites like blogger and so I was at a loss as to where I would find my food review sources for Shanghai, and fortunately I can access your site. Hopefully I’ll make my way down to Yang’s Fry Dumplings and the Yuyuan Bazaar. Thanks for posting!
Good day,
cooking is one of my habit! and i love to cook food.. but but only like this quick and easy snack food, not just look delicious… but it’s look like healthy food. can you share it to me the recipe and procedure of your pan fried… so that i csn try it! this coming weekend i would like to cook it on our family day..
thank you very much
I had these before from Yang’s when I was in Shanghai for vacation. Every bite was heaven, I want to go back to Shanghai just to eat these again!