To go please

The upcoming Shanghai exhibition got me thinking about Shanghai cuisine. What do I know about it? Absolutely nothing, well, except for this dumpling called Xiao Long Bao. According to the description in Wikipedia:

Shanghai does not have a definitive cuisine of its own, but modifies those of the surrounding provinces (mostly from adjacent Jiangsu and Zhejiang coastal provinces). What can be called Shanghai cuisine is epitomized by the use of alcohol. Fish, eel, crab, and chicken are “drunken” with spirits and are briskly cooked/steamed or served raw. Salted meats and preserved vegetables are also commonly used to adjuntify the dish.

Xiao Long Bao

Xiao Long Bao

As far as I’m concerned, any food “drunken” with spirits has to taste good. Anyway, back to Xiao Long Bao or “small steamer bun.” This dumpling is filled with pork or minced crab and soup. The soup is what got me the first time I ate it. Somebody forgot to tell me it was scalding hot and I put the whole thing in my mouth thinking it was just another dim sum. Apparently, there’s a technique to eating this innocent looking dumpling (filled with lava). You’re supposed to bite off the top, suck all the soup, then dip it in vinegar before eating. That was my introduction to Shanghai cuisine but I need to learn more. If you know of any other Shanghai dishes I should try, feel free to add your 2 cents.

11 Responses to “To go please”

  1. Nancy  on December 2nd, 2009 at 6:52 pm

    I had those dumplings at Bund Shanghai because of the recommendation from this blog:
    http://singleguychef.blogspot.com/2009/05/dish-on-dining-bund-shanghai.html
    I’d seen them eaten on Anthony Bourdain’s show so I knew about the steaming soup inside. I cheated because I poked a hole in the dumpling, put the liquid in an extra tea cup and drank it separately. It was delicious!

  2. tuscanycat  on December 3rd, 2009 at 9:24 am

    Thanks for the restaurant tip Nancy. I’ll check it out.

  3. Gary Soup  on December 4th, 2009 at 1:01 pm

    Bund Shanghai has decent xiao long bao, but the best in San Francisco, in my judgement (and i’ve been chasing down good xiao long bao on both sides of the Pacific for 17 years) are at Shanghai Dumpling King on outer Balboa.

    http://is.gd/5cwl8

  4. cristina  on December 7th, 2009 at 12:19 pm

    Since moving out of San Francisco and to the East Bay some months ago, one of the things I miss the most is living around the corner from Shanghai Dumpling King. Where or where will I satisfy my xiao long bao cravings now?

  5. tuscanycat  on December 7th, 2009 at 2:29 pm

    Wow, 17 years of chasing good xiao long bao gives you instant credibility Gary Soup. I pass by Shanghai Dumpling King sometimes and this place is always packed. This was also featured in Check Please Bay Area so it must be really good.

  6. tuscanycat  on December 8th, 2009 at 9:29 am

    Don’t let your move to the East Bay stop you from making that trip to satisfy your xiao long bao craving. I think it’s called a department lunch meeting.

  7. Gary Soup  on December 9th, 2009 at 11:33 pm

    I’m a Museum member who also has a passion for the city of Shanghai, which I have been visiting regularly since 1992. Consequently, I am very much looking forward to the Asian Art Museum’s celebration of Shanghai next year.

    Since you expressed an interest in Shanghai eats, you might like to read an article I wrote on Shanghai “small eats” for a guidebook. It’s at http://is.gd/5hyfJ. I also have some Shanghai photo essays on Flickr which reveal my obsession with the food of Shanghai. You are welcome to peruse them and use any as you see fit (all my photos are Creative Commons licensed). My 2009 Shanghai photo set is at http://is.gd/5hyJb, my 2008 set is at http://is.gd/5hyMM and older photos of Shanghai are scattered elsewhere in other sets.

  8. Nancy  on December 19th, 2009 at 4:09 pm

    I checked out the reviews on the Shanghai Dumpling restaurant before going out there and I’m glad I did. While a few people enjoyed their experience, the majority of reviewers found the restaurant filthy and more than one found the food unfit to eat. I don’t mind taking Internet opinion with a grain (or two) of salt but several bad reviews are a red flag and any note that a place is really dirty is an immediate turn off for me. It’s too bad because I was looking forward to further exploring of the food of Shanghai. Maybe the museum cafe can feature a few fusion dishes when the show opens in February?

  9. tuscanycat  on December 21st, 2009 at 10:29 am

    Good point Nancy. However, I’ve been to a few restaurants that looked crummy but the food was excellent. Maybe the xiao long bao there is the only standout but I have yet to visit the place so I’ll reserve my opinion for now.

  10. flamingo  on December 22nd, 2009 at 12:32 pm

    I think xiao long bao glosses to “small dragon dumpling”

  11. Lisa  on December 24th, 2009 at 8:59 pm

    Flamingo, 小笼包 actually means “small steamer bun” – steamer and dragon are pronounced the same, but the xiaolong long has an extra radical meaning wicker or plant over it.

    I am hurt by that Wiki entry: Shanghai’s food, yes, accumulates from the history of its immigrants – largely Jiangnan but also a lot of Russian and French and etc. But like its language it has its own unique reinventions and interpretations.


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