Shanghai Sheng Jian Bao (Pan-Fried Soup Buns)
More dangerous than Xiao Long Bao! Bottom is crispy, top is fluffy "Burn Essential" gravy bomb
Description
The most universally loved street food (Xiao Chi) on Shanghai corners. Similar to Xiao Long Bao, but uses a slightly thicker, yeasted, fluffy dough. Stuffed with pork and 'meat aspic' (solidified broth), packed tightly into a massive flat pan, and shallow-fried with oil and water until the bottoms turn into rock-crispy crusts. Bite it, and boiling soup explodes out.
Restaurants serving Shanghai Sheng Jian Bao (Pan-Fried Soup Buns)
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On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Bread flour
- Minced pork
- Pi Dong(Pork skin aspic)
- Yeast
- Black sesame
- Scallion
- Soy sauce
- Veg oil
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- (Dough: Semi-fermentation is Life) Knead bread flour, yeast, sugar, and warm water. The secret to holding soup and frying crispy is 'semi-fermentation'—stopping before it fully puffs.
- (Juice Bomb Filling) Mix minced pork with soy, salt, ginger, and scallion. The ultimate secret is kneading in massive amounts of finely chopped 'Pi Dong' (meat aspic made by boiling and chilling pork skin). This melts during cooking into boiling soup.
- Roll dough thin, wrap the filling. Shanghai has two schools: 'Pleats facing down (Qing Shui)' and 'Pleats facing up (Hun Shui)'.
- (Frying God-Skill: Sheng Jian) Oil a massive flat black iron pan. Pack the buns tightly with zero gaps.
- Once bottoms sear slightly, pour in water, cover tightly with a heavy wooden lid, and 'steam-fry' on high.
- When the water evaporates and the oil crackles violently, open the lid. Shower with massive black sesame and scallions. When the bottoms are shallow-fried to a rock-crispy golden crust, it is done.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Intense roasted aroma of charred black sesame and scallion、Pork sweetness
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
(MUST use yeasted bread flour dough, not commercial dumpling wrappers)
Pairing
Black vinegar & julienned ginger / Wonton Soup
Trivia
[Trivia] 'Sheng Jian' refers to the technique of shallow-frying raw stuffed buns directly on a griddle. With over 100 years of history, the ultimate quintessential Shanghai scene is long lines forming before massive iron pans on morning street corners, eating scalding Sheng Jian Bao while walking.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] NEVER eat it whole in one bite (you will 100% suffer severe burns). First, bite a tiny hole in the fluffy top crust. Blow to cool, then audibly suck out the 'premium boiling soup' inside. Afterward, dip the 'ROCK-CRUNCHY' charred bottom and meat into black vinegar and eat.
Allergen
Wheat, Pork, Soybeans, Wheat (Soy sauce), Sesame