Shanghainese Cuisine

Shanghai cuisine has been heavily influenced by the culinary styles of the neighbouring provinces, and many of the techniques, ingredients and flavours originated in the much older cities of Yangzhou, Suzhou and Hangzhou. Broadly speaking, dishes tend to be sweeter and oilier than in other parts of China.

The eastern provinces around the Yangzi River Delta produce China’s best soy sauces, vinegars and rice wines, and the method of braising (known as ‘red cooking’), using soy sauce and sugar as a base, was perfected here. As a general rule, the regional cuisine emphasises the freshness of ingredients, using sauces and seasonings only to enhance the original flavours.

Dim sum
ROB HOWARD / CORBIS

Dumplings

Dumplings are the easiest way to become acquainted with Shanghainese cuisine. They’re simple, delicious, and have no annoying bones or unusual ingredients that might otherwise deter the naturally squeamish. The city’s favourite dumpling is the xiaolongbao (‘little steamer buns’), copied everywhere else in China but only true to form here. There’s an art to eating them as they’re full of a delicious but scalding gelatinous broth: the trick is to avoid both burning your tongue and staining your shirt. Tradition actually attributes the invention of the dumpling – filled with pork, and in more upmarket establishments with pork and crab – to Nanxiang, a village north of Shanghai city. Xiaolongbao are normally bought by the long (steamer basket) and dipped in vinegar.

Food preparation at street stall
ANDREW ROWAT / GETTY IMAGES ©

Another Shanghainese speciality is shengjian, scallion-and-sesame-seed-coated dumplings that are fried in an enormous flat-bottomed wok, which is covered with a wooden lid. These are also pork-based; again, watch out for the palate-scorching scalding oil.

On the sweet side are tang yuan (also known as yuan xiao), a small glutinous rice ball filled with sweet fillings such as black-sesame paste or red-bean paste and traditionally eaten during the Lantern Festival; they’re utterly delectable. You can find them easily in Qibao (Click here) at any time of year.

Cheap Eats

Shanghai’s restaurants are in a whole other ballpark when compared to the rest of China – meal prices here even exceed Beijing, and to top it off, the portions are smaller! Thankfully, you can still eat cheaply if you know where to look. Malls are always a good place to begin; they may lack atmosphere, but you will always find food inside – check the basement or top floors. The larger malls are best as they often have decent food courts.

Street food is another sure thing, though in some neighbourhoods tiny restaurants and backstreet stalls can be hard to find. Look for corner noodle shops or dumpling vendors – we’ve listed the most popular places in this guide, which include stalwarts such as Yang’s Fry Dumplings, Jiajia Soup Dumplings, Wuyue Renjia, Ajisen and Noodle Bull. When in doubt, head to one of the official food streets for a good selection of restaurants that won’t empty your wallet.

More and more restaurants catering to office workers offer good-value weekday lunch specials – to take advantage, ask for a taocan.

Appetisers

Many visitors unfamiliar with Chinese cuisine tend to skip right through the first part of the menu, which is always dedicated to cold starters. This is a mistake, however, as these tiny servings are not only delicious, they also provide a refreshing counterpoint to the heavier dishes that follow. Some of Shanghai’s most popular cold starters are marinated in rice wine or liquor – these are referred to as ‘drunken’ dishes, and can include anything from raw crab or live shrimp to steamed chicken. Obviously you should use your own judgement when eating raw shellfish, but in reputable restaurants this should be fine. Other popular starters include cucumber and garlic salad, as well as smoked fish and different bean-curd and mushroom combinations. If you’ve never tasted ‘black fungus’ (wood-ear fungus) before, this is your chance.

Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant (Click here)
GARDEL BERTRAND / GETTY IMAGES ©

Fish & Seafood

The city’s position as a major port at the head of the Yangzi River Delta means that you’ll find plenty of fish and seafood, especially crab, river eel and shrimp. The word for fish (yu) is a homonym for ‘plenty’ or ‘surplus’, and fish is a mandatory dish for most banquets and celebrations. Fish commonly appearing on Shanghai’s menus include guiyu (Mandarin fish), luyu (Songjiang perch), changyu (pomfret) and huangyu (yellow croaker). Fish is usually qingzheng (steamed) but can be stir-fried, pan-fried or grilled. Squirrel-shaped Mandarin fish is one of the more famous dishes from Suzhou.

Dazhaxie (hairy crabs) are a Shanghai speciality between October and December. They are eaten with soy, ginger and vinegar and downed with warm Shaoxing rice wine. The crab is thought to increase the body’s yin, or coldness, and so rice wine is taken lukewarm to add yang.

Need to Know

Price Ranges

$ up to Y60 a meal

$$ Y60–160 a meal

$$$ over Y160 a meal

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14