A "sheng jian bao" is a fried and then steamed pork dumpling. Once you have bitten into the crispy bottom, felt the squirt of hot soup in your mouth and tasted the complex flavours of pork, spring onions, and vinegar on your tongue, you'll understand why these buns occupy such a highly regarded place in Shanghai street food. Also called "sheng jian man tou" in the local Shanghai dialect, the buns are usually eaten for breakfast. Early morning on the street corners all over the city, vendors cook batches of 200 buns at a time to hungry customers on their way to work. Made from flour and yeast, the bun is pan fried and then steamed to make a perfect combination of crunchiness and hotness. Traditionally, the filling is made of minced pork. Once you bite into it, it yields a mouthful of soup as well. |
Although most people cannot resist biting into the crunchy bottom right away, the buns are also sturdy enough to take away in paper bags and eat at your leisure. At Buntastic London, we want to bring the flavours of the streets of Shanghai to London. We make all our buns and salads from scratch and use the highest quality minced meat and vegetables. Our fillings include the traditional Shanghainese minced pork version, the silkroad inspired lamb version along with a few new varieties that have been created from living in this multicultural and dynamic city. We also offer a variety of salads influenced by the varied tastes and flavours of different regions in China. |