Shanghai is a famous international city in China. You can find many kinds of different food in the world. But do you know what the most famous local food in Shanghai? Cuisine is always one of the main theme during a trip. Here TCT would like to introduce top most popular snacks in Shanghai. Hope it is helpful for your Shanghai tour itinerary plan.
Leisha Dumpling
Leisha Dumpling is one of top ten snacks in Shanghai city with a history of over 70 years. Shanghai's Qiaojiashan Restaurant take this food as its signature snack there.
There is a story telling about the snack. It was said that in the late Qing Dynasty, an old lady surnamed Lei sold sweet dumplings with soup for a living. In order to sell more dumplings, she tried to find ways to keep the dumplings fresh for a longer time and make them easier to carry. She tried to coat the dumplings with dry glutinous rice flour, and she found out that red bean flour was the best choice to reach. Therefore, the dumplings are called Leisha dumpling after her. Since this snack made by this way, it is not only delicious, but also convenient to carry. So it became popular among people soon.
The round-shaped dumpling, filled with sweetened bean paste, sesame or pork, is boiled, then drained of water, and finally rolled in dry red bean flour. The dumplings have a color of purplish red and have the refreshing flavor of red beans.
►Ingredient
Red bean flour, sweet soup balls stuffed with fresh meat, bean paste, sesame or other ingredients
►Where to eat
Qiaojiashan Restaurant in Shanghai city is the most famous restaurant to have Leisha Dumpling. This restaurant has a long history and takes Leisha Dumpling as its signature food here. So when you get to chance to Shanghai city, Leisha Dumpling in the restaurant is highly recommended.
Noodles Mixed with Scallion, Oil and Soy
Noodles Mixed with Scallion, Oil and Soy is a deceptively simple street food packing a powerful flavour punch. It is a classic Shanghai home-style dish is often the cheapest bowl in any street-side noodle restaurant at around 5 yuan (80 cents) but is also served in upmarket Shanghainese restaurants towards the end of a meal.Noodles are served with spring onion and fried shrimps. Local people say that eating a bowl of delicious noodles which having some other flavored snacks is a great way to enjoy life.
To make the dish, the scallion oil is prepared by slowly frying the scallions in low-temperature oil until they turn golden-brown, and the oil is imbued with an irresistible aroma, which permeates your kitchen as well. When the stringy noodles are tossed with soy sauce and the scallion oil, they are coasted with a powerful flavor punch, a beautiful golden color, and a marvelous sheen. The fried scallions, served as a garnish to the dish, not only add a crisp texture, but also an intriguing mix of smokiness, bitterness, and sweetness.
►Ingredient
Small bundle organic scallions, soy sauce, vegetable oil, salt and freshly ground white pepper
►Where to eat
You can eat this kind of dish at many street-side restaurants. Nong Tang Wonton at No. 714 Weihai Road in Shanghai city may be a good place to go. A six-minute walk from Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai, this place is famous for its traditional Shanghainese cuisine. Order one of the most popular dishes in the city: noodles mixed with scallions, oil and tangy soy sauce.
Begonia Cake
Begonia Cake is an old-fashioned snack of Shanghai that's been around for ages. It has been found since Qing Dynasty of China. The Begonia cake is baked in a mold that is shaped like the Begonia flower, giving it an extra pretty appearance. Therefore, the name comes from its shape. The cake is enhanced by a coating of tiny preserved fruits, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and barley sugar. Bean paste is wrapped in flour dough and coated with slices of preserved fruits. Famous among old generation in Shanghai, Begonia Cake best served hot with sweet tastes and soft texture.
Ingredient
►Main ingredients: peanuts, wheat flour, the old leaven, hummus, net pork suet
►Accessories ingredients: soda e, sugar, sesame, barley sugar, unflower seeds
Begonia Cake uses peanut as its main ingredients. The cooking skill makes use of fire curing. It tastes sweet and soft. You'd better eat the cake when it is hot. It may taste not so good after it gets cool.
►Where to eat
Begonia Cake is famous snack in Shanghai. So you can find it in most of the bakeries in this city.
Note: top 10 most famous Shanghai snacks include Pork ribs with fried New Year cake, Leisha dumpling, Crab shell cake, Begonia cake, Tiaotou cake and mint cake, Shrimps and spring onion braised noodles, Fried tofu soup, Wonton (dumpling) soup with three fresh delicacies, Nanxiang steamed bun, Pan-fried bun stuffed with pork.
Crab Shell Cake is a kind of long prestigious specialty dessert in Shanghai city, founded in the early 1920s. Luochunge Bakery and Wuyuan Bakery are two well-known places which makes the tastiest Crab Shell Cake.
Crab Shell Cake
Crab Shell Cake is a kind of shortbread baked from ferment flour with sesame seeds, oil and sweet or salty fillings. The name s so named because of its color of brown yellow, which looks like a cooked crab shell. There are many options for the cake’s fillings: rose pedals, pork, spring onion, shrimp, crab meat, sugar, jujube paste and bean paste. The cake is crispy with a sesame flavor. The crab shell cakes, along with the pan-fried buns stuffed with pork, is the most popular snacks in many most Shanghai tea houses over the years.
There are two flavors of this dissert: salt and sweet. To mark off these two different flavors, the salt Crab Shell Cake is made in circled shape; while the sweet Crab Shell Cake is made in oval shape.
Ingredients
Flour, alkali, pig suet, soft sugar, caramel, raw sesame, cooked lard, peanut oil
Where to eat
Luochunge Bakery and Wuyuan Bakery are two most famous snacks restaurant that serves this specialty.
►Luochunge Bakery
Address: 462 Zhengjiang Zhong Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai
►Wuyuan Bakery
Address: 255 Yanping Road, Jingan District, Shanghai
Tel: 021-62565556
Wuyuan Bakery is an old shop that offers simple meals. It provides Suzhou-style pastries and other snacks. As the price here is affordable, many local people come here to buy disserts.
From on request
From on request