Chinese Street Food in Shanghai ~ from authentic egg pancakes to delicious soup dumplings, we all enjoyed the sights, sounds and flavors of this amazing city.
My husband Ed and I, our son Patrick (in the black t-shirt) Callie and granddaughter Jayden (also pictured), recently returned from a big adventure in Shanghai. Patrick is an athlete and competes in Spartan Races, which range from 3 miles to marathon distance and all include a series of difficult obstacles. Races are held worldwide, with many in the US and 14 other countries including Canada, Europe, South Korea, Australia and China. If you’re a regular SRFD reader, you may remember that Patrick won a video contest last fall sponsored by Spartan Race Inc. and Obstacle Racing Media, which included a trip to Shanghai to compete in a Spartan race.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. We have several more posts to come!
Shanghai is located on the eastern coast of China where the Yangtze River meets the East China Sea. With over 24 million people, Shanghai is the world’s most populated city (as of 2014). As with any large city, it may take a while to find what you’re looking for. Being the foodie that I am (with a foodie family) I could not leave Shanghai without trying some authentic Chinese street food. I’m not talking about the stuff they make for the tourist, I’m talking about finding where the locals eat.
Patrick found a couple of vendors not far from our hotel on one of his morning runs. Being halfway around the world (literally) with a 12 hour time difference from home, we found ourselves up early each day ready to go by 6:00 a.m.
Since none of us speak Chinese, we can’t tell you exactly what goes into making these egg pancakes, except the things we recognize such as scallions, cilantro, onions, chicken (we think) a soft bread stick (guessing here) a tasty brown sauce, and some sort of crispy waffle thingy. Research confirms these are Chinese Egg Pancakes also known as Jianbing. Similar to a crepe, very filling, delicious and inexpensive, I could have eaten these everyday. We ordered two wraps with different fillings to share, for about 12 Chinese Yuan or $1.75 US. That’s a pretty cheap breakfast for 4 1/2 people.
This vendor is an artist, making the entire wrap in just a few minutes.
This Chinese Egg Pancake had the soft, savory bread stick in the middle.
With a tasty chicken skewer added at the end.
Now for the fold and wrap … we’re all drooling here.
Cut in half and bagged for easy eating on the streets of Shanghai.
Ed was shooting video while I shot stills so be sure to check it out and see the artistry which was our breakfast!
We had several months to plan our trip and everything we read mentioned the amazingly delicious Shanghai soup dumplings. Patrick hit another home run in finding this walk-up restaurant, loaded with locals at 6:30 in the morning.
The line moved quickly, going inside to order and pay. Once complete you step outside to the window and hand your receipt to this young man who fills the order.
I took a few shots of the process of making soup dumplings. Each piece of dough is hand rolled, filled and twisted to seal.
From everything I’ve read, soup dumplings are made by creating a rich broth that is refrigerated until congealed like jelly. The thick, cold, congealed broth is mixed with other ingredients and scooped into the hand made dumplings.
The dumplings are steamed which liquifies the broth inside and cooks the filling. The bottoms are browned and the tops sprinkled with sesame seeds.
These dumplings were flying out the window with some people bringing their own containers to fill.
Patrick and Ed went inside to order and said there was a photo/board advertisement at the register. They pointed at the picture to show what they wanted, which also included the price. They ordered two boxes of 6 dumplings for less than $5.00 US.
Each box of 6 dumplings included two shrimp/seafood dumplings, two pork and two vegetable (broccoli we think). The pork and vegetable dumplings were my favorite. To tell them apart, one variety is topped with white sesame seeds, another with black, and the third with a combination of black and white seeds.
This is not my usual food styling process – haha – but was enjoyed greatly none the less!
To eat the dumplings we found it easiest to bite off a top corner and slurp out most of the broth. Then you can bite the dumpling in half or shove the whole thing in your mouth if it’s big enough! Do soup dumplings live up to the hype? Oh … without a doubt, they are fantastic. Most of the dumplings I’ve seen in the US, or on blogs, are just steamed. The crispy bottom on these dumplings sealed the deal for me so if I ever get the chance to make them at home, I will try browning the twisted end as they did in Shanghai.
I shot this photo to show the interesting way they do their electrical and cable wiring in Shanghai. I can’t imagine how confusing that must be for the electricians and cable guys!
Jayden enjoyed her first Chinese Egg Pancake and forgot all about the baby food her mom prepared.
Are you wondering how it was traveling with a 14-month old on a 14-hour flight halfway around the world? I think Jayden deserves a whole post of her very own so please come back to read more about our big fat Shanghai adventure!
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Thanks so much for stopping by!
Tricia
I know those dumplings as Sheng Jian Bao. What my family calls “soup dumplings” aka Xiao Long Bao are always steamed. Sheng Jian Bao happen to be my favorite kind of dumpling 🙂
These soup dumplings were so delicious Kimi! We would love to find a good version here in Virginia – but they probably won’t compare to these we had in Shanghai 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Wow ! How lucky to see that part of the world! Lovely post Tricia! Enjoy!
Thanks so much – it was a fantastic adventure.
What a fantastic adventure Tricia. My mouth is watering like crazy looking at those dumplings and your little Jayden is precious. What a wonderful family time together it must have been! Love, love, love the pictures of Shanghai! Such a colorful city!
I know you understand about traveling as a family Chris – such great time together. The soup dumplings are fantastic!
I’m so glad you had such a great trip! And it looks like you found all the right spots. You certainly got all my favorites! Congrats to Patrick and to you! Love jao bing. Can’t get enough of them and the soup dumplings are to die for. Just wish Alex would have been there. You must be exhausted. That’s a lot of travelling in such a short time.
I cannot thank you enough for all your help Abbe. The tips made all the difference. Can’t wait to share more with you. Alex is a busy guy so we completely understand. He must have a very busy life. Thanks again!
A trip of a lifetime w/ a wee one like that!
Fantastic shots..
I want a dumpling:)
Thanks Monique – a big fat adventure for sure!
I never been to China but your post makes it attractive. Wonderful photos and great looking food.
It was a unique and fun experience for sure Gerlinde. More posts coming soon!
What a fantastic adventure. I can’t believe that I just watched a food show the other day and they were making soup dumplings in Shanghai.
How cool Karen – they really are fantastic. I hope I can recreate them someday. Have a great week!
Never been to China, and would love to go — in particular, to Shanghai. Love this post! Wonderful pictures and such a fun read. And speaking of fun, sounds like fun was had by all! Thanks for this.
It was a fascinating trip John. We’ll have more posts coming soon! Thanks for stopping by.
How VERY exciting! I love that Patrick competed in a Spartan Race in Shanghai! Lives RICH with adventure! And, oh, my! Miss Jayden is just too cute! Beginning her adventures early! Love it! Oh, and the food looks wonderful, too. 😉 blessings ~ tanna
Thank you Tanna – it was a wonderful adventure. Stay tuned for more!
I always love your travel posts, Tricia, and have been looking forward to reading about your China Adventure ever since you announced that Patrick won and you were going too! The street food looks delicious! Traveling with wee ones is difficult (you need practically a whole suitcase just for diapers !), but so worth it. Travel changes kids’ perspectives on the world. Also, adults get to see memorable places like playgrounds and childrens’ museums. 🙂
Thank you Wendy – wish there were more of them! Jayden is already an adventure girl – she has never been one to watch tv or sit around. She adapts very well and I can’t wait to tell you all about her adventure! Thanks again.
What an incredible experience ! I believe if you want to understand the culture better, you can discover it through the food. Thanks for taking the time to share this with us.
Velva
What terrific insight Velva. You are absolutely right! Thank you 🙂
Oh, these photos and video are fantastic, Tricia! I would love the opportunity to try the authentic food at these little shops. The only way to travel!
The dumplings look amazing and I have a feeling I’d be lining up again, lol. Can’t wait to see more. China has always been on my list to visit and 14 hour flights are crazy as an adult. Little Jayden definitely deserves a gold medal 🙂
Thanks Robyn! I can’t wait to share more 🙂 Jayden was amazing for sure. Must be the good parenting, or grand-parenting!
Wow!!! What an amazing adventure. The hubby thinks he’d starve if we went to China (such a picky eater!)—I need to show him your post 🙂 Can’t wait to hear more about this trip.
Thanks Liz – we really couldn’t find anything that resembled the Chinese food served in the US, and the Marriott we stayed in served plenty of American food. A little bit of everything!
What an adventure! All of that food looks sooooo good- makes me want some of everything! Can’t wait to read more about your travels. 🙂
Thank you Betty. It’s great to hear from you!
Hi Tricia, oh it certainly sounds like you all ate well, those dumplings look amazing!!! and the price is incredible I’m afraid I would find myself eating a little extra here and there because of that. The shops look exactly like what I have seen in the movies, very very cool!!
We ate well and walked mile after mile – so plenty of exercise in between delicious meals. It was very interesting and I can’t wait to share more! Thanks Cheri.
How amazing! What a great adventure for all of you, Tricia! Now wonder you haven’t had much time for gardening 🙂 I’d rather be eating street food in Shanghai too! Looking forward to more about your trip.
Thanks Susan – it was a blast!
I love seeing this! I’ve been looking forward to hearing about your trip.
Thanks Mary! More to come 🙂
So excited to see this, Tricia! Hope you all had a wonderful trip! My mother in law was just here yesterday for a barbecue (we did end up having good weather to grill though raining today) and talking about how she wants to go to Shanghai, someplace she’s wanted to go but haven’t managed to for various reasons. I’ve never been to mainland China so I love to see this. Street food is the best and what great photos you got. I love soup dumplings but I always have them steamed, with the super thin skins…I’ve seen this type of pan seared buns but have never had them with broth inside those. So interesting! What an amazing trip for your granddaughter and what a trooper she must be. Can’t wait to see and hear more!
Thank you so much Monica! Please tell your mother in law to reach out to me if she ever plans a trip. I would be happy to share a few tips and things we found out about Shanghai. Thank you for the sweet comment! Sorry about the rain today – but glad you had good weather yesterday. Heading to our grill now 🙂
Oh Tricia this is so amazing, what an adventure for you guys! I love your photos, they make me want to visit Shanghai so badly, and I need one of those dumplings, (who am I kidding, I need 12) like right now!
You should do it Sue – I bet you would really embrace it and enjoy the adventure. More to come and thanks~!
How fabulous! Nothing like having the chance to experience authentic food like this. Totally jealous 😉 Can’t wait to see more from your trip!
Thank you Jennifer – I have four more posts to do so thanks for reading and commenting!
Yum! I miss those dumplings!
I loved the dumplings Angie. Do you ever make them?