Nanxiang steamed bread shop:
Steamed buns are one of the few classic snacks in Shanghai, so they are sold in almost all snack bars and high-end hotels in the streets, but the signboard of Tian Zi No.1 will definitely not belong to Nanxiang Steamed Bread Shop in Chenghuang Temple.
Chenghuang Temple is a very small place. Nanxiang steamed bread shop, located at No.85 Yuyuan Road, is not difficult to find, but if you are new here, you may not be able to eat the most authentic steamed bread even when you come to the door. Although this is only a two-story building, it offers a variety of small steamed buns with different prices and quality. You can choose according to your own budget and needs. 1, ground floor take-out: The ground floor of Nanxiang Shantou Store is dedicated to take-out, and there is a long queue almost all day. The steamed buns here are the cheapest, 16 only from 8 yuan, but the quality is also the worst. Only pure fresh meat stuffing, no crab roe and crab meat, packed in plastic boxes, can only be regarded as fast food at best. If you are hungry and don't want to spend too much money, buy one to satisfy your hunger, but if you are here to taste delicious food, go upstairs quickly and don't be attracted by the busy queue.
2. Lobby on the second floor: you can go to the second floor from the narrow stairs at the west end of the small building. The first hall I saw when I went upstairs was also crowded with people. The steamed buns here are immediately upgraded to a higher level than those downstairs, with a cage 15 yuan. I haven't eaten. Looks like six in a cage. It should be crab meat. Because the price is moderate, many people will choose to eat here. A big round table is surrounded by people waiting for seats. However, if you want to eat high-quality steamed buns, you must go to the innermost Changxing Hall and continue walking along the corridor outside the hall.
3. Changxing Hall on the second floor: You can find Changxing Hall along the corridor to the end. There are obviously fewer people here than outside, the dining environment is much better, and sometimes there are seats. Even if you wait for a seat, everyone will line up by the window outside the hall in an orderly way, and a young lady will take you to your seat soon. There are two kinds of steamed buns in Changxing Hall, six characteristic crab buns in 20 yuan and six Nanxiang steamed buns in 40 yuan.
Let's talk about Nanxiang's signature steamed buns. This steamed bread is absolutely worthy of the name, and it does not insult the word "signboard" at all. Gently bite a thin skin, and the five senses are immediately captured by the soup full of crab fragrance. Suck the soup into your mouth slowly, and it feels as delicious as just chewing a mouthful of crab meat. You can clearly see that black and white crab meat and golden crab yellow are densely embedded in the meat stuffing, creating a unique and wonderful taste together.
Compared with Nanxiang's signature small cage, the special crab meat small cage is about to bow down. Although it is labeled as "crab meat", in fact, you can only see the crab yellow in the meat stuffing, but you can't taste the crab meat, and there seems to be no strong crab flavor in the soup. You get what you pay for, but in any case, at least there are a lot of really stuffed crab roe here, unlike the so-called "crab powder cages" in many other restaurants, which just decorate a crab roe on the top of the wrapped cage to cheat money. In addition, it should be noted that Changxing Hall closes around 6 o'clock, and there will be more people at dinner time. If you don't want to wait, you'd better have dinner around 3 pm.
Of course, after all, the meat stuffing and soup of steamed buns are too greasy to be healthy food in modern people's concept. Since it is rare to taste it once, as long as the economy allows, I recommend you to choose the most expensive and delicious Nanxiang signature steamed buns. If many people have a dinner, you can order a special crab meat cage to taste it alone, and then order a small number of Nanxiang signature cages to share it. The order cannot be reversed.
Guyi Garden Restaurant:
There is a restaurant in Ming Garden in nanxiang town, which is called Shanghai Guyiyuan Restaurant. According to local people, you can eat the most authentic Nanxiang steamed buns here. In the bag-making room of steamed stuffed buns, I saw more than 20 workers busy nervously. The first step in the workshop is to mix dough. It is worth mentioning that Nanxiang steamed buns are mixed with cold water, and this process is mainly completed by machines. The blending surface is strip-shaped and output from a circular outlet; The second process is to pull the dough, and the staff will hold the mixed flour in their hands and pull one small dough after another quickly and evenly; Then the third process is to pour a layer of oil evenly on the small dough, which is to prevent the dough from sticking; The last process is packaging. I saw that the staff first gently pressed the dough on the chopping board, and then wrapped a large mass of meat stuffing into the dough. In an instant, a refined steamed stuffed bun was put into a bamboo cage. It is said that steamed stuffed bun is not delicious with pleats, but Nanxiang steamed stuffed bun is very particular about pleats. Master Liu, who has been packing steamed buns for more than 20 years, told reporters that the restaurant has strict regulations that each steamed bun should not be less than 14 fold. Master Liu also said that many masters have been making steamed buns for twenty or thirty years, and their skills are very skilled. The reporter timed one of the staff members and wrapped eight steamed buns in one minute. This is not her fastest speed. Master Liu said that on average, each person can pack about 8 to 10 per minute, and she packs 3,500 steamed buns every day.
Nanxiang steamed buns are not rolled, but pressed into cakes by the master, which is probably the only way for Nanxiang steamed buns. In addition, after the kitchen didn't see the process of stuffing, the chef of the restaurant smiled and said, "The secrets of Nanxiang steamed buns are all in the stuffing, absolute secrets." The defendant was told that the stuffing of Nanxiang steamed buns was mainly made of pig's front legs. Instead of monosodium glutamate, cook the skin with chicken soup, mix in the frozen skin and take it fresh. Sprinkle a small amount of broken sesame seeds to get its fragrance. According to different seasons, take crab powder, dried bamboo shoots, shrimps and meat stuffing. As for more process details, the staff remained silent. Li Jiangang, the general manager of the restaurant, said that the making of Nanxiang stuffed bun is a trade secret and has not been made public so far.