Jingjiang Tangbao (Steamed Dumpling Filled with Crab Cream from Jingjiang)

开篇：润墨网以专业的文秘视角，为您筛选了一篇Jingjiang Tangbao (Steamed Dumpling Filled with Crab Cream from Jingjiang)范文，如需获取更多写作素材，在线客服老师一对一协助。欢迎您的阅读与分享！

Although there are sorts of steamed dumpling, whenever refers to crab Spawn Steamed dumpling there are always Zhenjiang Steamed dumpling and Huaiyang Steamed dumpling in my mind. I could still remember when I was young; the best was in Huaiyang Restaurant Yuhuatai. And Huaiyang Steamed dumpling consists of two kinds, one of which is the smaller called Songzhen Taobao, and the other one is bigger with thin wrapper and lots of soup in it. Yuhuatai Steamed dumpling belongs to the latter one but they are all stuffed by crab spawn. When you eat it you should “Lift with care, and move with patience. Open a whole, and drink the soup.”

Beijing Yuhuatai was set up at Bamiancao in 1921and then moved to a quadrangle with side courtyard on Tinla Hutong when the business boomed. That’s Yuhuatai’s heyday. Then it moved to Xijiaominxiang and again to the west of Xidan’s North Street. After a period of lockout, it locates in Yuzhongxi, north of Madian Bridge now. It was still in Xijiaominxiang when I was young.

When talking about Yuhuatai, I have to mention “the chef mayor” Zhou Dawen who was the father of Liu Changyu, an actor of Beijing opera (Liu Changyu’s old name was Zhou Changyu when he graduated from old-type opera school at the end of the 1950s, but later he changed his name into Liu Changyu). Zhou Dawen came from Shaoxing, Zhejiang the other version was that he was from Wuxi, Jiangsu. Although he was a southerner, his family belonged to Fengtian-Faction so he had a close relationship with Zhang Xueyou. He was once appointed to be the mayor of Tianjin and Peiping and some books pointed that he was a false mayor, which was not proper. He didn't fall his duty during the period of Japanese occupation. In 1932 he worked as mayor of Beiping during national government when Zhang Xueliang took in charge of five provinces of North China. Zhou Dawen was gluttonous in his life so he ran restaurant several times, and Yuhuatai who cooperated with Ma Yulong, a Yangzhou person, was amid them. They stretched in Tianjin and Beijing. The name of Yuhuatai was from a famous pavilion for feast on Yangzhou which was owned by King Yang of Sui Dynasty, and skillfully added each name’s one word of Zhou Dawen(Zhou Zihuazhang) and Ma Yulong. That’s very interesting. Zhou Dawen also ran Xinyue Dining-hall which specialized in western-style food and the chef was employed from Qishilin, Tianjin. Also, he operated Shanglinchun Restaurant in Chong Shan Park and Xinji Restaurant in Dongdansantiao. But they all failed because he was only good at tasting and cooking not the management. After 1949, he worked hard to run Great Restaurant in Xidan and he himself was the chef. The book Cooking and Healthy was created by him signing Zhou Huasheng. Together with my maternal grandfather I ate quite a lot his dishes and saw Zhou Daswen personally many times. He had many famous dishes especially Fish Ball in Light Soup. I ate the others which were not better than his. Yuhuatai was famous for soft eel with corn flour, fried eel and pork, eel cooked in soy, simmer pig head, sautéing cleft chub, frying streaky pork, crystalline shrimp cake, braising tofu and slice chicken. Zhou Daswen increased prominent snack sweet walnut soup from his homeland Huaiyang into Yuhuatai. It was a big hit and became the special of Yuhuatai. And it was Yuhuatai Steamed dumpling carries on Huaiyang cuisine to remain the brand. The most agreeable Yuhuatai Steamed dumpling was in 1950s and 1960s with thin wrapper and plenty of soup as well as the crab roe which I enjoy most. Recent years I eat in Yuhuatai and it is far poorer than the previous which has no comparison between the two.

I had a special-purpose trip to Zhenjiang and Huaian for Huaiyang Steamed dumpling years ago. I was introduced to one restaurant in Zhenjiang but was let down. Set aside the thick wrapper, I was angry about the fishy stuffing, the little crab spawn, the little soup and the low temperate. Then we went to Huaian from Chuzhou driving fifty minutes in the rain for the purpose of eating in Huaiyin. Although the common cattail dish in that restaurant was really excellent and in season, the Steamed dumpling was actually disappoingting. Since then I concluded that the Yuhuatai Crab Spawn Steamed dumpling I tasted when I was a child had demolished like the Guanglingsan Music and I won’t have the opportunity to eat that any more.

I arrived in Yangzhong, Jiangyin and Jingjing to investigat Swellfish Incident last year and I stayed a couple of days in each city. Yangtze River Delta is no doubt a land flowing with milk and honey and economically developed. So it is easy to imagine the affluence of the people and the delicious food which is admirable. jingjiang Steamed dumpling left me deep impression apart from my enjoying of the tasty swellfish.

Jingjiang was the last place for investigating. It cost me only half an hour from Jiangyin with the help of the Jiangyin Bridge that enables the Yangtze River to even way. I visited Huangshan Emplacement before I left Jiangyin. The old days had become to history and now there were high buildings on both sides. The weather was fine and I had a panoramic view of it. As soon as I crossed the border of Jingjiang, there stood a huge billboard showing “Welcome to Chinese hometown of Steamed dumpling”. I was ignorant and ill-informed about Jingjiang let alone Jingjiang Steamed dumpling. My fellow traveler Professor Qiu Pangtong from Yangzhou University told me that Jingjiang Steamed dumpling was becoming prominent recent years and could be the leader of Huaiyang Steamed dumpling. He then described Jingjiang Steamed dumpling with eight words “as thin as paper, as brimming as spring”. Because of the failure of the Steamed dumpling these years, I was half believing, half doubting about what professor Qiu said. However Professor Qiu Pangtong was an expert on this and he published a book Chinese History of Flour Snack so his words couldn't be wrong.

The last snack of the dinner that night was Steamed dumpling. Everyone had one each and the rest cutleries were removed before. In front of each person there was one china vessel which was approximate fifteen centimeters. The shape of it was thick at both ends and very slender in the middle. The height just reached the guest’s mandible in order to allow guests to suck the soup more convenient when Steamed dumpling was placed on the china tray. I’ve never seen this invention before but I perceive it’s more human and convenient. Waiters had to distribute every Steamed dumpling to the guests on that invention because of the large table. Judging by the appearance, this Steamed dumpling was much exceeding than the previous years with the apparently thin wrapper and almost no suture of flour upmost. Although armed with straw, people sitting here were not local but just experts of Steamed dumpling so no one would use such unnecessary straw for suck. Steamed dumpling wasn't that hot after the distribution so everyone tore a window of it and sucked the soup slowly. And I had to admit the delicious soup and plentiful crab spawn which could be compared with the big Yuhuatai Crab Spawn Steamed dumpling when I was a child. Therefore I constantly praised with pleasure. The city leaders at the table said laughingly “this is just pub level and isn’t very genuine. We’ve arranged to taste a more genuine Steamed dumpling tomorrow.”

They really drive with us to South Garden Hotel not far away early in the morning the next day. The restaurant is not only engaged in various kinds of specials, but also it provides Steamed dumpling especially in the morning, which is known far and wide. At our arrival there had ready been many people and much overcrowded. All of them were identically eating Steamed dumpling and drinking the local oatmeal. We were arranged to a small room up on the second floor and after a while here came Steamed dumpling immediately six in a steam box. As soon as the steam boxes were opened the skillful waitress who was wearing invisible gloves quickly placed Steamed dumpling in saucers in the heat steaming up. And the most stunning thing was that it was not put right in the center of saucers but a little bit askew so that guests could eat and drink more conveniently. I could afford to notice every detail because of their quickness and I was dazzled. Tang was extremely hot own to the speed of distribution. For a moment we tore with a tiny window and the soup was like a brimming spring which was indeed as professor Qiu described. I may a bit exaggerate if I say that the wrapper of Steamed dumpling was like paper may. But it was at most as thin as halftone paper, which was glittering and transparent. No wonder it was like a huge fat sitting swayingly in front of you. Steamed dumpling in South Garden was indeed splendid with the nice stuffing; succulent soup and crab spawn as well. Having sucked the soup up and then opened the wrapper with chopsticks, there were all crab spawn and crab meat not pork. It is reported that the stuffing of Steamed dumpling there has the proportion: every one hundred jin allows four pork and the rest is all cooking liquor and crab spawn and crab meat. South Garden’s Steamed dumpling is not at all greasy while the crab spawn is plenty and it tastes as mild as river crab. Six in a steam box only costs you seventy Yuan and is enough for a normal appetite person as breakfast. According to the price of hairy crab, this Steamed dumpling isn’t really expensive and could be considered deserving every penny of it. Considering the smooth yet firm and never sticky wrapper, it is another factor for popularity. Still there was no comparison with the one we had yesterday even Yuhuatai Steamed dumpling in 1950s and 1960s could not compare beauty with this. Observing from my pleasure, the host promised the next day to a better restaurant though was said the poor conditions. Indeed I couldn't think of any better one, hence, I was looking forward to that very much.

Having done the breakfast at South Garden, we visited their kitchen activities including ingredient preparation, stuffing making, wrapping, steaming and distribution and so on. They were systematic and paid much attention to health. The brilliant Steamed dumpling cook, a really young man and already been a China Snack Chef, explained the procedure of Steamed dumpling thoroughly especially the stuffing. He said it required good techniques and couldn't be a slight of careless or it would result in greasy soup and frazzle wrapper. South Garden’s Steamed dumpling had to be turned over three or four times within three hours and many people come here all for its reputation. It is said that whenever there are some honored guests, people in Jingjiang are certain to invite them for some Steamed dumpling. I, thus, believe this is the brand and pride of Jingjiang.

The host did not break his word, so we were shown to the best Steamed dumpling restaurant the next day morning.

The so-called poor condition was just a staff canteen of Jingjiang Bureau of Education and it was in the backyard of Bureau of Education, where car was only available to the gate. We were arranged to a small compartment on the second floor and we had to hold the steel-piped stairs upwards. The compartment was mainly decorated like a 1980s cafe with a not large table covered by plastic tablecloth and armchairs without backrest. We took the seat and we were served teas, and the host said we need to wait half an hour to allow the newly-killed hairy crab to be prepared. There were three or four women in fifties peeling away the crab shell and they claimed that whoever came here needed to wait in order for the fresh crab spawn. We were informed that the Steamed dumpling in Bureau of Education canteen differed from that in South Garden where you could eat it all the year round whenever in its business hours. Here also opens for outsiders but only sold Steamed dumpling within three month that is during the period of middle autumn to the first month of winter on the harvest of crabs. Seventy steam boxes are subject to availability, until they’re sold out.

We waited for a long time and saw the reeky Steamed dumpling from the steam box. It was September at that time and a bit chill in Jiangbei so the whole room was warm when the cover of the box was lifted. Like the waitresses in South Garden, the servers here were also practiced. Every fatty Steamed dumpling was like a little dropping bag and collapsed as soon as it was in the plate and one plate couldn't contain it. We sucked the liquid hastily the minute we opened the window on it. The Steamed dumpling tasted of sweet because of the fresh crabs and more decent than the South Garden’s. I felt just proper after eating six and had to eat two more due to the host’s great hospitality. What surprised me was that the First Deputy Mayor of Jingjiang around me ate eight and explained that it was also his first time to come to taste Steamed dumpling in canteen of Bureau of Education thanks to us for he worked here not long. Worrying we should be too polite to eat, the host mentioned years ago there was a middle aged woman eating seventy two in a Steamed dumpling Eating Competition held in Jingjiang and being rewarded two thousand Yuan. And I don't know whether it was a false rumor or not but saw no harm in hearing. As for the appetite she did outshine us. It could be the best Steamed dumpling I’ve ever ate in my life and Steamed dumpling inYuhuatai couldn't afford to approach its greatness. In the end I had one question. I asked them we could taste such fancy food owe to the mayors? But the host laughed loudly and said we could test downstairs and he was willing to be criticized if there were any slightest differences between the ordinary people. In fact there was no difference in quality, and all customers were available to seventy steam boxes, which did not designate outdated if missed the chance.

The journey for Jingjiang Steamed dumpling from pub to Bureau of Education one by one and the taste got better and better, so that I might not go any other place for Steamed dumpling. Hence, Jingjiang has not merely an empty reputation of “Chinese Steamed dumpling Town”.