Shengjian mantou

Shengjian mantou , are a type of small, pan-fried baozi which is a specialty of Shanghai. It is usually filled with pork and gelatin that melts into soup when cooked. ''Shengjian mantou'' has been one of the most common breakfast items in Shanghai for the last century. As a ubiquitous breakfast item, it has a significant place in Shanghainese culture.

Naming

In , a filled bun is usually called "baozi" or "bao", while an unfilled bun is usually called a "mantou". However, in , the older word "mantou" refers to both filled and unfilled buns. Hence, the ''shengjian mantou'' is called a "mantou" despite being a filled bun. The same is true of the '''', which is called "''xiaolongbao''" elsewhere.

The name ''shengjian mantou'' is often abbreviated to ''shengjian''.

Ingredients

''Shengjian'' is made from semi- dough, wrapped around pork and gelatin fillings. The "knot" of the bun, where the dough is folded together, faces downwards. Chopped green onion and sesame are sprinkled on the buns during the cooking process.

The name of the bun comes from its method of cooking. The buns are lined up in an oiled, shallow, flat pan. Typical commercial pans are more than a metre in diameter. Water is sprayed on the buns during cooking to ensure the top is properly cooked. After frying, the bottom of the bun becomes crunchy, and the gelatin melts into soup. This combination gives the ''shengjian'' its unique flavour. Because the buns are tightly lined up in the pan, they become somewhat cube-shaped after cooking.

The traditional ''shengjian'' has pork fillings. Common variations include chicken, pork mixed with prawns, and pork mixed with crab meat.

Serving

''Shengjian'' is traditionally sold in lots of four . It is usually eaten at breakfast, and can be accompanied by poultry blood soup or beef soup. The buns themselves can be dipped in or Worcestershire Sauce. Because of the method of cooking, especially the relatively hard bottom, the buns are quite durable, and are therefore easily portable. They are often packed in paper bags for take-away consumption.

Some shops or restaurants sell the item throughout the day as a '''' or snack. It is rarely found as a dish in a main meal.

Cantonese cuisine

A similar, but less well known dim sum in Cantonese cuisine is the ''shengjian bao'', which usually uses mixed pork and vegetables for fillings.

Shaobing

Shaobing or huoshao is a baked, layered flatbread with sesame on top, in Chinese cuisine. They are usually made in two flavors: savoury or sweet. In the Mandarin cuisine tradition, shaobing are served with hot pot in winter.

Shaobing is also used as a bread with youtiao , a puffy fried dough, to make a sandwich called shāobǐng yóutiáo . This is usually eaten with hot soy milk for breakfast and is highly popular in northern mainland China and Taiwan.

Sausage bun

Sausage bun is a type of Chinese pastry. It is essentially the equivalent of the American hot dog. It is found in Hong Kong as well as many Chinese bakeries overseas. It uses westernized sausages instead of Chinese sausages, which are usually used as a cooking ingredient.

Sachima

Sachima is a found in many Chinese-speaking regions. Each regional cuisine has its own slightly different variation of this food, though the appearance of all versions is essentially the same.

Manchu

In , ''sachima'' is a sweet snack. It mainly consists of flour, butter, and rock sugar or rock candy. It is now popular in mainland China among children and adults.

Cantonese

The pastry version of ''sachima'' is very sweet. It is also made of essentially the same ingredients as the other varieties of ''sachima''. It is often sprinkled with dried coconut. The Cantonese variety of ''sachima'' ranges from chewy to hard in texture. Most Chinatowns offer the Cantonese style of the pastry. It is commonly found in Hong Kong.

Fujian

Many of the Fujian distribution companies manufacture packaged versions of Sachima. This version has sesame and is made of wheat flour, vegetable oil, , milk, granular sugar, and malt sugar. The taste is comparatively plain compared to the more sweetened Cantonese version.

Pineapple bun

A pineapple bun is a kind of sweet pastry popular in Hong Kong, Macau, some other areas in , and in Chinese communities in North America. It is known in as ''bo lo baau'', in which "''bo lo''" means "pineapple", and "''''" refers to a kind of bun-like item in Chinese cuisine. It is commonly found in , and is mentioned quite frequently on TV, radio and films in Hong Kong.

The pastry

The top of the pineapple bun is made of a dough similar to that used to make sugar cookie, which consists of sugar, , flour, and lard. As such, it is crunchy and is quite sweet compared to the bread underneath. The bread dough underneath is the same used in Chinese style Western breads, which is a softer and sweeter dough compared to Western breads. It is a popular pastry for breakfast or afternoon tea.

Although the pastry is known as "''pineapple'' bun", the traditional version contains no pineapple. The name "pineapple bun" actually originated from the fact that its sugary top crust is cooked to a golden-brown color, and because its checkered top resembles the of a pineapple. It is high in calorific value , it has been declared one of the top 10 most harmful snack foods in Hong Kong.

It is very similar to the Japanese ''melonpan'' in its manner of cooking and in the fact that it is named according to its appearance.

Buttered variant

Many Hong Kong restaurants, such as ''cha chaan tengs'' and ''dai pai dongs'', offer an item called a "buttered pineapple bun", which is a pineapple bun with a piece of butter stuffed inside. They are known in Cantonese as bo lo yau , in which "''bo lo ''" means "pineapple," and "'yau'" refers to butter. Variants of this include using custard in place of butter.

Typically, the pastry would be brought hot from the oven to the diner's table, and served halved with a large slab of butter in between them. This item is sometimes criticised for containing too much fat and cholesterol.

Other common variants

The pineapple bun may come in miniature sizes , and/or it may be used as a bread-roll to sandwich for example luncheon meat , or it may be pre-stuffed with red bean paste , custard cream , barbecued pork , or a sweet filling of shredded coconut as in that in a cocktail bun. Amusingly, it is possible to order a ''pineapple pineapple bun'', actually stuffed with pineapple , although this is very likely the product of misinterpretation of the name by non-native bakers.

Popular culture

*McDull, the main character in the Hong Kong cartoon film ''McDull, Prince de la Bun'' is often seen with a pineapple bun, since the Chinese name of the file is ''菠蘿油王子''.
*In 2005, "Pineapple Bun" was nominated as a potential typhoon name but was rejected. The director of the Hong Kong Observatory, Lam Chiu Ying, as one of the judges for the naming process, commented: "If we say XX country is being ravaged by Pineapple Bun, that would be too hilarious."

Peanut butter bun

Peanut butter bun is a kind of Chinese pastry found in Hong Kong as well as Chinatown bakery shops overseas. The bun has layers of peanut butter fillings, sometimes with light sprinkles of sugar mixed with the peanut butter to add extra flavor. Unlike the other buns, the shape can vary depending on the store selling it.

Paper wrapped cake

Paper wrapped cake is a type of Chinese pastry. It is one of the most standard pastries served in Hong Kong. It can also be found in most Chinatown bakery shops overseas. In essence, it is a chiffon cake baked in a paper cup.