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Yang’s Fry Dumpling {Shanghai, China}

December 28, 2010 by Jennifer Che 13 Comments

Yang's Fry Dumpling
Have you ever had a “fry dumpling,” otherwise known as shen jian bao in Chinese?

Until I visited China, my only experience with this unique street snack was in Boston Chinese restaurants. The ones I had were usually normal big Chinese baos (pork filled steamed buns) pan fried so that they were a bit charred on the bottom. They tasted alright, but I never thought they were anything special.

Now I realize I just hadn’t ever tried a real shen jian bao.

In Shanghai, after finishing two delicious steamer baskets full of xiao long baos (Chinese soup dumplings) from Jia Jia Tang Bao, we hopped across the street to sample the famous Yang’s Fry Dumplings (小杨生煎).
Yang's Fry Dumpling
It’s really fun to visit Yang’s because you get to watch them make the shen jian baos right in front of you. A guy pan-fries dozens of baos in this HUGE wok-like pan, sprinkling in various things like water, oil, or sesame seeds throughout the process.
Yang's Fry Dumpling
The whole process takes about 10-15 minutes. Between batches, the line of hungry customers slowly but steadily grows. The moment the baos are done cooking, a server doles out the freshly cooked baos to the hungry guests, who anxiously carry away bags of this stuff to work, home, or wherever they are headed.
Yang's Fry Dumpling
We didn’t really have a place to sit, so we just stood on the street and devoured these little delectable baos.

SQUIRT!!

Gahh!! These baos were filled with SOUP! Can you believe it?
Yang's Fry Dumpling
Just imagine . . . a hot, steaming bun filled with a juicy soup-filled porky center, complete with a perfectly crunchy wok-seared bottom. It was soooo satisfying and soooo good.

Yes, definitely messy to eat, but totally worth it!

We didn’t try anything else here (we were still a bit full from the xiao long baos), but I’m pretty certain this is by far their most famous and popular item. It’s worth the wait for the fresh ones, plus it’s fun to watch them make it. Again, an order of six baos only costs around $1 USD . . . such a steal for something that is eons better than any version I’ve had in Boston.
Yang's Fry Dumpling
Details
Yang’s Fry Dumpling has multiple locations throughout Shanghai. We went to the one at 97 Huang He Road (right across the street from Jia Jia Tang Bao) within walking distance of People’s Square.

Yang’s Fry Dumpling
97 Huanghe Lu
Shanghai, China
021-88984398


This is part 8 of the China Series detailing my recent trip to Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai. 
Other posts in this series: 
part 1: Wander the Streets of Beijing
part 2: Xian’r Lao Man (Dumplings)
part 3: Made in China (Peking Duck)
part 4: Noodle Bar
part 5: Bao Yuan Dumpling
part 6: Da Dong (Peking Duck)
part 7: Jia Jia Tang Bao (Soup dumplings / xiao long bao)
China: Lost in Translation
Happy Birthday Bryan: an Ode to Noodles and Ducks

©2009-2014 Tiny Urban Kitchen
All Rights Reserved

Filed Under: China, Restaurant, Review, Shanghai Tagged With: Chinese, dumplings

« Jia Jia Tang Bao {Shanghai, China}
Ding Tai Fung {China} »

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Comments

  1. Three-Cookies says

    December 28, 2010 at 9:07 am

    Crispy bottom, soupy middle and soft/tender top…wow. In Kyrgyzstan you can get steamed as well as deep fried manty, the Central Asian version of the Chinese dumpling. Delicious but very fatty…

    Reply
  2. Peggy Labor says

    December 28, 2010 at 10:46 am

    Sounds like the perfect snack! You know when you have to wait in a line that it’s gotta be good!

    Reply
  3. scrapper al says

    December 28, 2010 at 12:05 pm

    I love these! I wish I could find a recipe to make them at home.

    Reply
  4. Fiona at Life on Nanchanglu says

    December 29, 2010 at 10:51 am

    I love shen jian bao – but I love them only sporadically, because if I eat them as often as I’d like they will truly, truly make me dumpling-shaped….!

    Reply
  5. jentinyurbankitchen says

    December 29, 2010 at 11:26 am

    Yes agreed! We went to Jia Jia Tang Bao almost everyday, but my husband said no to Yang’s after one day because they would be too “greasy” for breakfast. 🙂

    Reply
  6. Norma823 says

    December 29, 2010 at 11:31 am

    There is a place in the Lower East Side in New York called Vanessas’ who makes the best umplings yet. You can eat there…very small place or you can by frozen 50 for about $9.00.

    Happy New Year!

    Reply
  7. enrolled agent cpe says

    January 5, 2011 at 7:00 am

    That one right there is probably one of the biggest wok I have seen in my life. I guess I’ll see more of that in China and its making me more excited about this upcoming trip.

    Reply
  8. Galainabarrel says

    July 16, 2011 at 10:04 pm

    Nothing like hitting up jia jia tang bao and yang’s in one go…my gf and i had a weekly routine to pick up a bubble milk tea on the way, with a stop at jia jia and yang – sometimes multiple times a week! Those were the days…thanks for the trip down memory lane 🙂

    Reply
  9. jentinyurbankitchen says

    July 17, 2011 at 3:45 pm

    Lucky you got to live in Shanghai! I imagine it must have been great fun!

    Reply
  10. jay_see_are says

    September 25, 2012 at 1:55 am

    Yang’s Fry Dumpling is the bomb. They need to franchise in the US.

    Reply
  11. almonay12 says

    September 26, 2013 at 10:05 pm

    these are really yummy! since i live in shanghai this my daily breakfast when i was on collage. i always buy this alternating between steam buns , qian ceng bing ( chinese style flat bread ) , and ji dan bing ( like crepes , but inside are egg , veggies and crispy wontons ) with fresh soymilk. when you come here again you should contact me , i could show you around. shanghai filled with yummy things .

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. There is a new downtown meals cart specializing in Shanghai-style pan-fried soup dumplings – JBS Tech says:
    May 9, 2018 at 6:15 pm

    […] Chen may contemplate switching from the paper boat to a cardboard clamshell of the type they use in Shanghai, simply to tidy up the […]

    Reply
  2. There's a new downtown food cart specializing in Shanghai-style pan-fried soup dumplings - Morfaloo.com says:
    May 9, 2018 at 6:34 pm

    […] high, Chen might consider switching from the paper boat to a cardboard clamshell of the sort they use in Shanghai, just to tidy up the […]

    Reply

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Welcome to Tiny Urban Kitchen!

JenChe

Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am a Boston to Hong Kong transplant, born and raised in Ohio with parents from Taiwan. Feel free to head on over to the About page if you want to learn more about me, or just explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!
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