Shanghai Meat Buns Recipes

LUMPIA (SHANGHAI VERSION)

Steps:

• In a Large bowl, combine ground pork, ground beef, onion, and carrot. Make sure to completely mix everything. I suggest getting down and dirty and use your hands. Knead the meat in the bowl if you must. Gradually blend in the soy sauce , black pepper, garlic powder, and salt until all ingredients are evenly distributed.
• Lay out a few wrappers at a time on a flat surface, and place about 2 tablespoons of the filling in a line down the center of the wrapper. Make sure the filling is no thicker than your thumb, or the wrapper will cook faster than the meat. Take the bottom and top edges of the wrapper and fold them towards the center. Take the left and right sides, and fold them towards the center. Moisten the last edge of the wrapper to seal. Now repeat using the rest of the wrappers, and have hubby or the kids help you out.
• Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or heavy skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Fry 3 or 4 lumpia at a time. Fry for about 3 or 4 minutes, turning once. Lumpia are cooked through when they float, and the wrapper is golden brown. Cut in half, or serve as is with dipping sauce. We like sweet and sour sauce, soy sauce with lemon, or banana ketchup.

SHANGHAI PAN-FRIED PORK BUNS (上海生煎馒头)

Steps:

• Add the pork skin and bones to a thick-bottomed medium pot with just enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil, and boil for 1 minute. Turn off the heat, and rinse the pork skin and bones under running water to clean them. Clean the pot as well.
• Trim away all the fat under the pork skin and cut into very thin slices. This makes it easier for the collagen to release.
• Fill the clean pot with 3 cups of water. Add the pork skin and bones, along with the Shaoxing wine, ginger, and scallion. Bring to a boil, and lower the heat to medium low. Simmer for 1 hour. (It should bubble gently at a low simmer).
• After 1 hour, the pork skin should be very tender, and the stock should look thick and almost milky. Strain to remove all solids, and add salt to taste. Let the liquid solidify in a covered container in the refrigerator overnight.
• This should yield 1½ cups of aspic, the perfect amount for this recipe.
• In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, Shaoxing wine, salt, sesame oil, sugar, water, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, ground white-pepper, grated ginger, and minced scallions. Whip in one direction for 5 minutes until it has the texture of a thick paste.
• Dice the aspic into ¼-inch cubes. Carefully stir it into the filling to evenly distribute. Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator. Chill for at least 1 hour, preferably 1 ½ - 2 hours while you make the dough.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the cake flour, all purpose flour, salt, and instant yeast. Attach the dough hook, and turn the mixer on to the lowest setting. Slowly stream in the water. Knead the dough for 10 minutes until smooth. The dough should be soft but hold its shape.
• Shape the dough into a smooth ball, brush the top with oil, and cover the mixing bowl with a plate. Proof at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• These buns will go straight into the pan as you assemble them, so prepare the pan first by lightly oiling it with a neutral flavored cooking oil. A wide non-stick pan works best. A cast-iron pan also works, but can be more challenging when it comes to preventing the buns from sticking. You'll need to pre-heat it until it's just smoking, cover it with a thin layer of cooking oil, and let it cool completely. Now you're ready to assemble your buns.
• Once the dough finishes proofing, knead it for 3 minutes on the lowest setting of your stand mixer. (If kneading by hand, knead for 5 minutes.) Remove ⅓ of the dough, and keep the rest covered to prevent it from drying out.
• When you're ready to start rolling out the dough, take your filling out of the refrigerator. If it's warm in your kitchen (especially in the summertime), rest the bowl of filling in an ice bath to keep it cold while you assemble the buns.
• On a clean and lightly-floured surface, roll the dough into a long tube and cut it into small 20 gram pieces, measured with a kitchen scale. Keep in mind, this recipe makes about 30 buns, so your piece of dough (⅓ of the total) should divide into ten 20g pieces.
• Take each piece, roll it into a round ball, and press to flatten. Roll it out using a rolling pin from edge to center, rotating the dough as you roll. You should have a 4-inch round wrapper where the edges are thinner than the center.
• Add about 2 tablespoons of filling in the center, and pleat to close the top. Make sure you keep your fingers as clean as possible during this process. Wet or greasy fingers make it challenging to seal the buns.
• As you make the buns, arrange them in your pre-oiled pan. Placing them pleated-side down is traditional, but only do this if you're confident that your buns are well shaped and sealed. If not, place them pleated side up! Each bun should have half an inch of surrounding clearance. (You'll see I put them a bit closer together in my pan, which made them more difficult to separate!)
• Once the pan is filled with your first batch of buns, immediately move it to the stove, and turn on the heat to medium. Add enough oil such that the buns are sitting in about ⅛-inch of oil.
• As the oil heats up, move the pan around so the edges of the pan are also heated. The oil should start bubbling lightly all around the pan as the buns slowly begin to shallow-fry. DO NOT be tempted to turn up the heat. We don't want to burn the bottoms. Also, at this point, DO NOT touch the buns with any kitchen tool WHATSOEVER. They can be easily damaged, as they are not yet set.
• After about 8-10 minutes, the oil should be bubbling evenly. The bottom edges of the buns should be beginning to brown lightly, and the buns will expand a little as they cook.
• At this stage, add enough water so it comes up about ½ an inch (1.25 cm) in the pan. The water should come up about a third of buns' height. Immediately cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid, and cook for another 8-10 minutes on medium-low heat.
• Next, uncover the pan. The water should be mostly gone. Sprinkle the sesame seeds and chopped scallions over the top, put the lid back on, and cook for another 5 minutes over medium-low heat. (If there's still a significant amount of water left in the pan at this point, you can turn up the heat slightly, but do take care not to burn the buns.)
• The buns are done once you've cooked off all the water and the bottoms are golden brown. Use a dull kitchen tool to remove the buns, and avoid puncturing them. A stiff rubber spatula works well.
• Serve immediately with Shanghai rice vinegar or just eat it as is, taking care with the hot soup inside!

SHANGHAI MEAT BUNS

Steps:

• Make the outside by mixing the first 4 ingredients together.
• Let rest for 30 minutes; refrigerate for 10 minutes.
• Divide into 15 equal portions.
• Roll out into small circles.
• Place meat and cabbage filling in and twist tops to seal.
• Steam over boiling water in a steamer for 20 minutes until cooked through.

SHANGHAI STUFFED SOUP BUNS

Steps:

• Blanch cabbage leaves in a large pot of boiling water until softened, about 1 minute, then drain well in a colander.
• Bring all aspic ingredients to a boil, uncovered, in a 4-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then simmer, uncovered, until liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 2 hours. Pour liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding solids. Pour liquid into a measuring cup and let stand until fat separates from broth, about 1 minute. (If you have less than 1/2 cup broth, add water. If you have more, boil broth to reduce it to 1/2 cup.) Chill broth, covered, until it jells into a solid aspic, about 6 hours.
• Lightly scrape off any fat from aspic with a spoon and discard, then coarsely chop aspic. Chop ground pork with a cleaver or a large heavy knife until very finely minced and fluffy.
• Beat together aspic, pork, and remaining filling ingredients with an electric mixer at medium speed until combined well, about 30 seconds. Form filling into 24 mounds (2 teaspoons each) on a plastic-wrap-lined baking sheet and cover with another sheet of plastic wrap. Chill while making bun wrappers.
• Put 2 cups flour in a medium bowl, then add boiling water and stir with a fork until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes (dough will have the texture of a slightly sticky marshmallow). If dough is too sticky, knead in more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature at least 10 minutes and up to 30 minutes.
• Stir together vinegar and ginger.
• Line steamer rack with cabbage leaves.
• Form dough into a snakelike roll about 12 inches long on a lightly floured surface, then cut crosswise into 24 equal pieces with a floured knife and cover with plastic wrap.
• Have a small bowl of water ready. Keeping remaining dough covered, place 1 piece of dough cut side down on a lightly floured surface and flatten slightly to form a round. Pick up flattened round and move hands around edges of dough (like turning a steering wheel), allowing dough to stretch slightly, until about 3 inches in diameter. Using small rolling pin with one hand and rotating dough round with other hand, gently even out dough round until it is 3 1/2 to 4 inches in diameter. (Do not roll out center 1 inch of dough; center of round should be slightly thicker than edge.)
• Lightly moisten outer 1/4 inch of dough round with a finger dipped in water, then put 1 mound of meat filling in center of round. Pleat edge all around, then pinch and twist pleats together. Place bun on cabbage in steamer and cover with steamer lid to keep bun from drying out. Make more buns with remaining dough and filling in same manner and arrange in steamer, spacing evenly in 1 layer and covering with lid.
• Fill wok with enough water so that bottom rim of steamer (not rack) will rest in water. Bring water to a rolling boil over high heat (without steamer in wok), then place steamer in wok and steam buns, covered with steamer lid, over boiling water until buns are firm (not gummy) to the touch and skins are slightly translucent, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve immediately, with dipping sauce.

LUMPIA SHANGHAI

Steps:

• Place the ground pork into a large mixing bowl.
• I prefer to grind my shrimp in my meat grinder and then mix it with the pork; however, if you do not have a meat grinder, chop the shrimp into fine pieces. Add to meat. Mix the pork and shrimp together well.
• In a food processor, chop the garlic cloves (fine chopped). Remove large chunks if needed. Add to meat.
• In the same food processor, chop the yellow onions (fine chopped). Remove large chunks if needed. Add to meat.
• In the same food processor, chop the green onions (fine chopped). Remove large chunks if needed. Add to meat.
• Using either a grater or the grating accessory on your food processor, finely grate the carrot. Add to meat.
• Add seasonings and soy sauce to the meat and mix well. You will need to use your hands to really mix the ingredients. Set aside.
• Now prepare for rolling... First, separate your wrappers. This will help speed up the process. Simply separate them and stack them in a pile. They should not restick unless they are wet. Get a small bowl and fill it with water.
• To roll, the goal is to roll them tight and narrow. They should be no wider than a hotdog. Place the wrapper on a plate. You should be looking at it as a square and not a diamond. One of the sides facing you rather than a corner.
• Use a spoon or butter knife to get meat mixture from bowl. Spread the meat about 1 inch from the edge closest to you. Remember, we are going for the shape of a hotdog, so spread you meat in the shape of a hotdog leaving 1-inch margins on 3 sides. Now, first fold up the sides. Next, begin rolling the wrapper over the meat and keep rolling until the end of the wrapper. Try to keep the folds tucked in while you roll. Finally, dab water from the water bowl with your finger along the end to seal the egg roll. Repeat the process until all the meat is gone. About 40 egg rolls.
• In a medium fryer pan, heat enough oil to cover a little more than half the egg roll. You want the temp to be hot enough to fry, but also cook the meat. If the temp is too high, the outside will burn and the inside will not cook completely. Medium/high heat works for me.
• Now you are ready to fry these babies up! Fry, don't over crowd, about 4 rolls at a time. Turn them several times to prevent burning. When they are a nice rich, golden brown, they should be done.
• Drain standing up on a paper towel. Use a foil tent to keep the rolls warm but not soggy.
• Serve with a bottle of sweet and spicy egg roll sauce or make your own.