Good Morning Shanghai

On our first morning in Shanghai, we decided to sample some of the local street food for breakfast.  The little "stall" where we stopped was only around the corner from where Charles and Jon live in Shanghai's "French Quarter."  The street is lined with trees  called "London Planes" brought there more than a century ago by the French who occupied this area.  It was already quite cold ("Fall") in Shanghai, and most of the leaves had already fallen, but the trees really are a lovely addition to the area.  

The streets of residential Shanghai are quite busy early in the morning, with vendors of street foods and local delicacies making their wares available to all the neighborhood residents.  There was a man on a bicycle with a little wooden trailer attached selling fresh fish for the day.  Many people were negotiating prices in order to get the very best deal on their "fish of the day."  Melanie found it a bit worrisome that the fish were not on ice or refrigerated, but it was actually so cold, that I don't think anyone had to worry about the fish spoiling, and as with every purchase in Shanghai, there was much haggling going on as scooters and cars and walking traffic all merged on the same street.

We stopped at the little stall above to purchase Chinese Steamed Buns and Chinese Tea Eggs for our breakfast of the day.  The steamed buns are made from a yeast dough -
which is wrapped around either a pork meat center or mixed vegetables.  They are allowed to rise and then steamed in large bamboo steamers right on the street.  Their pale white color hides a delicious moist and actually quite light delicacy which the Chinese adore!
By the way, we did too!

Then we also bought some of these lovely "Black Tea Eggs" which I definitely have to learn to make at home.  They are soooo much better than a plain boiled egg.  The recipe includes boiling the eggs first in plain water until they are hard boiled, then taking them out and cracking the shells all the way around (don't remove the shells) and placing them back into a solution of water, soy, salt and spices and simmering them in a crock pot or other simmering pan for hours and hours until the whites become light brown.  Sounds totally weird...tastes totally delicious!  And the best thing of all is that the steamed bun and breakfast for four of us costs about $1.50!!

We also stopped at the corner (and believe me there is one on EVERY corner) fresh fruit market for some of the freshest fruit I have ever seen.  It is displayed right on the street and prices are very reasonable.  There is every kind of fruit you can think of from huge Star Fruit, tangerines, oranges and apples, to more exotic mangosteen and Pummelo and others which names seem to escape me.  What a lovely way to start a day. 

 We carried our delicious purchases back down the little Alley off which Charles' Chinese style townhome is located.  The alleys in China are extremely safe and so interesting.  Most of the townhome style places are occupied by more than two families and there is a shared kitchen on the bottom floor where the families cook together and eat together.  I love the sense of community which this fosters.  Charles' unit has been converted so that the kitchen, living and dining area are all on the bottom floor, and the five floors above consist of bedrooms, baths and an office.  Many many stairs to climb!  As you can see, Charles and I wasted no time getting started on the lovely meal!  I am going to include in this blog the recipes for the two lovely breakfast treats I have described here.  You adventurous souls should give them a try!  You won't be disappointed, and you will learn something about Chinese local culture in Shanghai!

Chinese Marbled Tea Eggs

• 8 eggs, any size
• 2 tea bags of black tea
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 2 pieces star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon cracked black peppercorn (optional)
• 2 to 3 strips dried mandarin peel (optional)

1. Add enough water to a medium pot to cover the eggs. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer for 10 minutes, until the eggs are hard-boiled.
2. Remove the eggs with a strainer and run under cold water until they are cool enough to handle. Tap the eggs with the back of a butter knife to crack them evenly all around, being careful not to peel off the shells. Return the eggs to the pot.
3. In the same pot, add the tea bags, soy sauce, brown sugar, star anise, cinnamon, black peppercorns, and orange peel (if using). Add enough water to cover the eggs by an inch. Bring the liquid to a boil, then lower the heat to a bare simmer. Allow the eggs to simmer for 1 to 2 hours, longer for a more intense flavor and color.
4. Remove from the heat and drain the eggs, saving a little of the liquid to serve with the eggs if you choose. You can either peel and serve the eggs immediately or store them in the fridge for up to 4 days in a tightly covered container. Serve as a snack as-is or as an addition to rice or noodles.

CHINESE STEAMED BUNS FILLING RECIPE

Directions

• 1-1/2 ounces chopped pork
• 1/8 (4 ounce) can shrimp, drained and chopped
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/8 green onions
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger root
• 1/2 teaspoon light soy sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon rice wine
• 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1-1/4 teaspoons water

1. Cook chopped pork in a wok over medium heat. After 3 minutes of cooking add chopped shrimp if desired. Cook until pork is no longer pink. Drain, season with salt and set aside to cool.
2. Mix together green onions, ginger, soy sauce, rice wine, oil, sugar, and pepper. Stir in minced meat. Stir in water and mix thoroughly. Chill in freezer for 2 hours, or in refrigerator overnight to firm up and blend flavors.
3. PREPARE DOUGH FOR RECIPE PROVIDED BELOW
4. Shape dough into balls. Roll each out into a circle, (like Won-Ton wrappers). Put 1 tablespoonful of prepared meat mixture in the center of each circle, and wrap dough around filling. Place seams down onto wax paper squares. Let stand until doubled, about 30 minutes.
5. Bring water to a boil in wok, and reduce heat to medium; the water should still be boiling. Place steam-plate on a small wire rack in the middle of the wok. Transfer as many buns on wax paper as will comfortably fit onto steam-plate leaving 1 to 2 inches between the buns. At least 2 inches space should be left between steam-plate and the wok. Cover wok with lid. Steam buns over boiling water for 15 to 20 minutes.
6. REMOVE LID BEFORE you turn off heat, or else water will drip back onto bun surface and produce yellowish "blisters" on bun surfaces. Continue steaming batches of buns until all are cooked.

• CHINESE STEAMED BUNS DOUGH
  

• 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1/8 teaspoon white sugar
• 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons water
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon warm water

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder

Directions

1. Mix together yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/4 cup flour, and 1/4 cup warm water. Allow to stand for 30 minutes.
2. Mix in 1/2 cup warm water, flour, salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, and vegetable oil. Knead until dough surface is smooth and elastic. Roll over in a greased bowl, and let stand until triple in size, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
3. Punch down dough, and spread out on a floured board. Sprinkle baking powder evenly on surface, and knead for 5 minutes. Divide dough into 2 parts, and place the piece you are not working with in a covered bowl. Divide each half into 12 parts. Shape each part into a ball with smooth surface up. Put each ball on a wax paper square. Let stand covered until double, about 30 minutes.
4. Bring water to a boil in wok, and reduce heat to medium; the water should still be boiling. Place steam-plate on a small wire rack in the middle of the wok. Transfer as many buns on wax paper as will comfortably fit onto steam-plate leaving 1 to 2 inches between the buns. At least 2 inches space should be left between steam-plate and the wok. Cover wok with lid. Steam buns over boiling water for 15 minutes.
5. REMOVE LID BEFORE you turn off heat, or else water will drip back onto bun surface and produce yellowish "blisters" on bun surfaces. Continue steaming batches of buns until all are cooked.

• PREP 30 mins
• COOK 30 mins
• READY IN 4 hrs