Shanghai Food

When you come to Shanghai, the following dishes are must-eat.

Stewed Sea Cucumber with Shrimp Roe(虾子大乌参)

The stewed sea cucumber with shrimp roe is a traditional dish, belonging to Shanghai cuisine. To cook the dish, first of all, the sea cucumber that has been sprayed with the water is simmered with oil, and then the rice wine, soy sauce, shrimp, meat marinate, broth, sugar and other spices are added to the wok. In order to make the sea cucumber taste, it is necessary to make a few holes in the sea cucumber.

Deep-fried Shrimps(油爆河虾)

Place the shrimp in a bowl and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. In a small bowl, stir together the flour and paprika. Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or deep skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Dip each shrimp into the flour mixture, then into the egg. Fry a few at a time until golden yellow. This should take no longer than 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels before serving.

Sliced cold chicken(白斩鸡)

Choose smaller whole chicken and poach with ginger, green onion, cooking wine and peppercorn. The peppercorn is quite helpful to remove the raw chicken taste. There are several dips may match perfectly with white cut chicken, but the most famous and commonly used dip sauce is ginger and scallion sauce. The hot oil with green onion white parts will stimulate the aroma of the fresh green onion. Make this dipping sauce mild yet fragrant. Besides, you can use a brown sauce made with oyster sauce. 

Stewed Pig Intestine(红烧圈子) 

Soak the intestines in the vinegar for about 20 minutes. Then boil the pork intestines for 1 hour in 2 cups of water, 2 slices of ginger, 2 stalks of green onion, chopped up. Skim the foam out of the boiling intestines when necessary. Remove intestines and wash thoroughly. Then cut into small pieces. Heat up a pan with 2 spoons of ginger and 2 spoons of garlic with  stalks of green onions, chopped. Then add in the intestines. Finally, add in the seasonings and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes.  

Shanghai Smoked Fish(老上海熏鱼)

In Shanghai, this Smoked Fish is a cold appetizer loved by locals and visitors alike. The dark sweet soy sauce is a very Shanghainese flavor, so it’s no surprise that like Shanghai Red Braised Pork (上海红烧肉), the quality of a given restaurant’s Shanghai Smoked Fish goes hand-in-hand with the quality of the restaurant itself! Needless to say, each restaurant has its own heavily guarded “secret sauce.” While this Shanghai Smoked fish dish is a well-loved appetizer all year long, this is one dish that every family in Shanghai considers a must-have for Chinese New Year.

Crystal Shrimp(水晶虾仁)

Crystal shrimp is a traditional dish, belonging to Shanghai cuisine. it was rated as “the first dish in Shanghai”. The dish is crystal clear with overflowing fragrance.The main ingredients are shrimp and eggs. The cooking method is to stir-fry the shrimps without any ingredients. 

More about Shanghai Food

Must-drink Soup in Shanghai

Braised Large Yellow Croaker Soup(大汤黄鱼)

The yellow croaker we usually see is not braised, but fried. However the most nutritious way is to use the yellow croaker to make soup. The nutrients of yellow croaker are included in the soup. Of course, it will be more delicious after adding a variety of vegetarian dishes. When you come to Shanghai, it is necessary to have a taste the yellow croaker soup. 

Shepherd’s Purse and Bean Curd Soup(荠菜豆腐羹)

Sour and Hot Yellow Croaker Soup(酸辣黄鱼羹)

Yellow croaker is rich in protein, trace elements and vitamins, which has a good beneficial effect on the human body. For the weak people and middle-aged and elderly people, they can receive a good therapeutic effect after drinking the soup. The yellow croaker is rich in trace element selenium, which can eliminate free radicals produced by human body and delay aging and prevent and treat various cancers.

Sparerib and White Gourd Soup(小排冬瓜汤)

Staple Food in Shanghai

• Rice(米饭)
• Stir-fried Rice(炒饭)
• Steamed Bun(馒头)
• Noodles(面条)
• Yangchun Noodles(阳春面)
• Sauced Cold Noodles(蒸拌冷面)