Century-old Snack Xiasha Shaomai 百年小吃“下沙烧卖”

春雨过后，春笋又嫩又鲜。上海浦东的下沙烧卖，用的就是新鲜春笋和肉拌成馅儿，再包成亭亭玉立的桃花模样，蒸热了馅汁满溢。
Bamboo shoots in spring are tender and fresh after the spring shower. Xiasha Shaomai (steamed dim sum) made in Pudong, Shanghai directly uses fresh bamboo shoots and meat as the stuffing to wrap a graceful shape of peach blossom. When cooked, the stuffing and extract are spilling-over and appetizing.
下沙烧卖最关键的原材料是春笋，太早出产的笋口感偏粗，晚期的笋则鲜度不够，每年要根据春笋的自然生长周期，来确定烧卖的制作时间，而真正又嫩又鲜的春笋，往往只有这一两个月的“寿命”。所以，不仅烧卖上市的时间年年不同，就连每年上市的时间长短也不一样，一般都在45-60天以内。
The most critical raw materials of Xiasha Shaomai are bamboo shoots in spring. Earlier bamboo shoots are tough in taste while later bamboo shoots are not fresh enough. So the production time of Shaomai is determined by the natural growth cycle of bamboo shoots in spring. The real tender and fresh shoots only have one to two months of “lifetime”. So the timing for selling Shaomai is different every year and the duration also differs between 45 and 60 days.
下沙烧卖的馅儿里，春笋占四成，只用鲜嫩春笋里的嫩头，当天入货当天使用，切碎成细丁后，加入精制油等；鲜肉虽然占六成，但从味道上来说，却是辅料，用的是新鲜的夹心肉，把肥瘦肉分开剁碎后，按2：8的比例拌合。最后，还要加入少量的葱和肉皮冻，调出鲜口。只有按照这个比例调制的馅料做成的烧卖，在蒸熟后，入口既能吃到春笋的脆鲜，还能尝到伴随的肉香。
Among the stuffing of Xiasha Shaomai, 40% are bamboo shoots. only tender tops of bamboo shoots are purchased and used on the same day. After being chopped, bamboo shoots are mixed with refined edible oil; although fresh meat accounts for 60%, it serves as auxiliary materials when it comes to taste. Fresh fat and lean met are minced separately and mixed in the ratio of 2 to 8. Finally, few green onion and pork jelly salad will be added to make the stuffing delicious. only in so doing, the cooked Shaomai offers crisp and tender taste of bamboo shoots and savoury meat.

此外，还有一种更加解馋的吃法，那就是两个笋馅儿的烧卖搭配一个豆沙馅儿的一起吃。下沙烧卖还有豆沙馅儿的烧卖，用的是当地产的大红袍赤豆，拌上核桃肉、瓜子肉、陈皮等磨成粉，再用白糖和精制油，按比例制作成豆沙馅。入口后，豆沙糯而甜。一口甜，一口咸，吃饱了也满足了。
Besides, there is another better way to satisfy an appetite for good food: eating two bamboo shoot Shaomai and one bean paste Shaomai. Sweetened bean paste is also used as the stuffing of Xiasha Shaomai. Local red beans, together with powder grinded from walnut, melon seeds and dried tangerine, white sugar and refined edible oil are used to make the stuffing, providing a glutinous and sweet taste. Eating together the two kinds, one sweet and one salty, you can have a full and satisfactory feeling.
每年，下沙烧卖上市的季节，下沙一带的桃花也开了。吃烧卖，赏桃花，是当地很多人在阳春三月最惬意的享受。或许也是因为这个渊源，下沙烧卖和桃花还有几分形似。
Every year when Xiasha Shaomai hits the market, peach tree is also in full blossom in Xiasha. Eating Shaomai and enjoying peach blossom are the most pleasant enjoyment of local residents in the spring. It’s probably because of this, Xiasha Shaomai is similar to peach blossom in shape to some degree.
要把下沙烧卖做得像桃花，关键在于擀皮的功夫。至今为止，下沙烧卖的面皮还是手工做的。面皮先要大致压成圆形，再擀成内厚外薄，裹馅儿的中心地方要厚，面皮边上一定要薄，面皮边上还不是光滑的，而是微微有些波浪和凹凸感觉的形状。如此擀好的面皮包上馅料，在手掌里稍微捏上一捏，再打圈一转，烧卖才算做成了。蒸好后，外圈波浪形的面皮随着热气展开，自然呈现出一朵桃花的形态。
To produce Shaomai similar to the shape of peach blossom, rolling the wrapper is the key. Until now, the wrapper is still hand-made, which is roughly pressed to a round shape, then roll to thick center and thin edge: thick for the center to wrap stuffing and thin edge which shall be not only smooth, but also with wave and bump shape. When putting the stuffing on the wrapper, the worker will slightly nip it in the palm and make a circle, and then the Shaomai is finished. When cooked, the wrapper with the wave shape on the edge is opening up with the steam, naturally showing the shape of peach blossom.
单单擀皮擀得好还不行，蒸烧卖也有讲究。一定要把水烧开了，再上笼蒸，大火蒸8分钟，最多10分钟出笼。蒸得太久烧卖就塌了，蒸得太短，烧卖又不够糯，只有这样蒸出来的烧卖才最好看，也最好吃。
In addition to rolling the wrapper well, steaming is also an important step. First is to boil water; then put Shaomai on the food steamer. 8 minutes high heat is enough, 10 minutes top. Overcooking will make the Shaomai cave in and if undercooked, Shaomai isn’t glutinous enough. only 8-10 minutes cooking can produce the most beautiful and delicious Shaomai.
如今，每年下沙烧卖上市期间，每天都要制作2万-3万个烧卖，十几位手工师傅一起做，仍然供不应求。下沙烧卖就像一年一度的桃花，美不胜收，但花期太短，所以花开之时，更要细细赏味。
20,000 to 30,000 Shaomai are produced every day during the hot sale season. A dozen chefs working together still couldn’t meet the growing demand. Like the annual peach blossom, Xiasha Shaomai calls for a gentle appreciation and enjoyment at the best time.