Shanghai cuisine,also known as Hu cuisine,is a popular style of Chinese food. In a narrow sense,Shanghai cuisine refers only to what is traditionally called Benbang cuisine which originated in Shanghai. In a broader sense,it refers to complex styles of cooking developed under the influence of neighboring Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.
Onigiri,also known as omusubi (お結び) or nigirimeshi (握り飯),is a Japanese rice ball made from white rice. It is usually formed into triangular or cylindrical shapes,and wrapped in nori (seaweed). Onigiri traditionally have sour or salty fillings such as umeboshi,salted salmon,katsuobushi,kombu,tarako or mentaiko,or takanazuke. Because it is easily portable and eaten by hand,onigiri has been used as portable food or bento from ancient times to the present day. Originally,it was used as a way to use and store left-over rice,but it later became a regular meal. Many Japanese convenience stores and supermarkets stock their onigiri with various fillings and flavors. It has become so mainstream that it is even served in izakayas and sit-down restaurants. There are even specialized shops which only sell onigiri to take out. Due to the popularity of this trend in Japan,onigiri has become a popular staple in Japanese restaurants worldwide.
Glutinous rice is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast East Asia,the northeastern regions of India and Bhutan which has opaque grains,very low amylose content,and is especially sticky when cooked. It is widely consumed across Asia.
Zongzi,rouzong,or simply zong is a traditional Chinese rice dish made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves. Fillings can be either sweet,such as red bean paste,or savory,such as pork belly or Chinese sausage. The bamboo for wrapping the zongzi is generally of the species Indocalamus tessellatus,although sometimes reed or other large flat leaves may be used. Zongzi are cooked by steaming or boiling. People in the Eastern world often translate this dish into English as rice dumplings or sticky rice dumplings,although the Chinese government has registered Zongzi as the formal name in global use.
Youtiao,known in Southern China as Yu Char Kway,is a long golden-brown deep-fried strip of wheat flour dough of Chinese origin and also popular in other East and Southeast Asian cuisines.
A rice ball may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped,condensed,or otherwise combined into a ball shape. Rice balls exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten,and are particularly prevalent in Asia. Rice balls are a convenient and portable food that can be eaten on the go,making them a popular choice for picnics,road trips,and packed lunches. They are also often enjoyed as a snack or side dish with meals.
Nian gao,sometimes translated as year cake or New Year cake or Chinese New Year's cake,is a food prepared from glutinous rice flour and consumed in Chinese cuisine. It is also simply known as "rice cake". While it can be eaten all year round,traditionally it is most popular during the Chinese New Year. It is considered good luck to eat nian gao during this time of the year because nian gao (年糕) is a homonym for "higher year" or "grow every year" (年高),which means "a more prosperous year". The character 年is literally translated as "year",and the character 糕(gāo) is literally translated as "cake" and is identical in sound to the character 高,meaning "tall" or "high". In Mandarin,Nian gao (年糕) also is an exact homonym of "sticky cake" (黏糕／粘糕),the character 黏／粘(nián) meaning "sticky".
Xiaolongbao refers to a type of small Chinese steamed bun (baozi) traditionally prepared in a xiaolong,a small bamboo steaming basket. Xiaolongbao are often referred to as a kind of "dumpling",but are distinct from Chinese jiaozi or wonton.
A rice cake may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped,condensed,or otherwise combined into a single object. A wide variety of rice cakes exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten. Common variations include cakes made with rice flour,those made from ground rice,and those made from whole grains of rice compressed together or combined with some other binding substance.
Tangyuan are a traditional Chinese dessert made of glutinous rice shaped into balls that are served in a hot broth or syrup. They come in varying sizes,anything between a marble to a ping pong ball,and are sometimes stuffed with filling. Tangyuan are traditionally eaten during the Lantern Festival,but because the name is a homophone for union and symbolizes togetherness and completeness,this dish is also served at weddings,family reunions,Chinese New Year,and the Dōngzhìfestival.
Shumai is a type of traditional Chinese dumpling made of ground pork. In Cantonese cuisine,it is usually served as a dim sum snack. In addition to accompanying the Chinese diaspora,variations of shumai are found in Japan and Southeast Asia,such as the Indonesian siomay. In Australia,it developed into dim sim.
Qīngtuán,also written as Tsingtuan,is a green-colored dumpling originating from Jiangnan and common throughout China. It is made of glutinous rice mixed with Chinese mugwort or barley grass. It is usually filled with sweet red or black bean paste. The exact technique for making qingtuan is quite complicated and the grass involved is only edible in the early spring,so it is typically only available around the time of the Qingming Festival (April 4 or 5),with which the rice cake has become associated. Nowadays,qingtuan sold in most convenience stores in China are made of glutinous rice mixed with matcha. Modern versions use a wider variety of fillings,such as rousong or salted egg yolk.
Lemper is an Indonesian savoury snack made of glutinous rice filled with seasoned shredded chicken,fish abon or serundeng. The specific lemper filled with seasoned shredded chicken is called lemper ayam. The meat filling is rolled inside the rice,in a fashion similar to an egg roll;this is in turn rolled and wrapped inside a banana leaf,oil paper,plastic sheet,or tinfoil to make a packet ready for serving. If banana leaf is not available,corn husk can be used. Lemper are most often seen as snacks,but may sometimes be served as appetizers as well. Lemper usually has an elongated shape,similar to lontong.
Congee is a form of savoury rice porridge made by boiling rice in a large amount of water until the rice softens. Depending on rice-water ratio,the thickness of congee varies from a Western oatmeal porridge to a gruel. Since the history of rice cultivation in Asia stretches back to the Baiyue-inhabited lower Yangtze circa 10000 BC,congee is unlikely to have appeared before that date. Congee is typically served with side dishes,or it can be topped with meat,fish and pickled vegetables.
A wonton is a type of Chinese dumpling commonly found across regional styles of Chinese cuisine. It is also spelled wantan or wuntun in transliteration from Cantonese 雲吞 / 云吞 and wenden from Shanghainese 餛飩 / 馄饨. Even though there are many different styles of wonton served throughout China,Cantonese wontons are the most popular in the West due to the predominance of Cantonese restaurants overseas.
