sometime, a city of immigrants. and the food reflects that genealogy. a combination of people from neighboring zhejiang province known for their liberal use of sugar, soy, and vinegar. and from jiangsu province, known for fresh ingredients and attention to preserving the aliveness of its dishes. it s the best of both worlds. great sauces, great ingredients. there s hongshao rou, braised pork belly in a deep red glaze of dark and light soy sauce, cinnamon, sugar and anise. hongshao chang yu, a small fish poached first in rice wine, salted light soy, then fried in ginger, garlic, oil, more soy and sugar until the liquids reduce into a gorgeous sticky sauce. xiang ya, duck that s been marinated, blanched, then reheated, smothered in a sauce made from the reduced drippings left in the wok with dark soy, salt, and sugar.
shanghainese. there s no menu, no waiting list, and you only get a seat if she likes you. minji: oh, i ordered i ordered too much. sorry. anthony: no, that s fantastic. minji: i was trying to get all my favorite dishes. anthony: no, i m very happy. we re joined by minji s friends, liu jing, an artist, and matthew lei, a restaurateur. this looks fantastic. how do you eat these? whole? minji: i eat them whole because i really like this. ooh. anthony: that works. mmm! minji: good, yeah. anthony: oh, they re good. minji: i think they cook it, you know, a few seconds. that s the secret. anthony: youbao xia are tiny little shrimp, deep fried first, and then quickly tossed in the wok with garlic, ginger, salt, and soy. what is classic shanghainese food? what s distinctive about it? well, this, for instance. it s often black or dark and heavily inflected with oil, soy, and sugar. shanghai is, and has been for
sometime, a city of immigrants. and the food reflects that genealogy. a combination of people from neighboring zhejiang province known for their liberal use of sugar, soy, and vinegar. and from jiangsu province, known for fresh ingredients and attention to preserving the aliveness of its dishes. it s the best of both worlds. great sauces, great ingredients. there s hongshao rou, braised pork belly in a deep red glaze of dark and light soy sauce, cinnamon, sugar and anise. hongshao chang yu, a small fish poached first in rice wine, salted light soy, then fried in ginger, garlic, oil, more soy and sugar until the liquids reduce into a gorgeous sticky sauce. xiang ya, duck that s been marinated, blanched, then reheated, smothered in a sauce made from the reduced drippings left in the wok with dark soy, salt, and sugar. and this to round things out
is that good or bad? bill: uh, i think it s good. you know, uh, tv series, especially american tv series, are so popular in, in china. anthony: what are the most popular american shows in in china? bill: uh, right now, uh, house of cards . anthony: house of cards ! bill: yeah, so popular. anthony: house of cards ! bill: yes. anthony: of that s really interesting. why what do you think the appeal is here? bill: you know, in the show, in america, they can talk about presidents. anthony: right. bill: in china, there s no way you can talk about those sensitive topics. anthony: ah! bill: so many people love that show. it s really, really good. anthony: wow, that s really [ bill speaking mandarin ] anthony: a surprise to me. wow, these things are huge. bill: yes, wonton. it s okay, just put it anthony: that, there you go. mmm! good. bill: is it good? anthony: mm-hmm. minced pork, bok choy, some ginger, moisten with rice wine, soy. it all get
and the food reflects that genealogy. a combination of people from neighboring zhejiang province known for their liberal use of sugar, soy, and vinegar, and from jiangsu province, known for its ingredients and intention of preserving the aliveness of its dishes. it s the best of both worlds, great sauces, great ingredients. there s hung shao ro, braised pork belly in a deep red glaze of dark and light soy sauce, cinnamon, sugar, and anise. hung shao cha yu, a small fish poached first in rice wine, salted in light soy, then fried and ginger, garlic, oil, more soy and sugar until the liquids reduce into a gorgeous sticky sauce. jung ya, duck that s been marinated, blanched, then reheated, smothered in a sauce made from the reduced drippings left in the wok, with dark soy, salt, and sugar. and this to round things out.