Sink your teeth into superb Shanghainese ‘shengjian bao’ and more at Jia Yu Fang, Damansara Utama

Shengjian bao, a rustic soup-filled bun from Shanghai, is gaining attention at Jia Yu Fang in Damansara Utama, known for its freshly prepared and flavourful offerings.

Unlike the globally popular xiaolongbao supported by corporate backing, shengjian bao's richness and crunch have yet to break into mainstream markets like Malaysia.

Besides shengjian bao, Jia Yu Fang offers other noteworthy dishes, including sweet Shanghai-style red braised pork and addictive chilli green egg, making it a culinary highlight.

PETALING JAYA, Oct 18 — Of the soup-filled dumplings to come out of Shanghai, shengjian bao has enjoyed far less love than its sibling, the xiaolong bao , famous the world over.

Maybe it just isn’t dainty enough.

After all, the thin, delicate skin of the xiaolong bao is a big part of its appeal: successfully wrangling one with our chopsticks and slurping the soup in a genteel manner feels like the work of an erudite epicure, especially when a friend reaches for a straw and still spills soup all over themselves.

The ensuing feeling is a momentary but powerful hit of that sweet, sweet dopamine.

Straws are for suckers, we say, more smug than any dumpling has a right to make us.

But all of this is likely just fantasy.

Realistically, the global popularity of the xiaolong bao came about almost entirely from the success of a single company: Din Tai Fung.

Without that kind of corporate backing, shengjian bao has had to rely on the disparate, grassroots efforts of countless street vendors and mom-and-pop shops.

Fitting, as it has always been the more rustic of the two — in every way.

Closer to a bun than a dumpling, shengjian bao is made with semi-leavened dough — it rises more than a flatbread, but not like a puffy bun — and envelops the same pork and gelatin mixture that turns into soup after cooking. Instead of being gently steamed in a bamboo basket, it is traditionally fried in an oiled pan, with water sprinkled or sprayed over the top during cooking.

The moisture steams the inside through while the bottom of the bun crisps up on the pan, like wo tip (potstickers) or gyoza .

More substantial and durable than xiaolong bao , shengjian bao has been a popular breakfast and street food in Shanghai since the 1920s, its crunchy bottom and thicker dough making it considerably more portable.

But it hasn’t quite broken through in Malaysia, so your best bet for shengjian bao is places like Jia Yu Fang.

Located in Damansara Utama, the restaurant is barely a month old and has done little to update the decor left by the previous tenant.

Instead, all the attention seems to have gone into the shengjian bao (RM3 per piece).

For what looks like a quick, simple snack, they take a while to arrive — on my third and most recent visit, I learned that each bao is cooked to order.

A fresh batch is made every day, but steaming and frying them takes close to 10 minutes, which feels like an age thanks to the restaurant’s insistence on playing an endless loop of smooth jazz à la Kenny G.

When they do arrive, however, they are more than worth the wait — even the additional one or two minutes you’ll need to avoid burning the roof of your mouth.

The inside was scalding hot, but when it had cooled enough to eat, the soup was sweet, very sweet, but resulting in a clean, refreshing sensation rather than a cloying one.

The pork and soup had a fresh, pure depth of flavour that’s often called xian tian (鲜甜) in Chinese, while the bottom of the bun was crunchy and caramelised too.

Whether you’re eating it on its own or dipping it in some vinegar, these shengjian bao are some of the best you’ll find in the Klang Valley.

Much of the rest of the menu was deserving of praise, but the red braised pork (RM46) in particular stood out.

Shanghai-style red braised pork is well known for being much sweeter and richer than the classic Hunan variation, and this was no different.

Where the sweetness described earlier carried a refreshing, crisp undertone, this was on the other end of the spectrum: rich, sticky and clinging to the lips long after the last bite of pork.

All that soft, fatty cloyingness calls for something tangy, sharp and crunchy to balance it out, which the restaurant provides… in the form of a housemade kimchi that’s well impressive.

But the biggest surprise on the menu has to be the chilli green egg (RM18). It’s an exceedingly simple dish of eggs stir-fried with green peppers and onions, yet there is something unbelievably addictive about it.

The eggs are formed into thin, fluffy strips, similar in shape and length to the slivers of pepper, which boast a wonderfully smoky and savoury flavour. A bowl of rice and this? My happy place.

Will shengjian bao ever get its own Din Tai Fung to carry it into malls around the world?

For now, the case in Malaysia is being made one bun at a time by Jia Yu Fang, barely a month old and making a very fine argument on the dumpling’s behalf.

Yes, you’ll wait, and yes, there will probably be smooth jazz. But come and order it anyway.

Jia Yu Fang Restaurant

Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya.

Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10.30am—10pm

Facebook: Jia Yu Fang Restaurant

* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.

* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.

* Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau .

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生煎包，一种来自上海的乡村风味汤包，在以新鲜美味著称的 Damansara Utama 的 Jia Yu Fang 餐厅引起了人们的关注。

与受企业支持、风靡全球的小笼包不同，生煎包的丰富口感和酥脆质地尚未打入马来西亚等主流市场。

除了生煎包，嘉鱼坊还提供其他值得一提的菜肴，包括甜美的上海红烧肉和令人上瘾的辣椒绿蛋，使其成为美食亮点。

八打灵再也，10 月 18 日讯——在上海出产的各种汤包中，生煎包远不如它的兄弟——享誉全球的小笼包那样受欢迎。

或许它不够精致。

毕竟，小笼包薄而精致的皮是它吸引人的地方：用筷子成功夹起一个，优雅地吸溜着汤汁，感觉就像是一位博学的美食家在做事，尤其是当朋友伸手去拿吸管，结果汤汁还是洒得自己一身的时候。

随之而来的感觉是短暂但强烈的、令人愉悦的多巴胺冲击。

我们说，吸管是给傻瓜用的，这种自鸣得意的语气比任何饺子带给我们的都更甚。

但这很可能只是幻想。

实际上，小笼包在全球的流行几乎完全归功于一家公司的成功：鼎泰丰。

由于缺乏企业支持，生煎包只能依靠无数街头小贩和夫妻店分散的基层努力。

这很贴切，因为它在各方面都比另一个地方更质朴。

生煎包更接近于包子而非饺子，它用半发酵的面团制成——比扁面包蓬松一些，但又不像包子那样膨胀——包裹着同样的猪肉和明胶混合物，煮熟后会变成汤汁。与用竹蒸笼蒸制不同，传统上它是在抹了油的平底锅中煎制的，煎制过程中会不时地在表面洒水或喷水。

水分通过蒸汽渗透到面包内部，而面包底部在平底锅上变得酥脆，就像锅贴或煎饺一样。

生煎包比小笼包更实在、更耐放，自 20 世纪 20 年代以来一直是上海流行的早餐和街头小吃，其酥脆的底部和较厚的面皮使其更便于携带。

但它在马来西亚还没有完全流行起来，所以想吃生煎包的话，最好的选择是像嘉裕坊这样的地方。

这家餐厅位于 Damansara Utama，开业还不到一个月，而且几乎没有对前租户留下的装修进行任何更新。

相反，所有人的注意力似乎都集中在了生煎包（每个 3 令吉）上。

看起来很简单的快餐，但实际上需要一段时间才能上菜——在我第三次也是最近一次光顾时，我了解到每个包子都是现点现做的。

每天都会新鲜制作一批，但蒸煮和油炸需要近 10 分钟，由于餐厅坚持循环播放肯尼·基风格的柔和爵士乐，这感觉就像一个世纪那么长。

然而，当它们真正到来时，绝对值得等待——即使需要额外一两分钟来避免烫伤你的上颚。

汤里面滚烫，但凉到可以吃的时候，汤是甜的，非常甜，但吃起来却感觉清爽，而不是甜腻。

猪肉和汤汁味道鲜美纯正，在中国常被称为“鲜甜”，而包子的底部也酥脆焦香。

无论直接食用还是蘸醋吃，这些生煎包都是巴生谷地区你能找到的最好的生煎包之一。

菜单上的其他菜品也都值得称赞，但红烧肉（46令吉）尤其突出。

上海红烧肉以比经典的湖南红烧肉更甜更浓郁而闻名，这道菜也不例外。

前面描述的甜味带有一种清爽的底味，而这种甜味则完全相反：浓郁、粘稠，即使吃完最后一口猪肉后，甜味仍然会长时间留在嘴唇上。

所有这些柔软、油腻、甜腻的口感需要一些酸爽、辛辣、脆脆的食物来平衡，而这家餐厅恰好提供了这样的食物……那就是令人印象深刻的自制泡菜。

但菜单上最大的惊喜当属辣椒绿鸡蛋（18令吉）。这道菜做法极其简单，就是将鸡蛋与青椒和洋葱一起翻炒，但却有着令人难以置信的上瘾口感。

鸡蛋被做成细长蓬松的条状，形状和长度都和胡椒丝很像，散发着美妙的烟熏咸香。一碗米饭配上这个？简直就是我的幸福天堂。

生煎包会不会有一天也像鼎泰丰那样，进驻世界各地的商场呢？

目前，马来西亚的这场诉讼是由贾玉芳一人发起的，她成立仅一个月，却为饺子辩护，论证得非常充分。

是的，你得等一会儿，而且很可能还会放些舒缓的爵士乐。但不管怎样，都来点餐吧。

嘉御坊餐厅

白沙罗乌塔玛 (Damansara Utama)，八打灵再也。

周二至周日，上午10:30至晚上10:00营业

Facebook：嘉御坊餐厅

* 这是一篇独立评论，作者自行支付了餐费。

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* 在 Instagram 上关注 Ethan Lau @eatenlau 。

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