Getting dumplings right

It was our fourth day in Shanghai, and we had yet to have absolutely delicious dumplings. Time to change that. We went to Little Yang's Fried Dumplings to get our fix.

These large fried soup dumplings were excellent. Take your typical xiao long bao, make it twice the size, sear the bottom until it becomes crispy, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Yum. We went through a couple of orders of these, and then straight back to order some more. Eating them was a skill that was fun to practice. First, you try to pick them up with your chopsticks without rupturing the skin. Then, you place it on your spoon and take a small nibble of the corner. Then, you try to slurp the soup out, but not too quickly, or else you completely burn the inside of your mouth. Only then can you take a big bite into the heart of these delicious dumplings.

As accompaniment, I got tofu and yong tiao soup with vermicelli. The mix of the rolled tofu and the chopped fried dough was very nice. With chillies added this was an excellent counterpoint to the dumplings (though probably not a standalone standout).

Just as we were leaving, they brought out a fresh batch on a huge iron plate. A line quickly formed, to go orders were placed, and, like that, they were gone!