小笼包 ($8) & 红油炒手 ($4)!
Shanghai-style xiao long bao and Sichuan spicy wontons in chilli oil, from a Redhill Market stall. $12.
A dumpling lunch with BB at a Shanghai noodle stall in Redhill Market: 小笼包 (xiao long bao, $8) and 红油炒手 (spicy wontons, $4). 🥟😋
What we had ($12 total):
- Xiao long bao: two bamboo steamers of soup dumplings
- 红油炒手 (spicy wontons): pork wontons in chilli oil
Two steamers of xiao long bao is exactly how to start. The pleated skins were thin but held together, each one holding a mouthful of hot, savoury soup around a pork filling. The ritual is the fun: lift one onto your spoon, add a little shredded ginger in vinegar, nip a hole to let the steam out, sip the broth, then eat the rest. Juicy and comforting.
The 红油炒手 (hong you chao shou) was the Sichuan counterpoint, and the dish I could not stop eating. Plump pork wontons sitting in a pool of glossy red chilli oil with garlic, soy and spring onion, savoury and spicy with that warming numb-tingle from the chilli oil. Spooned together with a bit of the oil over the wontons, it had a real kick.
One delicate and soupy, one bold and fiery, the two made a great pair. Lovely value at $12.
Overall: 4.6 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Juicy soup-filled xiao long bao and fiery chilli-oil wontons, a great dumpling combo. Would re-order.
