Sha County Shaomai

Sha County Shaomai

　　Sha County shaomai features thin, small wrappers. During preparation, a portion of cassava flour is mixed into the wheat flour, resulting in semi-transparent, crystal-clear, delicate wrappers after steaming. The filling is meticulously prepared, featuring indispensable ingredients such as shrimp, lean pork, winter bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, and cellophane noodles. It is typically served with the natural seasoning of fermented black bean soy sauce, allowing diners to adjust the saltiness, sourness, or spiciness to their taste. In addition to the savory version, Sha County’s Xiama Town also offers a sweet shaomai, which looks identical but has a sweet filling made from white sugar, diced pastry, seaweed, diced orange cake, and crushed peanuts.

　　Sha County shaomai is a famous traditional Han Chinese snack from Fujian Province. Shaomai originated during the Song and Yuan dynasties. The Song Dynasty vernacular story "The Sharp-Tongued Li Cuilian" records: “Making shaomai or wontons is no trouble, I can handle all sorts of sliced dishes.” Sha County shaomai traces its roots to Taiyuan, Shanxi, where it was originally called "shao mei" (lit. “slightly plumbed”). Its name came from the pleated folds at the top that clustered together, resembling a plum blossom. Later, when the makers relocated to Sha County, the dish was passed down through generations, and due to phonetic changes, it became known as shaomai (or shaomai).

　　Sha County shaomai has thin wrappers (made from cold-water dough), generous fillings, and is delicate and crystal-clear. The ingredients used, production techniques, and steaming methods are distinctly different from those in other regions. Unlike the meat-filled shaomai of Beijing or the glutinous rice-filled versions of the Jiangnan region, Sha County shaomai combines cellophane noodles, diced meat, diced bamboo shoots, and diced shiitake mushrooms. These are wrapped in wrappers that are so thin, translucent, and delicate they seem ready to burst. Fresh from the steamer, they jiggle slightly in tight clusters, blushing pink. When served with Sha County’s unique fermented black bean soy sauce, they are smooth, savory, and delicious—truly a renowned delicacy.

　　Shaomai can be considered a standout dim sum among Sha County snacks. Its name comes from its resemblance to a large grain of barley and the fact that it’s hot enough to warm the heart and mouth when freshly served. Shaomai comes in both savory and sweet varieties: Savory shaomai features snow-white, transparent wrappers filled with premium Longkou cellophane noodles and lean meat. It’s refreshing, smooth, not greasy, good for digestion, and you won’t tire of eating it. Meanwhile, the sweet shaomai from Xiama in Sha County is uniquely flavorful and considered more luxurious. The making process for sweet shaomai is naturally more complex than the savory kind. Though the outer wrapper is the same as the savory version, the filling is sweet, consisting of white sugar, diced pastry, seaweed, diced orange cake, and crushed peanuts—with the pastry cubes ideally made from the local “Sanyuan Cake.”

　　High-quality shaomai places great emphasis on its filling, which must include shrimp, lean pork, winter bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, and cellophane noodles. In the past, the famed "Shaomai Jin" of Sha County only sold its shaomai to wealthy households between the West Gate and South Gate, leading to an old saying mocking those of lower status: “You’re not the kind of person who eats shaomai.” On September 5, 2000, at the "Second National Recognition Conference for Famous Chinese Snacks," held in Yinchuan, Ningxia by the China Cuisine Association, the "Sha County Shaomai" made by the Sha County Snack Industry Development Service Center was officially recognized as a "Famous Chinese Snack."

　　The production process of Sha County Shaomai:

　　Wrapping the filling is also a remarkable skill—tiny wrappers are stuffed with a surprisingly large amount of filling, and the process is done extremely quickly, with stacks of shaomai quickly piled up in tiers. Unlike common shaomai, Sha County shaomai has its sealed top folded downward.

　　Sha County shaomai differs from other regional varieties in five key ways:

　　⑴ Other regions use warm or hot water to make the dough for shaomai wrappers, while Sha County uses refined flour with cold water.

　　⑵ Other regions steam their shaomai with the sealed side facing upward and standing upright in the steamer, whereas Sha County steams them with the sealed side facing downward.

　　⑶ Other regions’ shaomai are as large as wine glasses, while Sha County shaomai are as small as jujubes.

　　⑷ Other regions dust the dough with wheat flour or cornstarch when rolling out the wrappers, but Sha County shaomai use cassava flour, which becomes transparent when cooked. Other starches do not achieve this effect. Additionally, after steaming, a layer of lard is brushed on, giving the shaomai a crystal-clear appearance that is very appetizing.

　　⑸ Sha County shaomai must be served with a dip of the region’s unique fermented black bean soy sauce.

　　A later poet wrote: 1 Northern food is ancient, yet Min’s barley just turns gold. Crystal wrappers glow bright, silver filling’s fragrance told. Lifting the basket, steam swirls long, Aroma drifts, flavors strong. With fermented soy sauce, who’d lament life’s trials untold?