Pan-fried Buns

Pan-fried Buns

　　On Jianghan Road in Hankou, Wuhan, there’s a pan-fried bun shop that always has a line — “Jianghan Road’s Best Pan-Fried Buns.” Their buns have soft, fluffy wrappers, tender and juicy meat fillings, crispy bottoms, and are especially delicious when dipped in their signature spicy sauce. Although there are many other shops nearby selling similar buns, only this shop always has a long queue.

This shop used to operate in a small alley near Jianghan Road on Hualou Street, and back then it was called “Guoguo Pan-Fried Buns.” Aside from the rice wine paste and mung bean soup served with the buns, the shop only sold one item: pan-fried small buns. Thanks to their great taste, they became popular and were featured multiple times by local Wuhan media, attracting even more customers who came specifically for them. No matter the weather, there was always a long line, so the shop eventually changed its name to “Jianghan Road’s Best Soup Buns.” The shop had limited seating and was always packed with people either standing to eat their buns or waiting in line. No matter how busy it got, they always used just three small flat pans to cook the buns, ensuring the quality of every batch.

Some also say that the shop’s real specialty isn’t the buns themselves, but rather the unique red oil dipping sauce — sweet with a hint of spice, salty yet fragrant, and incredibly flavorful. It’s said to be a special blend of broad bean paste and various other ingredients. Many other bun shops have tried to copy their sauce, but none have managed to replicate its uniquely delicious taste.

After the renovation of Hualou Street, “Jianghan Road’s Best Pan-Fried Buns” moved into the newly opened Dalian Wanda Plaza. The shop expanded and added more items to the menu, including not only the original pan-fried buns but also bean skin wraps, spicy sour noodles, and soybean paste noodles. However, the pan-fried buns remain the star attraction, still drawing crowds of eager customers who willingly wait in long lines outside the shop every day.