Huashilin Steamed Dumplings

Huashilin Steamed Dumplings

　　Huashilin Steamed Dumplings are a type of pasta dish characterized by their filling, which is half sweet and half savory, tender and soft in texture, and delicious in taste. Each serving comes with a bowl of chicken soup, adding a unique flavor. Cooking method: steaming. These dumplings are known for their tender, soft texture and well-balanced sweet-savory taste. When served with chicken soup or fresh bone broth, they become even more aromatic and flavorful, making them a distinctive local snack from Nanchong City, Sichuan Province.

　　Knead the scalded dough evenly, cover with a damp cloth, and let it rest for 30 minutes. Divide it into pieces, flatten them, and roll them into wrappers. Slice pork, stir-fry it in a wok with ginger slices, salt, sweet bean paste, and white bean paste. Remove from heat, let it cool, then chop it finely. Mix in winter vegetable granules, Sichuan pepper powder, and MSG to make the savory filling. 26a

　　Boil pig lard briefly in hot water, then dice it. Mix with sugar, crushed sesame seeds, rose petals, and flour to make the sweet filling. Wrap each wrapper with either the savory or sweet filling, place them in small steamer baskets, and steam for 3 to 5 minutes with an equal number of sweet and savory dumplings. Serve each portion with a bowl of chicken soup simmered with ginger, Sichuan pepper, and salt. 26a

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　　The making of Huashilin Steamed Dumplings originated with Yang Jianqin and has a history of sixty years. In 1925, Yang Jianqin went to Chongqing, where he had the opportunity to learn the technique of making Yangzhou-style steamed dumplings. In 1927, he returned to Nanchong and set up a small food stall at No. 58 Zhengfu Street, hanging a sign for Yangzhou Steamed Dumplings to attract customers. Yang Jianqin made many innovations to the dumpling-making process. The improved dumplings had edges that adhered like lotus leaves, and the patterns on the dumpling bodies resembled flower petals. When served in a bowl with fresh broth, they looked like lotus flowers blooming among lotus leaves on a small pond. Literary diners, in addition to praising the dish, jointly gifted him a gilded plaque inscribed with: “Enjoying flowers and wine, surrounded by refined scholars.” 26a

　　To show his gratitude for everyone’s kind words, Yang Jianqin combined the essence of the dish and prefixed “Huashilin” (meaning “flowers and scholars as numerous as a forest”) to the name “Yangzhou Steamed Dumplings.” However, locals continued to refer to the Yangzhou Steamed Dumplings as Huashilin Steamed Dumplings, so Yang Jianqin eventually dropped the word “Yangzhou.” From then on, Huashilin Steamed Dumplings gained fame both within and beyond the county. 26a

　　Huashilin Steamed Dumplings come in both savory and sweet varieties. The savory ones are filled with ingredients such as fresh pork, winter vegetables, and sweet bean paste, while the sweet ones are made with sugar, sesame seeds, and pig lard. Regardless of the type, both require high-level craftsmanship. Yang Jianqin maintained strict quality control over every stage of the dumpling-making process, from shaping to steaming and selling. His standards were: the ingredients must be carefully selected, the preparation meticulous (not even a single line on the dumpling body could be careless), and the finished dumplings must be smooth and shiny. If they didn’t meet his standards, he would rather not sell them than compromise their reputation. As a result, the fame of Huashilin Steamed Dumplings grew louder and louder. 26a