by Shanghai Foodist
December 2011
One of the advantages of waking early is being able to watch all the different breakfast vendors setting up their carts and lighting their burners in anticipation of the morning rush. The roads I use on my daily walk to work are always filled with steaming bowls of congee and the enticing smells of fried shēngjiān bāo (生煎包), all beckoning me to try something new and delicious for breakfast.
Today, my eye caught the line of my trusted jiānbìng vendor, who sets up her cart on the corner of Xiangyang Lu and Yongkang Lu. Each day I watch her tirelessly and effortlessly crack eggs, sprinkle herbs and spread condiments with one hand over the bing that she continuously scrapes, swirls and folds with the other, all simultaneously taking orders from her long cue. It’s all a delicious and impressive juggling act.
Jiānbìng is the Chinese answer to both French crêpes and Mexican burritos. An impossibly thin pancake made from mung flour envelopes a crunchy yóutiáo (油条), a scrambled egg, fermented soybean paste, chili sauce and a few fresh herbs. The combination of the crunchy fried dough against the sweet bean paste and spicy chilies is magic, as the textures and flavors all subtly come together in a balancing act that’s nearly as impressive as my vendor’s juggling skills.
What really excites me about jiānbìng is that each one is made fresh to order, always according to a customer’s own taste. And so even though my order is fairly standard – I usually just ask for a heavy hand when using the chilies – it’s comforting to know that my jiānbìng was made just for me.
And what I love most about the whole experience of ordering street food for breakfast (or any meal) is that most vendors are incredibly encouraging with my Chinese speaking skills. They patiently listen as I tell them exactly how I want my jiānbìng prepared and often laugh when I stumble a bit when I mistakenly order a “subordinate” (cóng) instead of “scallions” (cōng) to be included in my breakfast. But after a few tries and a lot of smiles, I usually am able to get the kind of bing I want.
It’s always satisfying to receive a tailored jiānbìng according to my Chinese spoken order – it makes them taste even better.
Catch up with Shanghai Foodist around town.
My boys love these Chinese burritos! I didn’t realize the sauce was a fermented soy paste – we’ve always called it BBQ sauce. Just around the corner on Nancheng Lu there are also a couple of vendors who sell a pretty mean version and there’s always a line-up when I walk past in the morning.