A Symbol of Reunion Ningbo Tangtuan Restaurant
团团圆圆·宁波汤团店

Tangtuan is a dumpling made with glutinous (sweet rice) rice and typically stuffed with ground pork, red bean paste etc. The dumpling is made into a round ball shape which symbolizes family reunion, and sometimes it is also called "Tang (soup) Yuan (ball)" in Shanghai.

There are different varieties of Tangtuans. For example, Gedan-Yuanzi ("Pigeon egg-round balls") is tiny, shaped like pigeon eggs. In the old times, Gedan-Yuanzi was very popular in tea houses and Chinese Suzhou Opera theaters. Today, this is an excellent food to entertain distinguished guests and government leaders. When Deng Xiaoping was spending the Spring Festival holidays in Shanghai in 1988, he sampled a number of dim sums at Lvbolang restaurant, prepared by master chef Zhou Jinghua and Zhou's teacher. The dim sums Deng sampled were steamed and fried Meimaoshu (A Pastry shaped like eye brow), radish pastry and Gedan-Yuanzi. Deng praised the marvelous food and he kept saying: "Great! Great!" Delicate and exquisite, these tiny translucent egg-shaped Gedan-Yuanzi were truly so remarkable that they have impressed Indonesian President Megawati. However, no one could tell where Gedan-Yuanzi originated from and who created it. The dumplings are made from quality glutinous rice flour and filled with mint and sugar which gives a fresh sweet-mint taste in every bite. These little soft dumplings provide a cool refreshing taste to beat summer heat, and they also remove the excessive heat from your body according to Chinese medicine. The experience is truly delightful and extraordinary.

One cannot talk about Tangtuan without mentioning the hundred-year-old restaurant Qiaojiashe. Its predecessor, Yongmaochang Tangtuan Restaurant was first established in 1910, during the second year of Emperor Xuantong's Reign, by a young man from Anhui Province named Li Yijian. The restaurant was opened on Xiangqiao Road near the Old City, and specialized in making Tangtuan. Li had excellent skills in making Tangtuan, and he paid great attention to the quality and the ingredients: The glutinous rice must be from the farms in the Zhujiajiao area of Qinpi County; as for the meat fillings, only the tender, pinkish-white meat from the black-haired hogs were selected; the red beans had to be the Dahongbao brand produced in Chongming County. Farmers in Pudong were contracted to grow roses which were used with red bean paste. The rose petals were processed using sugar to preserve freshness and fragrance. The finished Tangtuan had a delicate skin that was even in thickness, soft yet slightly chewy in texture. The pork Tangtuans were priced the same as the sweet ones. At that time, the restaurant only charged one "Copper Coin" (a Chinese currency unit in old times) for three Tangtuans, and a delicious snack meal only cost two "Copper Coins". The restaurant received high praise, and the business flourished as its homemade specialty Tangtuan, also known as LeiShaYuan, gained great popularity all over the city. However, the War of Resistance Against Japan broke out in 1937, and Nanshi District was soon under Japanese army's control. Facing enemys intense bornbing Li had to return to the safety of his hometown. After the war, Li sold the restaurant to businessman Mr. Shi, and the restaurant was renamed Qiaojiashe. Four big Chinese characters were painted beside the grand entrance to the restaurant, which were translated as Tangtuan King. Leishayuan, a masterpiece dish created by Qiaojiashe, is Tangtuan stuffed with a variety of fillings, such as red bean paste, sesame seeds, meat and etc. To make LeiShaYuan, the Tangtuans are first cooked and drained, then coated with a layer of powered red bean, a type of flour made from finely grounded precooked red beans. Cooked Leishayuan is eaten hot so you can enjoy the rich, nutty taste of the aromatic red bean. Legend has it that this wonderful kind of Tangtuan was invented by Mrs. Lei, an old lady who lived in the city at the end of the Qing Dynasty. When Mrs. Lei noticed that the Tangtuan was not convenient for storage and transportation although it was popular among the Shanghainese. To solve the dilemma, Mrs. Lei coated the Tangtuan with red bean flour so that it was easy for people to carry around or send as a gift. Hence, LeiShaYuan was named after Mrs. Lei to honor her ingenious creation.

It was a pity that Qiaojiashe was not located inside the City God Temple. There used to be three restaurants serving Tangtuan inside the City God Temple right by the main gate. All of them offered Fermented Glutinous Rice Balls and "Eight Treasure" Rice Pudding. Gushuixing, one of the three restaurants, served a particularly popular Tangtuan which was made from glutinous rice flour stuffed with a variety of preserved fruits, Osmanthus Flower and fermented rice. Warm, aromatic, tender and sweet, this Tangtuan was a delightful treat enjoyed by many people. Sadly, today this wonderful dessert is nowhere to be found.

However, one of the restaurants inside the Old City Temple called Ningbo Tangtuan Restaurant is still in business today. It has a history of fifty years. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the famous legendary comedian Chaplin once visited Shanghai. Accompanied by Han Langeng, a Chinese Comedian nicknamed "Skinny Monkey", Chaplin toured the Bund, Nanjing Rd and Huaihai Rd. The company was famished by the time they arrived at the City God Temple. Han Langgeng took Chaplin to Ningbo Tangtuan Restaurant to eat its pork Tangtuan. Chaplin was amazed of the tiny marble-sized Tangtuan with stuffing. He ended up with eating two bowls of Tangtuan, and also ordered many uncooked pieces for takeout to share with his friends and relatives.

Tangtuan at Ningpo Tangtuan Restaurant is truly extraordinary. It is produced through an elaborate process using carefully selected ingredients. The glutinous rice must be top quality; the suet has to be made free of skin or muscle; the fillings are prepared from a series of indispensable ingredients, including icing sugar, black sesame seeds, dried tangerines, osmenthus etc. Furthermore, great skills are essential to boil Tangtuan properly. The four key steps involved in the boiling process are observation, stirring, adding water and immediately removing from the pot once it is done. The perfectly cooked Tangtuan has aromatic and sweet flavor, tender but not sticky, soft yet slightly chewy, and it is so smooth that it glides down the throat. Needless to say, the wonderful Tangtuan has been well liked and admired by the millions. In 2003, Ningbo Tangtuan Restaurant moved back to its original location inside the City God Temple, attracting many people all over the country, including those royal fans from Hong Kong and Macau. The restaurant also expanded the menu by adding a few more varieties developed from its original pork Tangtuan, such as Meat Tangtuan, Crab Meat Tangtuan, Date Tangtuan, Vegetarian Tangtuan, Appricot Tangtuan and etc. Each kind is unique in taste and style.

Sesame Tangtuan 芝麻汤团

The ingredients are glutinous rice flour, black sesame seeds, icing sugar, pork suet and dried tangerine. To prepare the filling, black sesame seeds are first fried and ground into fine powder, and then mixed with pork suet, icing sugar, and dried tangerine powder to a good consistency. The dough is made by combining boiling water with glutinous rice flour. The sesame mixture is wrapped in the dough, rolled into a ball about size of a marble, and then simmered in a pot of boiling water until they float to the surface. The cooked Sesame Tangtuan is smooth and tender with an aromatic and sweet filling inside.

Sweet-Salty flavored Tangtuan 甜咸汤团

This Tangtuan is made from glutinous rice flour, meat filling and date paste filling. To prepare the "Salty filling" (meat filling), pork picnic shoulder meat is first ground in a meat grinder, seasoned with salt, MSG, green onion, ginger and a bit of sugar, and then mixed (mix while adding water) to a good consistency. To prepare the sweet filling, black dates are cooked thoroughly first, skinned and pitted, and ground into a paste in a meat grinder. Then the paste is fried with melted sugar in oil to make the date paste filling. The fillings are wrapped in the rice flour dough and rolled into a ball about size of a marble. The skin of the cooked Tangtuan is smooth, soft, tender and slightly chewy; the sweet filling is sugary, moist, soft and smooth; the "Salty filling" is delicious and savory.

Address: 159 JiuJiaochang Rd

Telephone: 63559999—1461

Hours of operation: 08:00-20:00