Chengdu dumplings 钟水饺

One of the most famous snacks of Chengdu is the Chengdu dumplings called Zhong dumplings. It is named after the inventor whose last name is Zhong (钟燮森). As Chengdu was the capital of many dynasties before, the history of the Chengdu dumplings started around 1893. As one store started selling this type of dumplings, more stores caught on and soon, this became a staple Chengdu dish.

My local friend took me to his favourite dumpling place where lots of locals eat. The difference in the Chengdu dumplings is the chewy skin paired with only pork fillings. Many dumplings from other regions of China adds vegetables into the fillings but the Chengdu recipe only calls for filtered water soaked previously in ground ginger and meat.

The essence of the dish lies in the dark soy sauce. To make the sauce for the dish you have to boil down one part soy sauce, one part water and one part brown sugar. The mixture will at first be running but using a small flame, keep boiling it down until the entire mixture becomes velvety like molasses.

After boiling the dumplings, add the dark sauce, fresh sesame seeds and then the famous Sichuan chili oil and a little bit of garlic depending on taste. Some stores also add ground sesame seeds/peanut for additional fragrance. Every bite is a great balance of sweet, savory, spicy, acidity, umami and aroma.

Another dish that is delicious here is the “rice steamed with beef”. It is a mixture of spiced rice and steamed with meat until the meat is tender.

In Baidu map search for：

孙记三碗饺
Address: 成都市武侯区紫荆东路90号(紫竹苑)
Phone: 028-85194681