myfoodranking: JiaoZi (Chinese Dumplings)

Crescent-shaped JiaoZi symbolize wealthy and

prosperity because of their resemblance to ancient

Chinese money (silver ingots).

One silly thing I used to do is to integrate ShuiJiao (Boiled Chinese Dumplings) as part of my diet plan when I put on weight. Being the least fattening JiaoZi variety, I substituted dinner by having 10 pieces of ShuiJiao for consecutive 14 days and targeted to lose 5 pounds. Well, this diet plan failed and left me only a single word - frustration! My weight remained unchanged and I have been so sick of eating ShuiJiao since then (those who had experienced diet failure and zero no result after 2 weeks of discipline, for sure you understood my feeling ).

Let’s me explain why I failed.

The only scientific proven way of losing weight is your daily calories intake is less than the calories required by your body. To shed 1kg of fat from your body, you need to burn an equivalent of 7700kcal from your body with a combination of balanced diet plan and exercise. For instance, a lady who weight 55kgs can only consume equal or not more than 1650kcal everyday in order to maintain her weight. When she reduces her daily calories intake by 450kcal from food plus burn 120kcal from 30 minutes brisk walking, she will cut down a total of 570kcal everyday. In 2 weeks, she will be able to lose up to 1kg.

A snapshot of the alley which is few streets

away near the hotel I stayed.

After my diet failed, I did a lot of research into ShuiJiao and the outcome revealed that 1 piece of ShuiJiao contains 62kcal, which is then translated into 620kcal for a usual order consisting of 10 pieces. See, that’s the main culprit with hidden calories come from carbohydrates and fats. So, ladies and gentlemen, whoever want to keep extra pounds off, my advice is never consider to substitute main meal by ShuiJiao, unless you can control o eat moderately and mindfully with not more 5 pieces per meal. Likewise, for those who are so much fancy into ShuiJiao as after meal treats, soon, you will see your waistline grows sideway unknowingly.

Locals' breakfast time along the street.

When I was in Shanghai, I was so unwilling to eat ShuiJiao due to my sickeningness even though it is authentic Shanghainese dumplings. But the place I stayed has all kinds of street food vendors and the most common dish is JiaoZi, which is REAL cheap and popular in Shanghai. Due to convenience and to save pocket money, I had JiaoZi almost everyday as breakfast but it is still my sickening food after all.

Since I have taken a number of JiaoZi photos, I thought I would just do a brief introduction and hope this info is helpful enough for friends who have plan in mind to visit Shanghai or simply a sharing with JiaoZi freaks. And 3 types of JiaoZi are introduced here from theirs shapes, tastes and textures.

a) ShuiJiao

These water boiled dumplings are served in soup unlike those we eat in Malaysia. I would say they are so far the best ShuiJiao I had as the the "crunchiness" of the garlic chives was greatly retained after boiling. The wrappers were very thin and delicate and the clear soup served was tasty too. It's worth the price I paid RMB 4 for 10 pieces.

Oriental garlic chives filled ShuiJiao served with clear soup.

b) Served Cold ShuiJiao

These soupless ShuiJiao were served cold with soy-sesame paste. I'd never tried such ShuiJiao before and the texture was unacceptable for me due to its thick and chewy skin. But the meat and vegetable stuffings were tasty. It sold RMB 4 for 10 pieces.

Soupless and served cold ShuiJiao with soy-sesame sauce.

c) GuoTie

These ‘pan-fried dumplings served are commonly seen in Shanghai. Evenly heated brown skin were crispy and thin and the hint of wonderful "wok burnt smell" left an aftertaste in my mouth. It went well without dipping any sauce. As for price, it is slightly expensive which is RMB 6 for 10 pieces.