Xuewu Pan-Fried Buns Introduction
Chen Shih-Tzung (born in 1960) started making and selling shui jian bao (pan-fried buns) at the age of 27. He began by selling in Wushi, using a vehicle to sell shui jian bao to nearby villages, returning home late at night. The price for one shui jian bao started at 5 TWD. Since 2009, he has been selling at his current location. Xunwu Shui Jian Bao uses all-purpose flour, with fillings including pork, cabbage, spices, tofu skin, carrots, and green onions. The method is as follows: the flour is fermented and set aside. Pork is sliced and stir-fried with scallions, tofu skin, spices, etc., and set aside. Cabbage and carrots are briefly blanched, then stir-fried with scallions and seasoning, and set aside. A small piece of fermented dough is flattened, filled with the stir-fried cabbage and shredded pork, and sealed to form a bun. In the afternoon, the buns are taken to the market. After heating a pan, a small amount of salad oil is added, and the buns are placed in the pan, pressed down by hand. Water mixed with flour is then added, and the buns are pan-fried for about 6 minutes, flipped, and fried for another 4 minutes. Once done, they are removed from the pan and prepared for customers, who can take them to go. Salad oil is added to the pan to prevent the buns from sticking; the water and flour mixture is made by mixing flour with water.
