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In the Dim Sum place I usually go to (in the U.S), they call the pan-fried bun stuffed with Chinese chive and shrimp 韭菜馅饼.

I came from Northern China and the shape and size of that bun are, by any standard, 包子 rather than 馅饼.

I wonder if this is normal in Cantonese or just that restaurant.

If it's normal, is the distinction between 包子 and 馅饼 cooking method (pan-fried vs. steamed) rather than shape and size?

NS.X.
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  • I have seen those before too. It's possible that 馅饼 has come to mean any pan-fried pastry with fillings. Were they flat on both sides or just on one side? – deutschZuid Feb 18 '13 at 05:43
  • @JamesJiao they look just like 生煎包. Maybe both sides are cooked but the bottom is apparently pan-fried much deeper than the upper side. – NS.X. Feb 18 '13 at 07:19
  • Can you post a couple of pictures? – jsj Feb 18 '13 at 13:43
  • @trideceth12 Found this picture on Yelp, on the plate to the leftmost. http://s3-media4.ak.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/W8e5f37JGPXZVOrSJJmT-w/l.jpg – NS.X. Feb 19 '13 at 02:04

1 Answers1

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Yeah. 包 (usually sans 子, most of the time, or sometimes as 包仔, and sometimes as 鮑[仔]) is a steamed bun, whereas 餡餅 is baked/pan-fried.

dda
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  • Thanks for the answer. Could you be explicit on whether shape is a factor or not? – NS.X. Feb 19 '13 at 04:37
  • I don't think shape is much of a factor, really... I'll look at some menus in the coming days and see if I can bring some examples. – dda Feb 19 '13 at 04:47