Shanghai Nosh Advisory, has teamed up with City Weekend to show you some of the best authentic local fare in Shanghai. In this blog, we visit Pudong International Food Inn and check out the selection of dried and cured meats.

Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province is where China’s finest hams are produced. Only three hours from Shanghai by rail, it is no surprise that these can be easily found about town. But most markets carry only bulky, overpriced Jinhua gift packs. If you can manage a trip to the Babaiban area of Pudong, head to the Pudong International Food Inn. There, Wondertwin powers activate when artisanal hams are sold in their natural state, alongside Bee Cheng Hiang dried meats, which are an astounding snack in their own right.

The main entrance to Food Inn is usually occupied by a seller of seasonal fare, or some other special promotion. Last week, fresh water lily roots were being shucked for seeds. It is the gateway to five floors of countless snack shop and restaurant options.

The Bee Cheng Hiang (měi zhēn xiāng, 美珍香) shop is just inside and to the right of the main entrance. The brand dates back to 1933, when it was sold by street vendors in Singapore. There are outlets all over Shanghai, often located in food courts or shopping mall basements, such as Parkson’s on Huahai Lu.

This particularly style of dried meat, quite similar to jerky, was made popular throughout Southeast Asia by Fujianese immigrants. The Fujian dialect term for this treat, bakkwa, is still used abroad. The Mandarin pronunciation for the general group of products is ròugān (肉干) or ròupú (肉脯).

Bee Cheng Hiang dried meats begin most often with pork and beef, which is chopped, seasoned, roasted and pressed into thin sheets. At sales outlets, meat strips graduate by passing briefly over a grill and are then sold. There are a number of flavor options that emphasize sweetness or spice and the results are stunningly tasty. The pork options are much more moist and soft then the jerky you may be used to.

Bee Cheng Hiang products are an easy sell once you try a free sample and that may be why this salesperson stifles a grin. Or perhaps it is because the dried fish ladies next door are razzing him for having his photo taken.

Mr. Shan, the Jinhua ham vendor, has a small shop situated at the back entrance to Food Inn’s first floor. He is as knowledgeable as any ham-selling Jinhua native should be, so skip the Autumn gift-ham special at Carrefours. Whole hams hang at Food Inn.

Mr. Shan will tell you that Jinhua ham is made with hind legs of pigs blessed by the heavens with thin skin, high fat content and a panda-like color scheme. Traditionally, a local breed called “two ends black” (liǎng tóu wū, 两头乌), which has such an appearance, is used in making Jinhua hams.

Jinhua ham has a very firm texture and intense flavor. Due to this, it is most often used as an addition to soups or braised dishes. I have found that it can be used in some western style dishes such as soup with ham, peas and greens. I substitute the staple collards, which I have never seen in China, for mustard greens or amaranth in this recipe. The result is quite different from the original, but still very tasty.

Jinhua ham is also perfect a ingredient for any cooked rice dish, whether it be Cantonese clay pot rice (bāozǎi fàn, 煲仔饭) or paella. I have heard of chefs slicing it very thin and serving it straight away like jamón Ibérico, but I think the flavor is too strong for this. Regardless, its great taste and versatility in both Western and Chinese cooking makes it a personal favorite among Chinese food products, tied at the top with Shanxi vinegar.

If you do make a run to Food Inn, you should enjoy a sit-down meal to break up the day. There are countless choices, but my favorite is Bik Time (掌柜的店), on the third floor. Bik Time serves modest Henan style food and there you should try the héle buckwheat noodles (饸饹面), a delicious but very hard to find snack in these parts.

DETAILS

What:Pudong International Food Inn (浦东国际美食城)

Where: 601 Zhangyang Lu, near Nanquan Bei Lu 浦东新区张杨路601号 (近南泉北路）