The stuffing Lao Man first came from a dumpling restaurant opened by Yi Shi in the western suburbs of Beijing in the late Qing Dynasty, and the name "Lao Man" is said to have been given by Cixi. There are too many legends in Beijing's catering industry, which is naturally not believable, but the long history and explosive reputation of the stuffing are real. Today, Lao Man has five stores in Beijing and a branch in Taipei. According to the clerk, there are about 50 pounds of dumplings with a full filling, which can be sold for about 300 pounds a day, and 600 pounds have been sold for energy saving.
The reason why the thin dumpling wrappers hold so many fillings is that they use semi-hot noodles, which are half noodles with cold water and half with hot water, and then knead them together. Cold water and noodles are more chewy, and the skin is not easy to be rolled out when rolling, and the boiled dumpling skin is chewy and not so transparent; Hot water is generally about 55 degrees of water, the flour will be scalded will be eliminated gluten, when rolling the skin will feel very soft, the made dumplings taste soft, easy to chew; Semi-hot noodles are somewhere in between, maintaining both malleability and toughness, so that the skin can be stuffed into the big stuffing. Lao Man's stuffing is to first beat a pound of meat filling with four taels of chicken broth, then beat all the seasonings into the meat, and then add two spoons of Lao Man's secret chicken juice. This chicken juice method is very particular, and the four raw materials are one is the old hen, and the chicken must be a chai chicken; the second is the Northeast hazelnut mushroom soaked in water; the third is the big stick bone; Fourth, mineral water. The raw materials need to be boiled for a long time until they become as thick as syrup, and then the leeks, eggs, and shrimp are put in and mixed when making dumplings.
The restaurant's signature Lao Man dumplings are a must-try for diners, filled with pork, leeks, eggs, and a piece of prawns. Pork leeks, three fresh fillings, pork fennel, beef and onion fillings are also very popular. Not only are the dumplings delicious, but also the fried sausages filled with old filling, Kung Pao chicken, Qianlong cabbage, dry pot fat sausages, braised lion's head, race crabs, etc., ordering any dish will not let you step on the thunder, but also make you have the desire to brush the menu.
There is also a branch of the main vegetarian food, called "Jing Su Shop", the dumpling filling here is all made of vegetarian dishes, and the taste is also very good, but for friends who like to eat meat, you must pay attention to the name when looking for a store, otherwise there will be no meat in the whole process. The environment is clean and comfortable, full of Beijing flavor, and the warm lanterns on the ceiling also make people feel warm and comfortable, although there are many people, they will not be upset. The waiters are also responsive and the speed of serving is satisfactory, but sometimes there will be long queues, so it's best to get the number an hour in advance.
