Raw frying is as common and important as air and water for the Gusu people, and it is listed as one of the four cultural pillars of Suzhou along with silk, gardens and crafts, and it is naturally blooming everywhere in the city. However, the fried shop that can still be full of customers on weekday afternoons is the only one in Suzhou.

In the fried rivers and lakes, from fermentation to frying, from the skin to the filling, there are disagreements at almost every step, and various factions are quarrelling. The two camps with the most fierce struggle are the clear water pan-fried and the mixed water raw frying, the former is not very juicy, both come from the meat filling itself, and good meat can produce fragrant gravy; The latter is made with jelly, and the soup is rich, and if you are not careful, you will shoot out hot oil. There are three types of dough fermentation, the fully fermented dough has been proofed twice, the taste is thick and soft, similar to a bun, but it is easier to absorb all the juice, so it is usually served with clear water and meat filling; Semi-fermentation only proofs once, the thickness is moderate, relatively soft, there are small holes in the inner skin after frying but not much, so it can absorb part of the soup, but can hold the soup, the common mixed water raw decoction is with semi-fermented skin; Non-fermentation is no need to proofing at all, and the skin is directly rolled out after kneading, and the taste is tougher and thinner, which is more pleasing to some businesses who blindly pursue thin skin and large filling, but the form may not be full enough. Relatively speaking, semi-fermentation is the most common fermentation method in Suzhou. Mr. Shen Hongfei's description of "not only can be sipped, sucked, but also so much that it can be drunk, and even can be sprayed and shot", which refers to the semi-fermented mixed water raw frying, and the dumb raw decoction also belongs to this practice. The secret to the fact that the dough is fermented with old noodles is that the dough that has not been used up that day is thrown directly into the dough jar, and day after day it becomes yeast-rich flour. There is no need to worry about the pungent sour taste of the old noodles, another secret of dumb raw frying is to use baking soda instead of alkaline noodles, which not only reduces the sourness, but also makes the old noodles fluffier after frying.

There are three large pans in the dumb pan restaurant, one of which is a cold pot for neatly stacking wrapped steamed buns (locals like to call steamed buns); The other two stoves are lit on fire, the bottom is baked pale yellow on a high fire, and the skin filling is fried with water until the skin filling is medium-cooked; After that, turn to a simmer and simmer for five minutes, then turn from a simmer to a high heat after it is fully cooked, pour in a large amount of oil, until the bottom of the steamed bun is crispy and brown, sprinkle with chopped green onions and sesame seeds, and then put it on a plate. When eating, take a small bite first, the juice is not hot, but fortunately, it is full enough, and the soup can be easily drained; Chew the meat ball again, the meat ball is sweeter, but full of fresh fragrance; Finally, the dough is dipped in vinegar and eaten, and the aroma of oil, sourness, and sesame is combined into the throat, which is particularly comfortable.

There are currently three branches of Dumb Ba Shengfang, with a unified price of 14 yuan / 8 pieces, and you can order at least half a customer (4 pieces). Su'an New Village is the head office, located in the interior of the community, the store is relatively old and simple, many old Suzhou people insist that this is the most authentic dumb pan-fried, there are not many guests on weekdays, there is no need to wait in line, but the parking space is more difficult to find. The Linton Road branch was renovated in 2017 and is divided into two floors, full of retro Republic of China style, which is more refined and tidy than the main store. However, there are more tourists in the Linton Road branch, and there are queues at the cashier and the raw fried place, sometimes even the bubble wonton has been soaked in the soup until it is sparse, but the raw fried is still in the queue, if you go to the wrong peak, remember not to arrive at the store later than 19:00, most of the dishes are sold out at that time, and it is recommended to go to the other two branches to eat.