Pan-fried Beef Dumplings

These dumplings wrap a beef filling in hot-water dough and pan-fry it flat, giving a crisp browned base, a thin chewy skin and a juicy centre — a classic of Nanjing's Hui quarters.

Around the 1930s the Jiangyouji shop began selling beef guotie, later moving through Qijiawan and the Confucius Temple area, making the dumpling a street icon and one of the celebrated 'eight delicacies of Qinhuai'.

Eaten piping hot, often with beef soup or beef wontons; a careful bite releases a little juice. It is a familiar quick meal for locals.

The filling is beaten with peppercorn water to lift the beef, and a thin starch wash crisps the base in the pan, giving the dumplings their fragrant, crisp-yet-tender character.