Did you know that today (April 30) is World Jianbing Day? Yep, its a thing.
Founded by the fine foodies at Shanghais very own UnTour Food Tours, World Jianbing Day celebrates all things jianbing.
Flyer courtesy of UnTour Food Tours
Heres a handy overview of the big day from UnTour Chief Eating Officer, Jamie Barys:
World Jianbing Day is an annual event founded by UnTour Food Tours in 2019. The team at UnTour wanted to spread the love of jianbing around the world and celebrate its many forms. From the original found streetside to the modern and fusion jianbings that you can now find globally, we love them all!
Jianbing is a savory traditional Chinese crepe (but really isnt a crepe just a French jianbing?) with a fried egg and other fillings that is traditionally found streetside. Its origins can be traced to Tianjin and Shandong province, but it is loved around China and now, more than ever, around the world.
According to legends, jianbing was invented nearly 2,000 years ago during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280) by Zhuge Liang, a military strategist who was coincidentally the same guy who invented the mantou! He also supposedly invented landmines, so, I mean, he had his faults but culinary skills were ace.
Anyway, Zhuge Liang was faced with feeding an army of soldiers whod lost their woks after a quick retreat, so ordered the cooks to evenly mix water with wheat flour and spread the dough onto a shield suspended over a fire.
The dish lifted his soldiers morale and they fought their way out of an ambush. Take that story with a grain of salt (like most Chinese food histories) but I tell you, Id fight someone for a good jianbing.
Now that youre up to speed on this fabulous holiday, were sure youre hankering for a jianbing right about now. Heres what UnTour has planned for the second annual World Jianbing Day.
1. Shanghais Only Jianbing Cooking Class
Image courtesy of UnTour Food Tours
We hereby proclaim 2020 is the year of the Quaranbing, which means its time to put your jianbing prepping skills to the test. UnTour is hosting jianbing-making classes. Todays class has already sold out, but you can still book a spot for the May 3 class. Space is limited to six spots per class. Price is RMB390 per person, and guests get a 25% discount on jianbing swag (more on that below).
Scan to book your spot now.
2. Eat Jianbing at Participating Restaurants
Maybe you were lucky enough to try the Homeslice jianbing pizza last year? Well, its back, along with eight other limited-time special themed dishes created specially for World Jianbing Day. Scroll down below for a list of participating Shanghai restaurants.
3. Jianbing Swag
The Jianbing Making Kit
Image courtesy of UnTour Food Tours
Want to turn your favorite street food into homecooked brunch? UnTours Jianbing Making Kit (RMB350) includes everything you need to make your own jianbing at home, as well as the Original Jianbing Blanket the perfect after dinner treat as you can be the wrap up in the jianbing blanket on the couch after youve flipped your way through dinner!
The kit includes a griddle, jianbing making accoutrement (spatula, spreader, brush and scraper), recipe, dry ingredients (including four types of flour and baking soda), sauces (sweet bean paste and chili oil) and the Jianbing Blanket.
Order it here.
The O.G. Jianbing Blanket
Image courtesy of UnTour Food Tours
You havent really experienced quarantine until youve become the cuipi in your very own Jianbing Blanket (RMB350). The blanket is perfect for lounging on the couch, turning heads at a picnic, tanning on the beach, impressing your hipster friends with your street food knowledge, long nights in front of the fireplace with your partner in crime and so much more.
Order yours here.
4. Jianbing Photo Competition
Image courtesy of UnTour Food Tours
UnTour Food Tours is giving away one Jianbing Making Kit that includes everything you need to make jianbing at home. Youll also get the O.G. Jianbing Blanket and a digital cookbook. To enter the competition, simply share a post and tag #worldjianbingday and @UnTourFoodTours on Instagram or Facebook. Whether its a throwback photo of your favorite jianbing or an attempt at #quaranbing cooking, UnTours wants to see your jianbing snaps!
Now, as promised, here are a few venues around town that are offering special jianbing-themed menu items for this special occasion:
Bird
Image courtesy of UnTour Food Tours
Bird has prepared two jianbing-inspired dishes: roasted pork neck served with garlic sprouts, northern-style laobing with roast chili mojo (RMB88) and pork belly vindaloo served with kaffir leaf and Vietnamese-style bahn xeo (RMB128). Both items are only available for dinner.
50 Wuyuan Lu, by Changshu Lu 50,
Egg
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Egg is serving up jianbing French toast, available all day long. This triple-stack white toast is dipped in an eggy cream batter and topped with French-style ham, roasted peanuts, Zhacai pickles, crispy wafer, tianmianjiang, cilantro, scallions, a fried egg and housemade chili oil with a lettuce salad on the side. Its RMB60 with ham and RMB45 for the vegetarian option.
12 Xiangyang Bei Lu, by Changle Lu 12,
Heritage by Madison
Head over to Heritage by Madison for Shanghai 'fuerdai luxe jianbing, featuring a multigrain chive crepe wrapped around a salad of crabmeat, creme fraiche and fine herbs. That comes topped with sourdough bread tuile and finished with an obscene dollop of sturgeon caviar. Decadent! Its RMB888 (yep, you read that right) and is available all week long from April 30 until May 7, in case you want to try it over the long Labor Day break.
107, N1, 600 Zhongshan Dong Er Lu, by Dongmen Lu 600BFCN1107,
Homeslice Pizza
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Jianbing and pizza what more could you ask for? Homeslices jianbing pizza takes their signature sourdough crust and tops it with tianmianjiang, cheese and egg. Each order is also sprinkled with pickled mustard greens, cilantro and green onions, and customers can choose to add different crunchy toppings. Optional add-ons include ham, mortadella and pork floss. The original jianbing pizza is RMB15 per slice, or you can order a whole pie (RMB55-120 for a 12-, 16- or 20-inch crust). Grab a whole ham/mortadella pie for RMB65-145. The jianbing pizza is available at all three Homeslice locations, as well as the usual delivery platforms.
158 Julu Lu, by Ruijin Yi Lu 158,
1398 Yuyuan Lu, by Dingxi Lu 1398,
B1, Nanyang 1931 Mall, 111 Yude Lu, by Wending Lu 1111931B1,
Papito Pancakes
For a Serbian twist on the Chinese breakfast classic, check out Papito Pancakes' palainka jianbing. Savor egg, cheese, ham, green salad, roasted paprika and jianbing crisp on an East-meets-West jianbing (RMB48). Its available all day in shop, and a free soft drink is included with every order.
325-5 Taixing Lu, by Beijing Xi Lu 325-5,
Perch
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Perch is celebrating this magnificent occasion with a puffy bread prosciutto jianbing. For RMB48, enjoy puffy bread on a corn flour bing served with freshly sliced prosciutto, cilantro, tianmianjiang, green onions, tomato and a dash of mustard. Available all day.
Rm 107, 445 Jiangning Lu, by Wuding Lu 445107,
Spread the Bagel
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Spread the Bagel gives breakfast a whole new meaning with the NYC deconstructed jianbing bagel (RMB60). This open-faced everything bagel is topped with candied spicy bacon, sriracha cream cheese and a sunny side up egg. The bagel is also garnished with green onions, cilantro and garlic chili pepper sauce. The combo comes with the other half of the bagel, which has been turned into everything bagel chips served with a green onion and sour cream cheese dip. Available in-store and via delivery from April 30 to May 3.
32 Yuyuan Dong Lu, by Changde Lu 32,
9 Donghu Lu, by Xinle Lu 9,
Strictly Cookies
Image courtesy of UnTour Food Tours
Strictly Cookies is celebrating the big day in fabulous fashion with jianbing cookies (RMB22 per cookie). Using a simple egg and wheat flour base, this cookie starts off with a spread of savory jianbing sauce, crumbled crunchy wonton crackers on top and cilantro, and it is finished off with an egg yolk and chili glaze. The cookies are available today only at their store on Yanan Xi Lu (right next to Columbia Circle), or for delivery through their WeChat shop, website, Eleme, Sherpas and Meituan.
Room103, 1160 Yanan Xi Lu, by Panyu Lu 1166103,
Tacolicious
With World Jianbing Day going on today and Cinco de Mayo just around the corner, Tacolicious has stepped up to the plate with a Mexican jianbing (RMB55), available all day in-store. Jianbing batter is topped with chicharonnes, Mexican chili paste, steak asado, mozzarella cheese, fried egg, BBQ sauce, cilantro and green onions. Sounds muy delicioso.
1 Yueyang Lu, by Dongping Lu 1,
Room 104-105, 34 Yuyao Lu, by Xikang Lu 341104-105,
Also participating are Naked Nut Butters, who are releasing a dessert jianbing recipe, while Sidechef will be posting a step-by-step recipe.
Finally, anyone who manages to hit up all nine spots listed above and tags @untourfoodtours and #worldjianbingday on Instagram or WeChat will automatically win a free Cook With UnTour cookbook. So hurry up and get eating!
[Cover image courtesy of UnTour Food Tours]
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