Hangzhou steamed buns make mouths water in Tibet

LHASA－As Shang Wangli ties her apron strings to get down to work, much of Lhasa, the capital city of Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, is still fast asleep.

Shang and her husband run Hangzhou Steamed Buns, a restaurant they set up two years ago specializing in their hometown snack.

The popular east-coast snack remains a niche product in Lhasa, where Tibetan and Sichuan cuisines dominate the dining tables. The couple saw this as a potential business opportunity, although thousands of miles away from Hangzhou.

"In my hometown, steamed buns are just breakfast food," Shang says."But in Lhasa, they are also served for lunch and dinner, and our restaurant can stay open until late at night."

To keep costs under control, Shang and her husband have not hired any employees. The couple do everything themselves, from purchasing ingredients and cooking to providing the dine-in service.

"Sometimes we take shifts when one of us is tired. It's no easy task to start a business, and we have to be hardworking," she says.

Steamed buns are traditionally cooked in bamboo baskets, but the lower atmospheric pressure in Lhasa－which lies at an elevation of 3,600 meters－makes this difficult, because water boils at a lower temperature.

Therefore, the couple use a pressure cooker to steam the buns, which has brought a new taste to the Zhejiang cuisine.

"Buns made in a pressure cooker are softer and fluffier, and the meat fillings are more tender," according to a customer from Sichuan visiting Lhasa.

The couple also provide free hot water, Wi-Fi coverage and a neat and tidy dining environment at the restaurant, which now has many regular customers from the neighborhood.

It took Shang some time to communicate effectively with some of the older locals who struggled to understand Mandarin. Nonetheless, she was always patient in providing information on the menu, and using pictures or even body language.

Shang has found that life in Lhasa is just as convenient as in other places, and it is not hard for non-locals to get set up. "Now there are more people from my hometown who come here to do business."

Tibet has improved its transportation infrastructure, logistics and business environment in recent years, providing more opportunities in catering, retail and tourism for new settlers like Shang.

"Our business is quite good. We can earn up to 30,000 yuan ($4,590) a month now," Shang says."We're not actually dreaming big. Our goal is just to put away some money to provide for ourselves and our child."

Shang turns on the lights, opens the door and goes back to her small kitchen. There, she is soon busy preparing more steamed buns, in good time for her first customers of the morning.

Xinhua