Qiaozhuang Pan-Fried Buns 乔庄水煎包
Qiaozhuang Pan-Fried Buns is featured among the local specialties of Shandong.
Image notes
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Qiaozhuang Pan-Fried Buns (乔庄水煎包) are pan-fried buns from Qiaozhuang town (乔庄镇) in Boxing County (博兴), Binzhou (滨州). China News Service's Shandong channel describes them as a century-old intangible heritage item of the town.
How it is made
The filling uses local black-hog pork with vegetables in season. The buns are cooked in two stages in the pan: flour-and-water batter is poured in first so the buns 'boil' through, then soybean oil is poured over to fry a golden, crisp 'frost-flower' (冰花) bottom.
Flavour and texture
The skin is crisp outside and soft within, and biting in releases the smell of pork and of the browned base. Garlic chives in the filling add a fresh sweetness that offsets the fat.
Where it comes from
Local legend dates the buns to the Tongzhi reign (同治) of the Qing dynasty, when buns made by a Cui (崔) family were known for skins 'as thin as paper' and fillings full of juice. The story goes that the cook was called to the palace and cured an emperor's loss of appetite, after which the buns were also called 'imperial kitchen buns' (御膳包).
In 2011 they were included in the list of Shandong's 100 must-eat flavours. A 2020 report by the Shandong Department of Culture and Tourism lists Qiaozhuang Pan-Fried Buns among the Boxing County heritage products selected for the 'Haoke Shandong' (好客山东) list of foods and goods that visitors to Shandong must buy.
Sources & reading
Written from the linked sources and fact-checked against them on 2026-09-24. Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.