# Chinese cookery question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 2, 2002, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-cookery-question/135001 "2002-11-02T15:06:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-cookery-question/135001/1 "2002-11-02T15:06:01Z")
Inspired by a thread awhile back on MSG. I think this is a GQ. 1. ``` Shanghai-style Chinese restaurants serve, with their "soupy dumplings" (soup-filled dough "pouches," for those who haven't had them or know them only by the Chinese name that I don't know), a black sauce that is not just soy sauce (maybe not soy sauce at all) -- unfortunately no waiter has ever been able to describe it in any terms except the ones I use -- "that garlic/ginger sauce for the dumplings." Not, so far, conducive to searching (esp. on webpages in Mandarin). Any ideas on exact name and constituents of this sauce, and/or a recipe/formula for its concoction? ``` 2. ``` The same restaurants often serve what is called a "turnip shortcake" but in reality cunningly appears to conceal a lot of pork/lard among the ground turnip. Again, any pointers/recipes for the authoritative version of such dish? ```