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Dear Friends,
I can no longer keep this to myself. I am an addict, hooked on mithai. What’s that? You don’t know about mithai? Mithai are Indian sweets and since Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, is upon us, I can think of no better time than now to tell you my tale. So gather round your diyas and check out my post “Indian Sweets 101: Meeting Mithai” right here on ethnojunkie.com!
दिवाली मुबारक
Happy Diwali!
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Eggnog! First sighting of the year!
It’s like waiting for this year’s vintage Beaujolais Nouveau to appear: Le 2024 Lait de Poule est arrivé! (They say that the French have a word for it, and I have to admit a certain fondness for their spin on the word “eggnog”, lait de poule: hen’s milk.)
If you’ve read me, you know that I have a few (ha!) guilty pleasures when it comes to holiday food, and for me, nothing heralds the advent of the season like the first appearance of eggnog on supermarket shelves. And snatching it away precipitately as they do every year when the yule log’s embers have barely begun to evanesce only makes the anticipation and craving for next year’s batch more intense.
But which one(s) to buy? The brand in this photo may not be my fave – it’s merely the first I’ve found this year: September 26 to be precise! It definitely benefits from a liberal dusting of freshly grated nutmeg. But fret not. I and my OCD are here to offer you the benefits of my research and experimentation regarding this happy holiday quandary. Please check out my essay, An Eggnog Excursus – and unlike the holiday libation itself, it’s available year-round under “Deep Dives” on my homepage!
Cheers!
Well, um, yes. Yes, you are chopped liver.
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In this photo, at least. It’s a classic Ashkenazi Jewish side and never a main, hence the cutting slur relegating the target to second class status. Ironically, the dish is absolutely delicious.
It’s a cinch to prepare, although it is time consuming if you want to get it just right. There are only four ingredients: sautéed chicken livers, caramelized onions, hard boiled eggs, and schmaltz (rendered chicken fat, often justifiably referred to as “liquid gold”) that are ground together (but a food processor is fine) and served on matzo, rye bread, or challah.
Here, I’ve accompanied mine with sliced cucumbers, pickled green tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and garnished it with gribenes. What, you don’t know from gribenes? A shanda! Gribenes are crisp bits of chicken skin fried along with more onions until shatteringly crisp.
Oy! I almost forgot to mention the fifth ingredient – a Jewish grandmother would never forgive me.
It’s love, of course.
In a former life, I worked about two blocks from Manhattan’s Koreatown, 32nd St between Madison and 6th Avenues, and way back then I probably tried just about every restaurant in the neighborhood in the company of special friends. So it was a treat to return to one of my favorites, BCD Tofu House (BCD refers to Bukchang Dong, a district in Korea).
The eponymous BCD Tofu House is known for their Soon Tofu, soft silken tofu, and they make it masterfully. We got an Entrée Combo, a main dish served with a choice of over ten varieties of soon tofu. In addition to rice, soup, and banchan, a sine qua non of any Korean meal, we ordered the LA Galbi Combo – LA style fragrant, sizzling BBQ short ribs…
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…and outstanding Dumpling Soon Tofu soup.
Our feast also featured an enormous Seafood Pajeon (seafood pancake from the Shared Plates section of the menu) filled with squid, mussels, shrimp, green onion – decidedly one of the best I’ve ever enjoyed.
Curiously, the experience there turned out to be even better than any I can recall now and more evocative than my distant memories embraced.
Moral – and feel free to alter indefinite pronouns: If you miss something dearly, consider revisiting it: there was a reason it meant so much to you the first time you met.
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IYKYK…but IYDK, Wikipedia says that Yardie (or Yaadi/Yawdie) is a term often used within the Caribbean expatriate and Jamaican diaspora to refer to people of Jamaican origin. The word is derived from the Jamaican patois for “home” or “yard.”
And now YK.
But I’ve got something way better for you to know: Yawdie-Q is a must do!
You’re looking at the authentic Jamaican Fried Chicken Slider served on a potato roll with sweet herb slaw and pickled vegetables, accompanied by a side of Plantain Sticks plus some bespoke house aioli for dipping (comped).
Is it even possible to make a slider that’s actually memorable? It was certainly the best slider I’ve ever had (no lie) and I strongly recommend that you stop by and taste for yourself! And while you’re there, order a refreshing Jerk Lemonade. Jerk Lemonade? Yes. It isn’t spicy, but it is the perfect drink to go with everything on the menu, so don’t miss it!
Now, the plantain sticks are not on the menu – YET. But I’ll bet if enough people come in asking for it, if we’re very lucky, Damien (who is a marketing guru as well as a talented Caribbean chef) will make it happen.
Crunchy outside…
…soft and sweet inside.
Yawdie-Q is located at 2123 Caton Ave in Brooklyn, inside the Flatbush Central Caribbean Marketplace, only a three block walk from the Parkside Ave stop on the Q train.
Maybe I’ll see you there – because I’m going back. Soon!
www.yawdieq.com
@yawdieq on Instagram
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A couple of days ago, while hunting for some new international treats for my “Exploring Eastern European Food in Little Odessa” ethnojunket guests, I spotted this sign in one of my favorite markets: “запеканка – сыр + грибы.” My Russian is good enough to translate “cheese + mushrooms” and a couple of clicks on my iPhone returned “casserole” for the first word.
The sign was well lit, the food behind it less so; I couldn’t quite see what I was grabbing with the tongs. But I plopped it into a plastic container – hastily, since the customer behind me was already reaching toward the same tray. Peering through the hazy, ridged plastic, I could see the chopped mushrooms and cheese but I couldn’t make out what might be creating the interleaving layers. Thinly sliced potatoes? Noodles?
At home, I warmed it up enough to melt the cheese and the answer was obvious. A stack of Russian blini layered with melty cheese and mushrooms! What’s not to love?
Shaxian Snacks is a worldwide restaurant chain serving traditional street snacks from the Shaxian region of China’s Fujian Province that’s definitely worth a try if you’re unfamiliar with the cuisine. This outpost had been open for only five days when I ventured in; I found it packed and I took that as a sign that it might be a gem perfect for my Ethnic Eats in Elmhurst ethnojunket.
Peanuts figure into this cuisine and their presence was clearly manifested in the four dishes that I sampled.
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Shaxian Steamed Dumplings (zheng jiao) with a unique filling, artistically pleated and said to look like little mice. A distinctive peanut sauce is on the side – don’t think dilute Western peanut butter; this is the real deal.
A squeak, I mean a peek inside.
Wontons with Peanut Butter. Not as pretty but certainly tasty, these have an unusual filling made from condensed pork that’s completely unlike the first group. Slathered in peanut sauce.
Shaxian Peanut Butter Noodle. Egg Noodles (rice noodles are also available) with a modest topping of pork, onion, and pepper. The peanut sauce is on the bottom this time.
Shredded Pork & Pickled Mustard Greens with Noodles. Just for kicks, I tried another variant on egg noodles, this time with pickled mustard greens on top, to compare and contrast. Peanut sauce on the bottom of course.
I selected these four “Special Snacks” in order to decide which might be best in the context of the wide variety of flavors we enjoy on my Elmhurst food tour and a champion did emerge.
Want to know which? Only one way to find out: Join me on my Ethnic Eats in Elmhurst ethnojunket and savor the winner!
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A couple of posts ago, I wrote about a recent visit to Queens in search of more good eats for my “Snacking in Flushing – The Best of the Best” ethnojunket. I always expect the unexpected but that generally applies to unusual finds in local ethnic markets. I must admit, however, that I was unprepared for this experience.
Huang Kung Fu is a relatively new stall in the Food Hall at Queens Crossing. The menu and signage featured tempting photos of crispy fried chicken and pork dishes. Totally works for me.
“Super Crispy Pork” grabbed my attention but something called “Chicken Soft Bones” piqued my curiosity. Soft bones? A colorful translation perhaps? An enigmatic metaphor? I don’t have to tell you what I ordered.
It didn’t take long for me to realize that I should have taken the name quite literally. Each little nugget consisted primarily of a piece of cartilage with a bit of meat attached. I guess some folks don’t mind gnawing on cartilage in every single bite; some even claim that “it’s good for you.” But I was ill-equipped for the challenge. It reminded me of the routine by Monty Python’s Flying Circus about Crunchy Frog. Those of you who are old enough to remember that classic brilliant television sketch will understand immediately. For those of you who have yet to suffer daily joint pain, here’s a link.
I blame myself. I was certainly warned. But the overall flavor was tasty and I do love a good fried meaty crunch so I will assuredly make a return visit, perhaps to sample that pork. Definitely. No bones about it.
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If you read me, you know that one of the ethnojunkets I offer is “Exploring Eastern European Food in Little Odessa,” named for the port city on the Black Sea in southern Ukraine. In the latter half of the last century, many Odessites who emigrated to the US came to Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach neighborhood, hence the name.
You also know that I developed a distinct section of my website dedicated to Ukraine and its cuisine after Russia’s invasion in February, 2022 – not their first.
If you’ve visited that corner of my website, you know that it’s dedicated to my friend Olya who lives in Ukraine and endures the consequences of the war on a daily basis. To me, Olya represents all the brave, stalwart, resilient, heroic, beautiful people of Ukraine. She knows that my heart is steadfastly with Ukraine.
And if you’ve explored my epic post about ethnic ice cream, you’ve read that Lasunka (Ласунка) is the leading brand of ice cream in Ukraine.
Now, why am I telling you all this?
Because if you knit all of these threads together, you’ll understand why I nearly broke into tears of joy when I discovered this ice cream product from Lasunka on my Little Odessa tour. Olya is undoubtedly familiar with the brand and I’m sure she’ll be pleased knowing that we have this very special treat in the US.
Naturally, I took these photos on Brighton Beach in Little Odessa.
(Or so goes the first line of the song.)
As is my gratifying habit, I was scanning Roosevelt Ave in search of anything new on the scene that might belong in my Flushing ethnojunket. Lining the avenue is an extensive stretch of Chinese markets, restaurants, teashops and bakeries, punctuated by streetside vendors offering fried dumplings, buns, skewers, a duck anatomy course (wings, necks – literally heads to feet), a shop dedicated to Spanish Ibérico ham…wait, what?
Obviously, I had to investigate. Turns out, House of Ibérico is owned by a Chinese gentleman, but the hams are definitely of Spanish provenance. “Upscale” doesn’t begin to do the business justice.
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I purchased one of the products on display, dry-cured Fermín Serrano Loin from acorn-fed pigs: gossamer thin slices of tender ham, not at all spicy despite my having been cautioned, savory but not salty, almost nutty, and as tasty as it was expensive.
So I cobbled together a platter of the sophisticated meat, some Spanish cheese, slices of fresh plum, along with bread and fig jam, and since the second line of the song is “One of these things just doesn’t belong,” I selected a Middle Eastern spicy preserved lemon to adorn the center of the plate. Bullseye!
Luncheon is served!
