Category Archives: Snacks

The Zenith of Zongzi

Posted on by

(Click on any image to view it in high resolution.)

If you visit any of New York City’s nine or so Chinatowns, you’ve probably seen zongzi, a pyramid of bamboo-leaf-wrapped glutinous rice filled with savory tids and bits. In addition to pork belly, this one contained preserved duck egg yolk and lap cheong (Chinese sausage); the yellow, rice-grain-sized fragments are mung beans that add immeasurably to the savory flavor of this treat.

Zongzi are an integral part of Dragon Boat Festival, the time-honored Chinese holiday, but fortunately they’re available year round. They’re crafted with an array of fillings, some sweet, some savory, and specific distinctions vary throughout regions of China and elsewhere in Asia. Locally, it’s easy to find savory versions packed with peanuts, pork belly, lap cheong, ham, salted duck egg, dried shrimp, mushrooms and more in various permutations and combinations; sweet types involve red dates and sweet bean paste.

Note that in our Chinatown dim sum parlors, you might encounter sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves but those are Lo Mai Gai, usually rectangular or pillow shaped and featuring chicken – different but also delicious.

So why did I bestow the title of “zenith” on this example (aside from cheeky alliteration, of course)? Because when I sliced it open on the bench in Columbus Park, I lucked into picture-perfect symmetry.

Want to see if I can repeat the shot? Only one way to find out: join me on my Not Your Ordinary Chinatown Tour and we’ll give it another shot!
 
 
Stay safe, be well, and eat whatever it takes! ❤
 
 

Not Just Any Pancake: The Pancake

Posted on by

(Click on any image to view it in high resolution.)

A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled upon a new spot in the 136-55 Roosevelt Avenue venue in Flushing: The Pancake. They offer six versions of the eponymous treat; I opted for the Pork Pancake, although the cute, yellow (a signature color) wrapper reads “Meat Pie Pepper Flavored,” a more informative description.

The Chinese legend on the back of the wrapper (謝謝, Google Translate!) continues, “peppery and crispy,” “refreshing and lingering fragrance,” and delivers the helpful caveat “To keep the crispy texture, please eat me as soon as possible!” Not one to disparage instructions, I obliged and was rewarded with a perfect snack.

A peek inside.

Definitely put a smile on my face! It’s good to be back, Flushing!
 
 
Stay safe, be well, and eat whatever it takes! ❤
 
 

Taiwanese Mooncakes

Posted on by

I’m Baaa-ack!

And so are my ethnojunkets!

If you’ve been here before, you know that an ethnojunket is a food-focused walking tour through one of New York City’s many ethnic enclaves; my mission is to introduce you to some delicious, accessible, international treats (hence, “ethno-”) that you’ve never tasted but soon will never be able to live without (hence, “-junkie”). You can read about them here.

I’ve added some new items to my food tours. For example, you’re probably familiar with Cantonese mooncakes; they’re typically enjoyed during the Mid-Autumn Festival (celebrated this year on Monday, October 6) but are available year-round if you know where to look.

(Click on any image to view it in high resolution.)

But have you ever tried Taiwanese mooncakes? They’re round, flaky, and are available in at least a dozen different varieties. Here’s a trio from my last visit to Flushing:

Shown here are green bean, taro, and date, but every flavor I’ve tasted has been a treat.

Want to sample them yourself? Please join me on my “Snacking in Flushing – The Best of the Best” ethnojunket and I’ll show you where to find them!
 
 
Stay safe, be well, and eat whatever it takes! ❤
 
 

Prosciutto Bread Winner

Posted on by

(Click on any image to view it in high resolution.)

Props to Bensonhurst, one of Brooklyn’s many great neighborhoods for ethnic food! In this post, I’m referring specifically to the mile or so stretch of 86th St that hosts a parade of Chinese, Italian, and Georgian/Eastern European markets and restaurants. My customary plan of action is to take the D train to 25th Ave in Brooklyn and explore from there, walking northwest along 86th St for a little over a mile. It’s good exercise and you’ll often find unique renditions of the represented cuisines.


Case in point is this prosciutto bread: distinctive and in a class by itself. Most prosciutto breads I’ve sampled have been on the dry side with a low ham to bread ratio; this version is unquestionably the best I’ve ever tasted – a phrase I seldom use. It’s pillowy soft, satisfyingly chewy, and richly flavorful. All two pounds of it! How it succeeds in being airy and dense simultaneously is a conundrum I’ll leave for others to solve.

Find it at Vucciria Food & Gourmet, 2275 86th St (I don’t know if it was named for the market in Sicily). IMHO it’s worth the trip. (Excellent 7-layer rainbow cookies there as well! 😉)

More Bensonhurst to come, so stay tuned.
 
 
Stay safe, be well, and eat whatever it takes! ❤
 
 

Chinatown Storefront Vendors

Posted on by

Chinatown restaurants are typically superb and I practically live in Chinatown food courts, but don’t overlook the storefront vendors that pepper the landscape. You’ll discover a tempting array of snacks that are reasonably priced, served up in a matter of seconds, and decidedly tasty. The offerings vary from time to time – extra credit to unique comfort foods cohabiting with trays of reliable standbys.

Two such spots are Old Street Pan Fried Dumpling, 135-45 Roosevelt Ave in Flushing, and Jojo Duck, 131 Walker St in Manhattan’s Chinatown. Incidentally, Jojo Duck (九九鸭) is so named because 九九, 9–9, symbolizing long-lasting togetherness in Chinese numerology, is pronounced jiu jiu.

Here are a few selections:
(Click on any image to view it in high resolution.)

Pan Fried Leek Dumpling – Leeks, eggs, and cellophane noodles (made from mung bean starch, not cellophane!). A solid choice for my vegetarian friends.


Chili Lamb Burger – Pro tip: examine one first for juiciness.


Pan-fried Crabmeat & Pork Buns (Sheng Jian Bao, 生煎包), always a hit!

Looking forward to warmer and drier weather when we can sample these treats on my Not Your Ordinary Chinatown Tour and Snacking in Flushing ethnojunkets. See you soon!
 
 
Stay safe, be well, and eat whatever it takes! ❤
 
 

Pomo FOMO

Posted on by

(Click on any image to view it in high resolution.)

We had just emerged from the east side of Prospect Park and hunger beckoned. Wandering around the neighborhood in search of something perhaps a bit unusual, we stumbled upon Pomo, a Mexican-inspired bar and pizzeria located at 2122 Beekman Place. Mexican pizza is certainly not unheard of but it was at least a little different. It sounded tempting but we kept walking.

But wait. This is Brooklyn. What if they’re not here in a minute? Oh no! FOMO! So we turned around and got this Pastor pizza: marinated pork in pastor sauce, fresh mozzarella, red onions, cilantro and avocado tomatillo sauce.

Glad we did!
 
 
Stay safe, be well, and eat whatever it takes! ❤
 
 

Fujianese Red Bean Glutinous Rice Cake

Posted on by

(Click on any image to view it in high resolution.)

One more instapost: Previously, I’ve written about the some of the unique treats we’ve enjoyed in Little Fuzhou along East Broadway in Manhattan’s Chinatown. Here’s another – and this one comes with an air of mystery. I can say with certainty that they are Fujianese, that they are made from glutinous rice and filled with beans (probably adzuki), and that they are “not too sweet” (as seems to be the mantra for Chinese snacks 😉).

Beyond that, I’d suggest that you sign up for my “Not Your Ordinary Chinatown Tour” when the weather gets a little warmer and drier and we can sample these – and lots more – together. (Bonus points if you speak Fujianese!)
 
 
Stay safe, be well, and eat whatever it takes! ❤
 
 

Loquat ≠ Kumquat

Posted on by

(Click on any image to view it in high resolution.)

Let’s clarify something at the outset: a kumquat is a citrus fruit that looks like a miniature oblate orange. These, however, are loquats. No relation.


Approximately two inches long and light orange inside and out, each sweet loquat contains about three seeds. Its flavor depends on the specific cultivar, but the ones we get around here are distinctive and fairly consistent.


You can certainly consume the skin but it doesn’t have much flavor and the texture is nothing special, so since it’s easy to peel (no special equipment necessary) I tend to discard it.

Many years ago, I created a 33-slide PowerPoint presentation called the Chinatown Fruit Report. Someday I’ll convert it to a format compatible with my website but in the meantime, I still present some of its information when I lead guests along my newly revamped ethnojunket, “Not Your Ordinary Chinatown Tour.”

Want to know why it’s called that? Check it out here and sign up to experience it for yourself! And if you act soon, we can taste some fresh summertime Asian fruits at their peak of ripeness together!
 
 

Longin’ for Longan

Posted on by

(Okay, that was a gimme.)

(Click on any image to view it in high resolution.)

Longans are similar to lychees but a little less juicy and a little less florally-sweet but no less delicious; they’re both members of the soapberry family (along with rambutans) and both very much in season currently. (Nope, no currant puns; one per post is my limit.)

Its name comes from the Chinese 龍眼 (lóng yăn), literally “dragon eye”: if you hold a peeled longan up to the light, you can see the dark seed through its translucent flesh, hence the name. Here’s looking at you, kid. 😉

Since it’s the height of Asian fruit season in Chinatown, I’ll publish one more chapter here in my Chinatown fruit report but I urge you to head out and support your local Chinatown for a first-hand experience.

Of course, if you’d prefer a guided tour (ahem!), please check out my Not Your Ordinary Chinatown Tour. Hope to see you soon!
 
 

Durian Pizza: It’s Ba-aack!!

Posted on by

(Click on any image to view it in high resolution.)

A few years ago, I wrote an article for Edible Queens Magazine about durian pizza at Flushing’s C Fruit Life on Roosevelt Ave; you can read it here.

Sadly, like all good things, it came to an end, leaving us fusion-dessert aficionados out in the cold with only Chinese-American durian ice cream to assuage our dispirited souls.

Happily, on a recent exploration of some new stalls in Flushing’s New York Food Court, I rediscovered durian pizza at D.T Restaurant.

Durian’s flavor is complex and delicious, not overly sweet, but definitely tropical, the texture so rich and creamy that I call durian the fruit that makes its own custard. Pizza in its many guises is a crossover phenomenon itself – neither entirely Italian nor American – so introducing a Southeast Asian element is fair play. If one can top pizza with pineapple, why not durian?

Do durian and pizza play well with each other? Most assuredly. I detected no daunting smell – as a matter of fact, the aroma is rather appealing – I experience only the inimitable ambrosial flavor. After all, it’s warm bread, delectable fruit and beautifully blistered melted cheese. What’s not to like?

Now, I understand that you might be hesitant about buying a whole one just so you can try a slice. No worries. I have a solution for you. Simply join me on my “Snacking in Flushing – The Best of the Best” ethnojunket and you can have as much or as little as you’d like along with a host of other delectable tasty treats.

Hope to see you soon!