(Or, Food Court Press, Part 3)

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On a recent trip to Eat Up! the new food court in Flushing, I visited vendors located at booth #16 (“Bao Boom”) and booth #2 (don’t look for any English but my iPhone thinks it saw “Tasty Taiwan”) that presented a study in unlikely contrasts on both the micro and macro levels. Allow me to explain.

Bao Boom highlights sang ji bao, a featured component in many of their menu choices. Sang ji bao (you may be familiar with sheng jian bao – it’s just a difference of dialect) are remarkable buns, crispy on the bottom but implausibly yielding on top (a contrast in texture). Sang ji/sheng jian translates literally to “raw-fried”: they’re pan-fried and steamed simultaneously to achieve that golden bottom and pillowy top (a contrast in technique). The filling consists of a dense ball of tasty seasoned pork swimming in abundant, surprisingly rich broth (a contrast in state). After the dough is filled and sealed, it’s turned upside-down for cooking so the bottom is actually the top and vice versa (a contrast in orientation) and served with a packet of Chinese balsamic vinegar (a sweet-sour contrast in flavors).

They’re so juicy you might want to heed the instructions offered in their conveniently posted how-to video (along with a history of the delicacy itself) before consuming lest the bao bursts unexpectedly. (Note to self: edit out the “baos bursting in air” pun.) Maybe that’s the Boom reference in the name. But seriously, they may be the best I’ve ever experienced in terms of flavor, composition and technique.

At Tasty Taiwan, I ordered the smoked chicken, an exercise in textbook simplicity. It was chicken. It was smoked. It was tender. It was perfect.

The only non-contrast in this tale of complex bao and simple chicken? The two dishes were equally exceptional.

Obviously, they’re on my food court centric Snacking in Flushing ethnojunket. Let me know if you want to come along!
 
 
Stay safe, be well, and eat whatever it takes! ❤