Tag Archives: Chinese

The Zenith of Zongzi

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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

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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

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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.

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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! ❤
 
 

Fok Noodles Express

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A couple of posts ago I did a shout-out to Pinklady Cheese Tart at 11 Mott St in Manhattan’s Chinatown. Literally across the street (and I mean “literally” literally) at 12 Mott, you’ll find Fok Noodles Express, the newest incarnation of the E Noodle group.

They take the word Express seriously; my order was ready practically before I had a chance to sit down at the counter. They offer a wide assortment of Cantonese handmade dumplings, dim sum and noodles and given the environment, the dish I tried was definitely beyond my expectations.

This is Dan Dan Noods (their spelling) with a nod to Sichuan cuisine: just the right amount of heat in the sauce with skillfully balanced toppings over perfectly cooked noodles. After I try a few (yeah, right!) more items, I might need to add this spot to my “Not Your Ordinary Chinatown Tour” – I’ll keep you posted!
 
 
Stay safe, be well, and eat whatever it takes! ❤
 
 

Chinatown’s Worst-Kept Best-Kept Secret

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Shhh!!!

Its name is Fu Zhou Wei Zhong Wei Jia Xiang Feng Wei which essentially means “tasty Fuzhou hometown flavor.” Or WZW for short. Until about five years ago, this unique restaurant featured an extensive menu but COVID did what pandemics do and they reinvented themselves as a wholesale operation. Since then, they’ve re-reinvented themselves and currently offer a scaled-down selection of first-rate Fujianese soups, dumplings and buns.

There are two ways you can experience this stalwart Chinatown treasure for yourself:

Go to 88 East Broadway, walk down a few steps toward the row of plate glass doors, open the leftmost door (the only one that isn’t locked), enter and go left, then around, then downstairs, then straight. You’ll pass mostly vacant and abandoned offices, shop fronts, and the precious few businesses that remain. Keep going until you come to WZW.

Or…

Use the side entrance on Forsyth St and go directly downstairs.

But tell me, where’s the fun in that?

WZW wasn’t well known to casual tourists but so many foodie cognoscenti and tour guides shared their best-kept secret that before long a critical mass of Chinatown devotees discovered this treasure. And now you’re in on the secret too. If you weren’t already.

From our last visit: Meat Paste Soup

 
 
Fried Dumplings


 
 
Small Steamed Buns


 
 
Steamed Dumplings


 
 
Fuzhou Dumplings with Soup

 
 
Bamboo Shoot Cake. I know they look like the sesame balls you’ve seen so many times before, but these are filled with bamboo shoots and pork. One of a kind.

And yes, of course we always visit WZW on my “Not Your Ordinary Chinatown Tour.” Check it out here. These resolute folks deserve our loyalty and support!
 
 
Stay safe, be well, and eat whatever it takes! ❤
 
 

Hakka Kau Yuk

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More Bensonhurst as promised. In my last post we explored Italian 86th St but Chinese bakeries also cohabit the area. The word “bakery” falls short because some of these establishments offer a selection of lunchworthy steam table dishes as well.

I seldom order anything I’m familiar with; when faced with mutual unintelligibility, my modus operandi is to point at an unlabeled tray and hope for the best. In this case I could identify slices of pork belly and taro. I watched the woman behind the window as she carefully placed a slice of the first alternating with a slice of the second and so forth into a small aluminum container until it was filled. I brought it home, plated some of it as you see here, promptly texted the photo to my Number One Spy since I had no idea about what I had purchased other than it was delicious, and asked if she knew what it was.

Of course she did. It’s Hakka Kau Yuk, comfort food that hails from China’s Guangdong province and often shows up on the Chinese New Year dinner table. Preparation is laborious but the result is extraordinary; the steamed delicacy is elevated by a savory sauce that’s the perfect complement. So good!

Thanks again, Number One Spy. I’m a lucky guy for knowing you!
 
 
Stay safe, be well, and eat whatever it takes! ❤
 
 

Chinatown Storefront Vendors

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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:
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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! ❤
 
 

Lunar New Year 4723 (2025)

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The two-week long Chinese celebration of the Lunar New Year begins on Wednesday, January 29 – it’s 4723, the Year of the Snake.

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This year’s celebratory feast featured a whole steamed fish stuffed with ginger, scallions, and onions, bedecked with pea shoot sprouts, chives, and cilantro as the centerpiece.


Accompanying the star of the show was char siu chow fun…


…and an experiment involving a stir-fry of shiitake mushrooms and onions cradled in bok choy, both side dishes boasting a host of traditional ingredients.

The snake is known for a myriad of characteristics depending upon where you do your research: it is associated with transformation (snakes shed their skins), charm, elegance, sensitivity, effectiveness, adaptability, intelligence, determination, and resourcefulness.

One of the traditions that make this holiday so extraordinary is the way in which wordplay and homophones factor into the selection of dishes specially prepared to mark the occasion. For example, at festive gatherings a whole fish will be served, because the word for fish (yu) is a homophone for surpluses.

And speaking of determination and resourcefulness, there was a time a few zodiac signs ago that it looked like my Lunar New Year luck had run out in terms of another one of its traditional foods. It was a mystery involving a particular nian gao (the traditional sweet rice cake and a homophone for high year) that resonates to this day.

Want to know what happened? Please read my tradition-packed short story, “The Case of the Uncrackable Case!”
 
 
新年快乐! Xīnnián kuàilè!
恭喜发财! Gong hei fat choy!
 
 

Shaxian Snacks

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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!
 
 

Crunchy…Frog?

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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.