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<\/a>\nOn a recent trip to Eat Up! the new food court in Flushing, I visited vendors located at booth #16 (\u201cBao Boom\u201d) and booth #2 (don\u2019t look for any English but my iPhone thinks it saw \u201cTasty Taiwan\u201d) that presented a study in unlikely contrasts on both the micro and macro levels. Allow me to explain.<\/p>\n
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 \u2013 it\u2019s 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 \u201craw-fried\u201d: they\u2019re 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\u2019s 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).<\/p>\n
The only non-contrast in this tale of complex bao and simple chicken? The two dishes were equally exceptional.<\/p>\n Obviously, they\u2019re on my food court centric Snacking in Flushing ethnojunket<\/a>. Let me know if you want to come along! Or, Food Court Press, Part 3. Read on…. Continue reading <\/a>
\nThey\u2019re 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 \u201cbaos bursting in air\u201d pun.) Maybe that\u2019s the Boom reference in the name. But seriously, they may be the best I\u2019ve ever experienced in terms of flavor, composition and technique.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nAt Tasty Taiwan, I ordered the smoked chicken, an exercise in textbook simplicity. It was chicken. It was smoked. It was tender. It was perfect.<\/p>\n
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\nStay safe, be well, and eat whatever it takes! \u2764
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