New York City's Chinatown Adventure

To continue the theme of ridiculously cheap food in New York City (See post on takoyaki Japanese snacks), my friend and I decided to go to the quintessential place for all things cheap: Chinatown. This was meant to be a culinary adventure through Chinatown, so instead of settling on one eatery/restaurant, we decided to hit a couple spots that are known for their Chinese delicacies.

The first spot we visited was Prosperity Dumpling, a tiny hole in the wall famous for its dumplings (as the name suggests). Most people had dumplings to-go because the place was tiny. There were about eight stools with a tiny table sticking out against the wall. My friend ordered Chives and Pork Fried Dumplings (5 for $1). The dumplings looked too greasy so I didn't try them.

She also ordered Chives and Pork Boiled Dumplings (10 for $2). The skin of the dumplings were a bit too thick, and I am not sure if the content inside was actually pork.

We split the Vegetable and Shrimp Dumplings (10 for $3.50), which were slightly more expensive. These dumplings may look small, but they are packed tightly so I got full really quickly.

The vegetable and shrimp dumplings surprisingly had a big shrimp inside. These weren't as juicy as the pork dumplings, but I much preferred them nonetheless.

I would say the ratio between the chive and the shrimp was 1:1. Quite impressed! I would definitely order this again. Also $3.50 for a filling meal in NYC is such a bargain.



After the dumpling appetizer from Prosperity, we walked a couple blocks to Joe's Shanghai, which is famous for its xiaolongbao, or soup dumplings. There was a long line of people waiting outside, so it took about 45 minutes to get a table for four. Joe's Shanghai has already established some fame in the city, having been recognized by New York Times Restaurant Guide, Gourmet Magazine, and Zagat Survey. Without hesitation, we ordered two orders of Pork Steamed Buns (8 for $4.95), which were served in a wooden bamboo steamer over a bed of cabbage.





This was actually my first time trying proper xiaolongbaos. The key to eating these are to place them on a soup spoon and make a small hole with your teeth to suck out the juices, and then eat the skin with the meat inside. You have to be careful not to burn your tongue. The dumplings were juicy and savory.

In addition to the soup dumplings, we ordered Fried Rice Cake with Beef ($7.95). I wasn't sure what to expect when I ordered this dish, but it was very similar to the Korean glutinous rice cake and beef in slightly sweet soy sauce, sauteed with cabbages, onions, and spinach.

I would definitely order this dish again. In fact, I preferred the rice cake to the soup dumplings, the latter of which the restaurant is famous for. The rice cakes were chewy, while the beef was tender. My friends and I were quite stuffed after Joe's Shanghai that we decided to skip our third stop, a noodle place. Until next time!

Rice Cake and Tea Extravaganze

I revisited a café that I deemed to have had the best bingsu in Korea—A Flower Next to a Tree (담장옆에국화꽃)—this time not to eat bingsu (it is way too cold for that icy treat!), but to drink tea and sample its rice cake.

There were many different types of traditional and fusion rice cake on display in the store. These rice cake, whose beautiful colors were dyed with all natural ingredients (purple sweet potato, strawberries, kabocha squash, and mugwort), looked like roll cakes.

There were giant mochi, songpeyu, yakju, and rice cake with nuts.

I think the orange stuff is some kind of fried rice cake.

The oven-baked rice cake that I got was crispy on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside.

The rice dough was mixed in with green peas, red beans, and walnuts (which I painstakingly had to take out).

I liked being able to enjoy two different textures on the outside and inside. The dough wasn’t overly sweet.

I had an herbal tea, while my friend got a kabocha squash latte. She said it really had a strong sweet squash flavor. Underneath the white foam was yellow squash puree.

The tea had a sweet aftertaste that lingered in my mouth for a good 30 minutes after I drank it. I wanted to brew it for the second time, but the taste wasn’t nearly strong enough.

The second rice cake I had was a giant mugwort mochi with red beans and walnuts filling.

I have never had a mochi that was filled with this much red bean puree. It was almost a bit too much because I personally prefer the chewier outside.

The red bean puree was too much and too sweet. I could tell that they used a lot of mugwort to make the mochi because I found long pieces of mugwort in the dough!

Scare the Ghost Away: Patjugg on Winter Solstice

In honor of the Winter Solstice, Mom’s Busan friend drove us to a nearby temple for a bowl of patugg (red bean porridge) and dduck (rice cake). Koreans eat patjugg on winter solstice because it is believed to scare away the ghosts. It’s an ancient myth, but growing up, I remember watching a children’s cartoon about a ghost who freaked out whenever his human friend ate patjugg.

We had to drive up a very steep mountain to get to a small café by the temple. They served us some songpyun, a type of glutinous rice cake with sugary sesame seeds and chopped peanuts, as an appetizer. I personally like the rice cake better when the syrup is a bit more liquidy. The outside was a bit hard, but the sweetness wasn’t too overpowering.

The patjugg, made of steamed red bean porridge, rice, and glutinous rice ball, was served in a huge bowl. I tend to have a salty appetite, so I really wished I had a dash of salt to add to the porridge. The glutinous rice that was added to the water and the red bean paste mixture had thickened the porridge. I really enjoyed the first couple bites, but then realized the porridge was rather bland—I guess I had been hungry. My favorite was the glutinous rice ball, which was chewy and tasted like rice cake. I didn’t like the little rice bits because it just disappeared in my mouth without having to chew.

Outside the café, I saw some ladies swirling a giant pot of patjugg. I wonder how many people they will serve today.