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Happy Chinese New Year!
By Ann | February 7, 2008
This is my first Chinese new year since moving back from China, and I’m feeling a little nostalgic. If we were still living in Beijing, we’d be eating noodles (for longevity) and listening to firecrackers (to ward off evil spirits)…Er, correction — actually, to be honest, we’d probably be on vacation somewhere warm, far, far away from China. The city gets very quiet during spring festival with most people away, traveling to their hometown. Shops and businesses close, traffic becomes nonexistent and the skies are blue.
What with the holiday and last weekend’s meal at Joe’s Noodle House, I’ve been missing Chinese food more than ever. So, in honor of the year of the rat, here’s a little photographic tour of some of my favorite restaurants in China:
Chen Mapo Doufu, Chengdu — Open since 1862, locals claim Grandma Chen is the famous pockmarked woman who gave mapo doufu its name. Whatever the case, the mapo doufu here is indeed spectacular — and you can order it in small, medium or large.
Dandan Mian Central, Chengdu – Unfortunately, my beautiful photo of hong you chao shou, or wontons in red oil, will not upload (so annoying! I’ll pass on a recipe for spiced red oil to anyone who can help me fix this problem). (Pictured above, yay!) These are the best I’ve ever tasted — the wontons rich with pork, the red oil aromatic and tingling, each bite a perfect balance of spicy, sweet, salty and toasty. Note the judicious sprinkle of sugar and sesame seeds. I’m drooling just looking at this photo!
Yunnan Provincial Government Restaurant, Beijing — Pictured above are guo qiao mi xian, or “crossing the bridge” noodles. Other highlights here include squares of fried cheese; a salad of giant mint leaves; black chicken (flavor similar to squab) stewed with pickled papaya until very tart!
Sichuan Provincial Government Restaurant, Beijing – Of course it’s not as good as Chen Mapo Doufu. But the lunch crowd says it all. Staffed entirely by Sichuan locals, this is one of Beijing’s best Sichuan restaurants.
Jia Jia Tang Bao, Shanghai – A humble hole-in-the-wall with xiaolongbao that rival those at Taipei behemoth Din Tai Fung at a fraction of the price. Each basket of dumplings is stuffed, folded and steamed to order. They’re worth the wait!
Topics: Dining Out and About |
February 9th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Wow. Sometimes I forget that when I arrived in China with Ann in 2003, I had no idea what to expect of CHINESE Chinese food. Figured it would be different, of course, maybe less accessible. The surprise to me was its superiority, as a rule, to any Chinese fare I had ever tasted in Europe or the United States. The inimitable flavor of a perfect soup dumpling, the memorable numbing kick of hua jiao — what an education I received. Food is only one of the things I miss about China; I certainly pine for our good pals there. But as we celebrate the advent of the Year of the Rat, I will think positive thoughts about the great cooks at Chen Mapo Doufu, Din Tai Feng, the Yunnan Provincial Government Restaurant … Dong kuazi, dajia!