jQuery(“document”).ready(function(){jQuery(‘#ngg-gallery-88-1166′).galleryView({panel_width:600,panel_height:400,frame_width:40,frame_height:40,transition_interval:0,overlay_color:‘#222′,overlay_text_color:‘white’,caption_text_color:‘#222′,background_color:‘transparent’,border:‘none’,nav_theme:‘dark’,easing:‘easeInOutQuad’});});I guess a dish that my mom must’ve loved from her time in Beijing was zha jiang mian. We had it a LOT at home so I was very familiar with this dish. This noodle dish uses a really thick and heavily seasoned paste instead of a broth and man,is it good. The paste usually consists of some sort of bean paste,some chili for heat,and meat like pork or some extra firm tofu. On it’s own,the paste can be a bit salty but with the noodles mixed in,it’s just perfect. Even if you’ve had home made zha jiang mian or have been to a restaurant that serves it state side,you still have to have a zha jiang mian restaurant on your hit list when you come to Beijing.
jQuery(“document”).ready(function(){jQuery(‘#ngg-gallery-67-603′).galleryView({panel_width:600,panel_height:400,frame_width:40,frame_height:40,transition_interval:0,overlay_color:‘#222′,overlay_text_color:‘white’,caption_text_color:‘#222′,background_color:‘transparent’,border:‘none’,nav_theme:‘dark’,easing:‘easeInOutQuad’});});When I went home for the holidays,I made sure to grab as many family recipes as possible. This is a recipe for stewed lamb that actually originated with my grandpa. What I like most about this recipe is the versatility. The starting procedure will get you a delicious stewed lamb and from there you can make four different dishes simply by altering what you put into it. I’ll try to break this recipe into sections so it’s a little easier to follow. Spicy cold skin noodle dish Zi Ran Chao Yang Rou Jia Mo Cold potato slaw (half-eaten!) Huge chive,egg,and dried shrimp pie jQuery(“document”).ready(function(){jQuery(‘#ngg-gallery-41-368′).galleryView({panel_width:600,panel_height:400,frame_width:40,frame_height:40,transition_interval:0,overlay_color:‘#222′,overlay_text_color:‘white’,caption_text_color:‘#222′,background_color:‘transparent’,border:‘none’,nav_theme:‘dark’,easing:‘easeInOutQuad’});});The saga continues! After rounding up a group of our most adventurous friends,we came back to try more of the tasty food. We had the tu dou tiao (cold potato slaw),niu rou mian (beef noodle soup),niu wei mian (oxtail soup),and more of the jiu cai he zi (chive pies) and yang rou jia bing (lamb burger). The tu dou tiao ($3) was good and cold,crunchy,marinated in a little fish sauce (we think!),topped with a teeny bit of cilantro and pepper flakes. The niu rou mian ($4.50) at Lanzhou Hand-made Noodles was amazing:freshly made thin noodles in a beefy soup along with thick yet tender slices of beef. If you’re feeling dangerous,add in a few drops of the table chili oil. Their niu wei mian ($5.50) was also good but the soup wasn’t as complex and the oxtail wasn’t as meaty. We failed to snap a pic of the noodle dishes before we devoured them but there’s always tomorrow! Last week I discovered this magazine Edible Queens on the counter in the visitor center in the Queens Botannical Garden. And lo and behold I see two of my favorite chefs on the cover,Eric Ripert and Anthony Bourdain! Rob and I are big fans of Bourdain’s “No Reservations”on television and Eric Ripert is,well,god of all things Seafood in Manhattan. Flushing is still a very daunting place to me (especially since I can’t speak Mandarin to save my life) but this article Feasting on Flushing was just the ticket. Walking down the stairs into the “shopping mall”was like entering a new world,full of little Asian-family kitchens. It was hot and steamy but the smells were unbelievable. Even the sounds of meat being cleaved,vegetables sizzling,fresh noodles being smacked and formed could bring tears to many an Asian’s eyes. We ordered as much as we could carry,which included the jia cai he zi (chive pies),chu jiao (pig’s feet),zi ran chao yang (lamb burger),and liang pi (cold skin noodles). The chive pies ($1.50) were exactly how Rob’s mother makes them –huge,bursting with chives,studded with dried shrimp and scrambled egg. The pig’s feet were delicious and a great deal ($5 for 2 orders). The lamb burger ($2.50) was a tasty surprise,as it tasted of mexican chili spices. The liang pi ($3.75) won this round:the sauce was fantastic and had a nice little kick to it. And even still,there are easily a hundred more dishes available in this place! So many dishes to try…so little time. But we will be back hungry for more =)  |  | |
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