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Eat for Eight Bucks: Pork Belly Sandwiches, Chinese-Style
Although mantou works, you may want to invest in a bun that is more flat an that you can wrap around your meat. I believe some Chinese grocers have them and they are used for peking duck. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures or the name. If I see them I will let you know. You can also use a Sao Bing, the little sesame bread they wrap You Tiao (Fried Dough Stick) in. That could make a tasty bite. It'll be like a Niu Rou Jia Bing but with pork.
Does Anybody Buy the Cutesy Cakes at Chinatown Bakeries?
Dragonboat Bakery on Bowery btw Grand and Hester also has these really fancy elaborate cakes. Once I even saw one shaped like male genitalia. It was hilarious. I've always wanted one but they are about 35+ bucks a. A plain 12 inch goes for only 8 bucks at other bakeries.
The whip cream is flavorless because most Chinese people are lactose intolerant so the whip cream contains no milk product just vegetable fats. Been to Hon bakery once. Don't exactly understand what the hype is about? Perhaps they have bad dry cakes. My go to place is Dragonland on Baxter; their sponge cakes are soft.
Black Sesame Mochi from Yi Mei Fung Bakery in Flushing
There is also a Yi Mei Bakery in Elmhurst on Broadway near the Hong Kong Supermarket. I would also like to mention that Yi Mei is a Taiwanese bakery, unlike Taipan/Fay Dah or any bakery you'll find in Chinatown which are Canton style. Taiwanese having being influence greatly by the Japanese have these sorts of treat.
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'Top Chef' Season 5, Episode 10: 'Monkey Ass Filled with Fried Banana'
Fabio is a funny euro. I think there was a feeling he would get canned because the camera focused on him a lot more than the other characters this time around. The producers have a formula in how they reveal who the loser will be. They usually keep it up between two characters so the audience has a feeling who it will be but is not apparent. With the exception of Restaurant Wars with Leah and Hosea where there was a thought that Leah would be canned. I think they needed to focus on them because it was more of a head turner. Regardless I hope Leah or Hosea get the boot. Maybe the producers think they are good material and keep them in. This may also be why Fabio keeps in also because he says such silly things and the audience loves that. He hasn't pulled off too many good dishes these last few rounds.
Eat for Eight Bucks: Pork Belly Sandwiches, Chinese-Style
Although mantou works, you may want to invest in a bun that is more flat an that you can wrap around your meat. I believe some Chinese grocers have them and they are used for peking duck. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures or the name. If I see them I will let you know. You can also use a Sao Bing, the little sesame bread they wrap You Tiao (Fried Dough Stick) in. That could make a tasty bite. It'll be like a Niu Rou Jia Bing but with pork.
Does Anybody Buy the Cutesy Cakes at Chinatown Bakeries?
Dragonboat Bakery on Bowery btw Grand and Hester also has these really fancy elaborate cakes. Once I even saw one shaped like male genitalia. It was hilarious. I've always wanted one but they are about 35+ bucks a. A plain 12 inch goes for only 8 bucks at other bakeries.
The whip cream is flavorless because most Chinese people are lactose intolerant so the whip cream contains no milk product just vegetable fats. Been to Hon bakery once. Don't exactly understand what the hype is about? Perhaps they have bad dry cakes. My go to place is Dragonland on Baxter; their sponge cakes are soft.
Black Sesame Mochi from Yi Mei Fung Bakery in Flushing
There is also a Yi Mei Bakery in Elmhurst on Broadway near the Hong Kong Supermarket. I would also like to mention that Yi Mei is a Taiwanese bakery, unlike Taipan/Fay Dah or any bakery you'll find in Chinatown which are Canton style. Taiwanese having being influence greatly by the Japanese have these sorts of treat.
Pizza for $1 at St. Marks 2 Brothers Pizza Plus
"Cheap and filling, it tastes oddly soulless and corporate." Hey!! I work 50 hour weeks at a company near this 2 Bros and get paid garbage. This place is my savior!! If anything this place isn't soulless and corporate because it caters to the hard working people who come into the city to work and only have a few dollars to satiate their hunger. The only people who can afford the fancy often overrated pizza are soulless and corporate goons... Yeah their pizza isn't great but I've been to other pizza places around that area that charge a lot more and doesn't taste all that much different
Why Isn't Chinese Food Hip?
If you are going to those restaurants to eat Chinese food, then you are obviously not going to the right places. A lot of the "hip" Chinese restaurant serve awful food because the owners realize once they get popular to the Americans, they must cater the taste of the food to the American palette.
The problem why Chinese food is not hip is not because of the food its because of the marketing and how the business is run. Chinese food has already a very low market price and now that it is established many people do not want to pay more if they already got it at a low price. Low price of food usually means the food isn't refined. Chinese people are everywhere and they build awful Chinese take out to trick stupid people everywhere. Because the food is so prevalent like hot dogs, it is never seen as something very special. Chinese culture stresses prosperity. So when Chinese people want to go to to eat, they like to see giant plates of food, not small cuts of fish on rice. Because of this Chinese food is often looked at not being refined.
Eat for Eight Bucks: Pork Belly Sandwiches, Chinese-Style
I made these today, and I want to thank you for posting this recipe! The simmering pork belly smelled awesome, and the final product was one of the best pork belly recipes I have ever tasted. I added the eggs too-- super tastey. I just scored huge points with my sweetie.
Eat for Eight Bucks: Pork Belly Sandwiches, Chinese-Style
I just made this last night, and used pickling spices in the braise ( a mix of whole pieces of cinnamon, allspice, pepper, mustard seed, bay leaf, etc.), and it worked perfectly!
Eat for Eight Bucks: Pork Belly Sandwiches, Chinese-Style
The Momofuku pork belly in the pork buns is brined and then cooked in pork fat. That's why it's so good.
Eat for Eight Bucks: Pork Belly Sandwiches, Chinese-Style
Stewing the meat would work great in a crock pot, but its unfussy enough to do on a stove top.
Eat for Eight Bucks: Pork Belly Sandwiches, Chinese-Style
How well do you think this would work out in a crock pot? Those things are designed for braising...
Eat for Eight Bucks: Pork Belly Sandwiches, Chinese-Style
The buns look so strange, raw-like... but the flavors listed intrigues me. Especially the cooked pork belly - that looks fantastic!
Eat for Eight Bucks: Pork Belly Sandwiches, Chinese-Style
This looks like a great recipe - I will be trying it!
Eat for Eight Bucks: Pork Belly Sandwiches, Chinese-Style
Corrected link for above comment: http://flickr.com/photos/maxcriden
Eat for Eight Bucks: Pork Belly Sandwiches, Chinese-Style
Made these last night! Thanks for the recipe. Pics here: http://flickr.com/photos/maxcriden.
'Top Chef' Season 5, Episode 10: 'Monkey Ass Filled with Fried Banana'
okay so lets do some math here. stephan says he's 35. 35 - 23 = 12. are we to honestly believe that he's been cooking professionally since he was 12?
Eat for Eight Bucks: Pork Belly Sandwiches, Chinese-Style
If you're going to spend all this time on it, and if you want to save money, why not steam your own home-made mantou? (Unless they sell hand-made ones in NY). However, the freshly made mantou that my wife favors are different from the frozen ones: the sweetness and bleached whiteness are a Cantonese thing, and the ones she makes are deliciously chewy. She does something like this.
Eat for Eight Bucks: Pork Belly Sandwiches, Chinese-Style
@Kathryn: thanks for the info! That filling seems more fitting for peking duck. Maybe its just the hoisin that makes me think that.
My favorite filling is stewed pork belly in quarter inch slices, chopped sour/salty pickled mustard greens dusted with a sugar and ground peanut mixture.
'Top Chef' Season 5, Episode 10: 'Monkey Ass Filled with Fried Banana'
These "all stars" were not really the stars of their seasons. And the current chefs barely won.
I can't believe Carla won and got Super Bowl tickets. Seriously, sometimes you win...and it's just a win which is good, but seems not so awesome compared to winning and a prize. And if winning the quickfire doesn't give you immunity, you just get some lame minor advantage.
I'm convinced that her craziness has kept her from being eliminated since given the choice out of the bottom however many, the producers would most likely "nudge" the judges into keeping someone with drama and/or good sound bites. She'd have never been around for this challenge if she wasn't so annoying.
Eat for Eight Bucks: Pork Belly Sandwiches, Chinese-Style
PS David Chang is Korean-American, and his "steamed buns" are served with hoisin, scallions, and pickled Kirby cucumbers.
Eat for Eight Bucks: Pork Belly Sandwiches, Chinese-Style
The kind of wrapper being discussed is called He Yeh Bao ( "荷葉包" in Chinese) which means "Water Lily pad wrap" and is used to make gua bao, peking duck sandwiches, etc.
You can find them at Deluxe Food Market in Chinatown, Manhattan on Elizabeth Street.
Eat for Eight Bucks: Pork Belly Sandwiches, Chinese-Style
I second the gua bao, a much better ratio of meat to bun and the dough has a tinge more sweetness- which works well with the salty filling.
Most Taiwanese places that sell these sandwiches give you an option of fatty meat, lean meat or sometimes a combo of the two. Pork belly without the skin and extra fat layers is actually on the lean option. I love Asia =)
Eat for Eight Bucks: Pork Belly Sandwiches, Chinese-Style
I recommend using gua bao (thinnish, flat partially-bisected pockets of steamed bun especially made for stuffing) for these kinds of sandwiches instead. The ratio texture and thickness of the bread to the filling will be better. Less mouthfuls of roof-sticking dough, you know?
Honestly, Chinese people have been eating these kinds of things forever. Gourmet it is not, tasty it is.
I really want to know if David Chang is Taiwanese in descent.
Eat for Eight Bucks: Pork Belly Sandwiches, Chinese-Style
A local Chinese restaurant serves a braised pork belly dish with homemade steamed buns and braised shanghai cabbage. Your recipe reminds me alot of that dish. And I love that you mix American and Chinese and Provencal...it's how we cook at home, too. I'll never forget the first time I made an Americanized/Frenchified version of my mom's spicy pork boolgogi...my dad had two helpings, saying around a mouthful of food that it was just so good. LOL.
I'm looking forward to making this for my hubby. Thanks!
'Top Chef' Season 5, Episode 10: 'Monkey Ass Filled with Fried Banana'
I think the term "restaurant critic" is used rather loosely in his case. If you look at any of his reviews for the Evening Standard they consist of 90% comments or complaints about the decor and 10% food related musings. An example of the entire food review of the Fat Badger by Toby Young (out of an 8 paragraph column):
"In fairness to William Leigh, the food at The Fat Badger isn't bad. I sampled two starters - smoked eel in oat crumbs and spiced rabbit with coriander chutney - which were both good, and my main course - onglet accompanied by girolles and green beans - was perfectly all right. But, really, I'm sure it would have been twice as good if priority was given to how the food tastes rather than how environmentally friendly it is."
and of the 11 paragraphs on The Winter Garden, this is the only thing he has to say about the food:
"I was flying solo on this occasion and thought I'd give the £30 set lunch a try. I started off with a very respectable quail and aubergine salad and followed up with a slightly less successful chicken Caesar. The chef, Gary White, deserves top marks for leaving the skin on the chicken breast - it turned out to be the best part of the meal - but he went slightly overboard on the creamy dressing. Next time I'll know to order the dressing on the side."
'Top Chef' Season 5, Episode 10: 'Monkey Ass Filled with Fried Banana'
@mgnnn: Toby Young was a restaurant critic for about five years. I feel like that is enough cred for him to be a judge on Top Chef. It's not like he has never critiqued food in his life.
Eat for Eight Bucks: Pork Belly Sandwiches, Chinese-Style
Instead of dropping peeled hard-boiled eggs into the braising liquid, try cracking your hard-boiled eggs all the way around but leaving the shell intact. You still get amazing penetration of the flavor, but also an amazing cobweb visual once you do peel them.
Black Sesame Mochi from Yi Mei Fung Bakery in Flushing
@onedaylingers: Luckily Chinese bakeries have lots of good lighting! ;)
@skinnyhippo: Thanks for the info! I'm not sure I've been in a Taiwanese bakery before...that could explain why it looked different from the others I've been to.
Pizza for $1 at St. Marks 2 Brothers Pizza Plus
This place now has a stand in front with $1 for a piece of chicken or any of several sides. The pizza has gotten a bit better too imo.
Pizza for $1 at St. Marks 2 Brothers Pizza Plus
Clearly, we are in a depression...
Pizza for $1 at St. Marks 2 Brothers Pizza Plus
Hey, Btw everyone, on the way to work this morning, I passed a 2 Bros Pizza that has yet to open up shop on 6th ave and 17th street. $1.00 slices for Chlesea and the Flatiron!!!!!
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Fabio is a funny euro. I think there was a feeling he would get canned because the camera focused on him a lot more than the other characters this time around. The producers have a formula in how they reveal who the loser will be. They usually keep it up between two characters so the audience has a feeling who it will be but is not apparent. With the exception of Restaurant Wars with Leah and Hosea where there was a thought that Leah would be canned. I think they needed to focus on them because it was more of a head turner. Regardless I hope Leah or Hosea get the boot. Maybe the producers think they are good material and keep them in. This may also be why Fabio keeps in also because he says such silly things and the audience loves that. He hasn't pulled off too many good dishes these last few rounds.