Flushing NY

Flushing, NY

Walking though the busy downtown Flushing, you could very well be in Beijing, Seoul or Taipei. Chinese and Korean billboards crowd the horizon and English signage is reduced to a bare minimum. Even the KFCs, Burger Kings and Bank Ams sport ads in Mandarin! Street vendors hawk their wares off the street selling shoes, purses, lottery tickets, phone calling cards, fruits, even steaming skewered kebabs hot off a charcoal grill! Yes, Chinese do love their meat on a stick and there is a distinct bit of Muslim Chinese representation in this part of the world.

If you wanted to ever experience first hand; a true microcosm of global diversity, this has to be it. How else can you describe a scene where a sari clad Indian lady shops for groceries assisted by a Hispanic worker inside a gigantic Chinese supermarket in the suburbs of the largest city in America?

We wind our way through the hustle and bustle gazing at the exotic shop windows, some showing off their glazed Peking ducks; others sporting huge colorful backlit images of Chinese or Korean delicacies; dim sum and lunch specials posted up front. Curious aromas waft out of the open windows; some off putting, others rather inviting.
Our destination this time is a mall. More specifically, its the "food court" of the mall. As we approach the "Golden Mall" on Main St., a sign directs us toward the basement to the food court. This looks odd; nothing like your traditional food court with the free General Tsao's Chicken handouts. Walk gingerly down a narrow flight of stairs into what is essentially the basement of the "mall". It truly feels like you have stepped into some shop in some faraway Chinese city like Chengdu or Shaanxi.

You are met with tightly packed stalls and chairs all squeezed along a narrow passage. Looking around, you realize all signs, save a few, are Mandarin only! No worries though; many vendors have huge numbered images of their foods and there is the occasional smattering of English thrown in for good measure. A bewildering array of foods is on display; large cauldron of soups, steamed and fried dumplings stuffed with exotic sounding lotus paste, sweet potato and various meats; noodles being freshly drawn out of dough and stir fried on huge woks.

You look for your desired stall number; the only visible indicator that gives away the identity of the stall - unless you can read Mandarin of course. We are headed to stall # 36 aka 'Xi'an Famous Foods'. This is food from the remote province of Xi'an and its capital Shaanxi; apparently a city with a notable muslim population. There are reams and reams of pages written up on Stall#36.

Suffice to say, we didn't have to think twice on what to order once we got there. The fairly large number of regulars awaiting their order were all gunning for the 2 most popular dishes on the menu and we did likewise.

Item #2 or 'Liang Pi' were slightly chewy al dente cold noodles and crunchy bean sprouts, accentuated by chunks of soft spongy wheat gluten all tossed together in a medium spicy garlicky oily gravy topped with coriander and chillis. Literally translated, 'Liang Pi' means 'cold skin'; but there is no meat involved. Its all vegetarian. You attempt to dunk and roll up the noodle, bean sprout and wheat gluten mix that you managed to put together with the chopsticks into the gravy for maximum flavor and in one motion, drive contents held by the chopsticks into your mouth. Chances are; you've already dropped some of that oil if not a piece of trailing noodle on your white shirt. But its all worth it.

Especially for whats coming next.. Yes Item #3 on the menu is the lamb sandwich / burger or 'zi ran chao yang rou jia mo', considered by many to be one of the finer sandwiches in the city.

Toasted English muffin like bread pockets are filled with small spicy green chilli spiked chunks of roasted lamb. Those in India can relate it to a premade kheema pav.

The sandwich is greasy but somehow the oil seems to hold the sandwich together keeping everything moist and flavorful. The Muslim influence is quite evident as one hits flavors like cumin and anise which you wouldn't normally associate with any of the known Chinese flavors - Cantonese /Sichuan /Hunan cooking.

Seasoned visitors can be seen dunking the lamb sandwich into the remnants of the gravy accompanying the 'Liang Pi'. The owner has proudly put up a large autographed photo of a recent visitor - Anthony Bourdain - who will probably feature this tiny shop in one of his upcoming episodes. There are other famous spots next door - Chengdu Heaven and Lanzhou Noodles; but they will have to wait. For tonight, the sandwich holds its place on the tongue.

Gỏi Cuốn - Vietnamese Summer rolls - Recipe

Gỏi Cuốn - Vietnamese Summer rolls - Recipe

These are cool, refreshing summer salad rolls that are much lighter (and healthier!) on the palate than traditional deep fried spring rolls available off Chinese and Thai menus. They can be custom made to suit individual tastes and spice levels.

Ingredients:

8 Rice wrappers. Can be substituted with lettuce leaves.

1/4 cup vermicilli noodles (pre-cooked or left-over noodles would be a great substitute) tossed with some chili garlic sauce

1/4 cup cucumber julienned

1/4 cup carrot julienned

1/4 cup bean sprouts

1/4 tblsp grated ginger (or julienned)

1/4 tblsp finely chopped green chillies

1 tblsp finely chopped cilantro leaves

1 tblsp finely chopped basil leaves (optional)

1 tblsp finely chopped mint leaves (optional)

2 tblsp coarsely chopped roasted peanuts

1 tblsp vinegar

1 tblsp sugar

salt to taste

Dipping Sauce or 'Nuoc mam':

2 tblsp lime juice

2 tblsp fish sauce ('Nuoc cham')

3 tblsp sugar (add more to adjust for your desired sweetness)

1 tblsp vinegar

Pinch of salt (per taste since fish sauce is already salty)

Add some of the grated ginger and finely chopped chillies to give it some more freshness.

Procedure:

1. Toss the julienned cucumber, carrots and sprouts with the vinegar, salt and sugar and chill for a while before serving.

2. Soak the rice wrapper in water for about 30 seconds to soften it up.

3. Place a tsp of vermicilli and a tsp of chilled vegetables (from #1) in the center of the wrapper.

4. Top off with a pinch of green chilies and grated ginger.

5. Garnish with Basil and cilantro leaves and chopped peanuts.

6. Fold the roll tucking in the opposite ends followed by the sides.

7. Roll it tightly into a 'cigar' shaped spring roll.

8. To eat, dip the roll in to the dipping sauce at each bite and consume!

Banh Mi - the best sandwich ever?

Banh Mi is one of the best street foods to come out of Vietnam and truly defines the meaning of 'fusion cuisine'. Besides, it is probably be one of the best sandwiches I may have ever tasted. It involves combining ingredients that one wouldn't typically expect to used together under the hood of a single sandwich! The best banh mi starts with slitting open a warm crusty slim Franco-Vietnamese baguette - made out of wheat and rice flour (which gives it soft insides and a perfect crackly crust on the outside); and loading it with asian and pseudo euro fillings. Consider this classic version called the 'banh mi thit nuong' it features - hold your breath- bits of sweet glaze barbequed pork, pate paste, creamy mayonnaise, hot 'Sriracha' (hot chilli garlic sauce), Vietnamese ham, sweet, crunchy pickled carrots, daikon, cucumber and chopped jalapenos with a sprig of cilantro (coriander) added for a finish. Its difficult to imagine all of this coming together but somehow; just somehow, the rich meats, the cold refreshing vegetables, tangy fish sauce ('nuoc mam'), and the creamy mayo notes accompanied by a sudden final jab of the spicy chillis and searingly hot Sriracha all meld together to create the perfect knockout sandwich concoction I've eaten! Non pork eaters can find versions made with Chicken, tofu and vegetables. In fact, there are creative additions like 'catfish' and 'sloppy bao' at the new 'Baoguette Cafe' in New York city.

Some of the best examples are available in New York city can be found at:

In Manhattan:

Banh Mi So 1: 369 Broome St. New York NY 10013

Saigon Bakery: 138 Mott St. New York NY 10013

Baoguette : 61 Lexington Ave. New York NY (between 25th and 26th st.)

In Brooklyn: Ba Xuyen: 4222 8th Ave. Brooklyn NY

Other Viet hotspots to the left of the Atlantic hold their own; Houston with 'Les Givrals' and 'Saigon', LA with 'Banh Mi Do Thanh' and San Fran with Saigon Sandwich on Larkin St. Toronto and Vancouver have their favs too.

Prakash Hotel, Dadar W, Mumbai

Prakash Hotel in Dadar just off Shivaji Park is home to landmark authentic Maharashtrian snacks and snack meal replacements. It meets all requirements of being a true-blue foodie joint; a 'chowhoundish mecca' if you will. And how is that so? For starters there is usually a wait at peak hours to get in. Spot a seat and grab it before its gone! Its drab no-frills interiors are the epitome of form and function; whirring ceiling fans on top and uniformed waiters whizzing about with Germanic efficiency. Then theres the attitude; and loads of it. Within a few seconds of you sliding into your coomunal bench seat, the waiter stops by giving you the once over; by now, ideally you are expected to have made up your mind and declared your order; the menu laminated to protect it from spillage is at hand but most regulars don't seem to ever take so much as a peek at it. The waiter rattles out the order to the open kitchen and within a few minutes, slam dunks the order down to your table. The 'Sabudana wadas' (spicy sago fritters) are top of the heap; a sole reason to make the trip. The crust of the 'wada' is fried to a perfect crunch; every single sago seed deep fried to perfection with intermittent groundnut and fried chili adding to the pleasure. And yet, somehow it doesn't seem over the top greasy. The accompanying chutney is a masterpiece in itself; quite different from any you've had; a nutty concoction of spice tempered ever so slightly by the abundant groundnut a la chunky mode. Make sure you order the extra chutney in advance. You are going to want it. 'Crack' open the crunchy shell of the wada and the uncover soft sago seeds glistening and studded with nuts all perfectly cooked and spiced. Combine the outer shell, the steaming insides and a bit of that chutney into a single bite; and you are in heaven.

Their 'Batata vadas' (or potato fritters) and 'Misal' (spicy curried lentils topped with a spicy trail mix, lime and chopped onion) are all good and recommended; the vadas come with the same superstar groundnut chutney that raises the mediocre to great though the vadas are capable enough to make it on their own. Their sabudana khichdi has got to be good; after all, its the base used for their signature dish! Also popular at meal times are their Masale Bhaat, Puri Bhaaji; a bit watered down but good nevertheless.

The misal is served in a tiny plate; crunchy farsan bits scattered on top of the soft spicy curried lentils topped with chopped onion and coriander. A small squeeze of the accompanying lemon, toss it all up once or twice using the larger plate offered and you are good to go! All of the above is typically washed down with their signature 'Piyush' a sweet yoghurt based drink(actually liquid shrikhand); possibly the only drink they have on offer besides water!

Prakash Hotel,

Gokhale Road,

Dadar W Mumbai 400 028

Shatila Bakery Dearborn, MI

Dearborn Michigan is home to Ford Motor Company and happens to be the heart of the middle-eastern diaspora in the US; also obviously home to hundreds of middle-eastern businesses, grocery stores, bakeries and restaurants. But the one store that is arguably the crown jewel of

all Dearborn businesses is the Shatila Bakery. Driving down Warren Ave. in Dearborn, you are transported to a different world all together. Shops sporting artificial minarets with Arabic signs abound and distinctly middle eastern shopping (Lebanese, Syrian, Iraqi, Jordanian etc); think arabic grocery store chains, arab laundries and car washes and tiny eateries with names like "Mr. Shawarma" and "Pita Hut". But its hard to miss the shiny upscale rotunda shaped

Shatila outlet standing out like a beacon admist the rather drab strip malls. Step in and you are transported to a glitzy faux middle eastern world complete with fake palm trees, granite and gilded trim all over. Don't waste too much time getting a ticket from the dispenser; the place can get real crazy during peak times like holiday weekends. As you wait for your ticket number to be called, you can't help but be taken aback but the sheer multitude

of Lebanese sweets.. If you are a diabetic, this is absolutely a no-entry zone. And if you're not, be prepared to leave with it! Ok, there are some savory options available like the fried meat kibbeh, spinach, meat and chicken pies (like Monginis mini pizzas; only thinner crusts) topped with zahtar and some merely with labneh and zahtaar for those looking for alternatives.

Of course, their Baklava is their claim to fame; these are not your run of the mill syrupy sweet ones sitting lonesome on the counter

waiting to be consumed.

This is after all, Baklava Central; home to over 30 varieties of the much loved sweet available in all shapes and varieties. There is the traditional diamond shaped walnut filled baklava; then there are ones with creative names like 'Bird's Nest' - pistachios packed in like sardines in a can into the phyllo pastry, and then some shaped like the barfis in Indian sweet store with barely pronounceable names like 'Osmaliah' (crispy honey soaked vermicilli enrobed around a cream 'sandwich' served with rose syrup pictured above) and 'Ballourie'. First timers will surely want to get it all; possible via their "Mixed Trays"; assortments of the baklava pastries. Highly recommended are the Bassma, the Burrma and the birds nest. There are lots of other goodies made out of dates, honey and nuts such as the mamoul, the Kashta; even a

Pistachio topped rice pudding (see pic). What sets them apart is the fact that they seem to use clarified butter a.k.a. 'Ghee' instead of mere butter that everyone else uses here in the US for baklava. That and the supreme quality of nuts used makes them easily the best baklava in the US.On the other side are exotic looking fancy European pastries, chocolate eclairs, Swiss logs, tiramisus, fresh fruit topped parfaits and chocolate mouse amongst others. A third counter vends their extremely popular and very unique ice creams with a middle-eastern twist; rose flavors, mango, coconut and others - all with a rose flavor base. We weren't big fans of the ice cream though and would take a pass. For those of you unable to make the trip to Detroit and Dearborn,

Shatila will gladly ship most of their products by overnight shipping.

Shatila Bakery
14300 W Warren Ave.

Dearborn, MI 48126

http://www.shatila.com/

Hinkley Bakery, Jackson, MI

The one place in Jackson that truly captured our hearts was the quaint old Hinkley bakery. It played the role of the devil in that it got us hooked on to that dreaded cardiologist inviting deep fried sweet evil - doughnuts. Hinkley made some of the softest cushiest ones around.

They are a small family business - the entire family is hard at work behind the counter catering to the long lines of fans that throng the shop. They are rather quirky - open for just 4 days a week and only from 5:30 AM to 1:00 PM. You enter the old rickety store which hasn't probably gotten an update since World War II.

As you look around, their loaded shelves are lots of sugary treats like cookies, pecan pies, raisin breads but the one singular item that people carry out in droves are their classic doughnuts and doughnut holes. One bite of these and you skip the Krispy Kremes of the world. And unlike KK, these hold their own long after they've left the fryer.

Just rightly glazed and not overly sweet, slightly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. We've gone on to eat at more famous doughnut places that have made it into 'Best Of' lists. Sadly, this is one place that deserves it's place in the sun; its as good or better than most of those and we wish them all the best!

Hinkley Bakery

700 S Blackstone St.
Jackson, MI 49203
(517) 782-1122

Ashok Vada Pav, Prabhadevi, Mumbai

Vadapav (or VP) is synonymous with Mumbai and to my mind, no one does it better than Ashok Vaidya in Prabhadevi. Ok, before someone flames me, I'll admit that each neighborhood features a good if not great 'VP' stall and every Mumbaikar has his or her preferred place. In Prabhadevi, we'd have to hand it to Askok a.k.a. Kirti Vada. Over the years, we've grown up eating his 'VP' and there have been times in our childhood when we've excused ourselves from home on the pretext of "helping mom with an errand or two" only to sneak in a couple of Vada Pavs at Ashok's stall outside Kirti college. I always considered that vadapav as top of the heap and more recently, hes picked up a few accolades sorta vindicating my stand. Its hard to miss the little stall just a few steps away from the entrance to Kirti college. Thats the only place teeming with throngs of people clamoring for their orders. And yell as you might, its rather difficult to get Ashok's attention. Well, calling him our version of the 'soup nazi' might be taking things a bit too far but hes quirky to say the least.

On a typical evening, his vadas are made fresh in small batches and that leads to customers screaming, threatening, pleading and cajoling for their orders to be fulfilled from the lot that just came out of the fryer. Meanwhile, Ashok is busy striking up small conversion with the P.Y.T. who've meanwhile gotten ahead of everyone else in the line. I've learnt that the best way to get his attention is to act extremely disinterested. His policy seems to be; the louder you scream, the less likely you are to get your hot VP! As soon as a fresh batch of vadas rolls out of the assembly line fryer, he and his able assistants jam the piping hot vadas into pavs on standby with their 'mouth' gaping wide open. In goes a liberal dash or two of his hot green and sweet tamarind chutneys followed by a sprinkling of the nuttier coarse garlic chutney powder. And just when you think it couldn't get any better, he adorns, make that STUFFS, the pav with super crispy bits of 'orphaned' vada coating formally known as "chura". One bite and you've experienced sweet street food bliss! Its a explosion of flavors; the soft and spicy vada innards barely tamed with the sweet chutney; while the green and garlic chutneys riding on top come kicking through.

The aforementioned crispy 'chura' offset by the soft pav do their best to control the spice explosion as your sweaty face breaks into contented smile. And there are infinite permutations and combinations; you don't want to go the whole hog with the vada? No problemo; you can order the "Chura Pav". Yes, just the best parts; nice crunchy pieces with your choice of chutneys encased within soft pillowy pavs. Find it all too spicy to handle? then get the 'Meetha Chura Pav'.

With success comes respons..... uh.. higher prices. But, surely, that can't be any deterrent?!

Azuri Cafe New York, NY

Azuri Cafe has got to be one ofthe best renditions of falafel and chicken shawarma that I've come across. At least on the west of the Atlantic. Over on 51st Street between 9th and 10th Ave. in Manhattan is this tiny non descript cafe which shows promising signs the moment you step in to the shop. Behind the counter is a large "salad bar" with lots of colorful pickled vegetables and goodies galore. Grab a seat if you are fortunate to get one; this place gets crowded during lunch! While their most popular dish is arguably the falafel sandwich; my fave dishes are the platters.

Get either the falafel or the Shawarma and make sure you get a large! Once you place the order, Ezra and his team get cracking; frying the falafel or shaving the crunchy bits of chicken off the spit into a pan. The falafel is spiced just right; crunchy on the outside and bright green and moist on the inside, sized not too big so it maintains a consistent crunch. And no, the shawarma doesn't go from the spit directly into your plate. They actually pan fry the shaved bits adding some spice before studding it with the aforementioned variety of colorful salads; a small dab of creamy hummus and some babaganoush, fried eggplant slivers, a green mildly spicy chutney not too different from the one that goes into our 'chaat' dishes! and lots more. Of course, the platter sides are by themselves a reason to make a trip!

Spoon Thai Chicago, IL

I had to start with what has got one of my favorite restaurants - Spoon Thai on Western Ave. in Chicago offers true down home Thai; no, not your run of the mill red curry green curry crap.A warning: Do not look at their mainstream menu. Instead, do as the locals do and ask for their "Secret" menu (not a secret anymore as its probably more popular than the bound one!). This is truly unique stuff from the Issan province in Northern Thailand. We are talking about such masterpieces as 'Nam Khao Tod' (or 'Naem Khao Thwaat') a "salad" made out crispy rice tossed with minced sour sausage, green and red onion, thai bird chili, juliened ginger, roasted peanuts, probably some fish sauce and heavy dose of lime juice." truly an amalgam of alternating tangy spicy flavors and textures. If that hasn't gotten your tastebuds salivating, maybe the photo on the top will!

I found a recipe to this wonder of a dish at Pim's website:

and a lengthy discussion on Chicago's inimitable LTHForum.

Spoon Thai also does a wonderful version of the Banana Blossom salad or the 'Yum Hua Pree'. Their take on the Banana Blossom salad is this heavenly tossup of coarsely chopped soft banana blossoms and chicken chunks, shrimp, tossed in a creamy coconut milk based mild curry topped with fried onion. This along with their Naem Khao Thwat were reasons enough for us to make the 250 mile day trips to the windy city!

For those of you with the patience to attempt this masterpiece at home, here is a link I found. There are other wonders to be had; the jungle curry, Thai Fried chicken and a neat mango with sticky rice desert.

Spoon Thai :4608 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL 60625 (773)769 1173