EATING OUTSIDE OF THE LINES-Chinese is much more than moo goo gai pan (NY PRESS)
The Chinese New Year came and went, the last of the streamers swept off the Chinatown streets long ago. Maybe you ventured into the throng, watched the dragon dancers and ate dinner in Chinatown. Or you may have celebrated at your favorite neighborhood restaurant. Either way, odds are you ordered something Cantonese. But Cantonese cuisine is not the only option in this teeming city of immigrants. It’s merely one choice among many.
With all the options—Fujianese, Shanghainese, Sichuan or Hong Kong-style, to name a few—it’s hard to know where to start. To demystify things a bit, I’ll arm you with enough knowledge of Chinese regional cuisine to navigate a menu and, more importantly, impress your companion.
The history of Chinese food in America mirrors the history of Chinese immigration. The first Chinese who came to the U.S. arrived in the 1860s. At the time, China forbade emigration, and only those who lived in the British-controlled area of Guangzhou (commonly known as Canton) in Guangdong province were able to leave. Necessarily, Chinese food in America became synonymous with Cantonese cooking.
Things began to change, however, in 1965, with the lifting of the Asian immigration quotas. Immediately after, a new group of professionals from Taiwan and Hong Kong entered the country. Chinese refugees from Vietnam arrived in the late ’70s, and the next big wave of immigration occurred in the 1980s with the opening of the mainland. Large numbers of immigrants from Fujian settled in New York’s Chinatown, and other groups from Shanghai, Chongquing and Beijing, among others, settled in Flushing, Queens.
New York’s restaurant scene now features a happy amalgam of food from all over China, although most menus are still dominated by Cantonese fare. At the same time, most Chinese restaurants in New York serve a combination of regional favorites, acting much like diners that offer both linguine with clam sauce and bagels and lox.
“That’s what customers expect,” says Jacqueline M. Newman, the editor and founder of Flavor and Fortune, a magazine devoted to the study and appreciation of Chinese cuisine. “They’re in business to make money, not to be purists.”
And yet, understanding the strengths and specialties of different regions can lead to a much more exciting and rewarding dining experience, keeping in mind, of course, that every chef always has his own variations.
In general, Chinese cuisine can be broken up into four simple regions: North, South, East and West.
In the North—where wheat is the main staple—noodles, breads, dumplings and buns feature prominently. Beijing, of course, is known for its duck. But Mongolian hot-pot and Chinese-Muslim dishes such as grilled lamb with cumin and knife-cut noodles also originate in the North.
The province of Guangdong dominates Southern cuisine, and is the home of the aforementioned Cantonese cuisine. These dishes are often stir-fried or steamed and seasoned mildly with a touch of sweetness. Barbecue is popular, and many Cantonese restaurants hang their roasted meats in their front windows. Other common dishes include chow fun, chow mein, lo mein, pork spareribs with salt and pepper and congee (a rice-based porridge). The ever-popular New York brunch alternative, dim sum, with its many dumplings and small dishes brought around on carts, also originates in Guangdong.
Fujianese cusine, which hails from the Southeast, has spread through much of Chinatown, especially the area along East Broadway. Soups and soupy dishes are especially popular in Fujian, as is a red, fermented rice-mash, which is made from red brewer’s yeast and glutinous rice. A thick, sweet soy sauce is another common flavoring.
Hong Kong-style restaurants tend to feature large aquariums filled with fish and shellfish from which you can pluck your dinner. XO sauce is a Hong Kong specialty. The exact recipe is unknown, but its spicy and pungent flavor is thought to stem from garlic, chili pepper, dried shrimp and dried scallops.
Cooking from Jiangzhe, China’s Eastern coast, which includes Shanghai, tends to be sweeter and oilier than food from other regions. “Red Cooking” is one of the most popular ways to prepare food. It entails using soy sauce, rock sugar and star anise as a red glaze. Xiolongbao, or soup dumplings, are probably the most famous Shanghai dish. Other Eastern specialties include Lion’s Head (a large pork meatball cooked with napa cabbage, tofu and cellophane noodles) and Dongbo Pork—a sweet dish cooked with rock candy, cinnamon bark, soy sauce, star anise and rice wine.
Sichuan cooking, which comes from the West, is the second-most common Chinese regional cuisine in America. It’s known for its use of chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, though most Sichuan restaurants here don’t serve their dishes in their authentic, mouth-numbing glory. Beef filet with chili sauce, also known as water-boiled beef, is simmered in a bright red broth and served on a bed of nappa cabbage. Mapo Tofu is topped with fried ground beef in chili sauce, and Double Cooked Pork features a sweet, black bean paste.
This list, by nature, can only be a starting point. As the longest continual food culture in the world, Chinese cuisine is like China itself—vast, varied and constantly evolving. But ultimately, the best way to learn about Chinese regional cooking is to eat your way through it. It may take a lifetime, but it’s a tasty pursuit.
NORTHERN
Islamic Chinese:
Li Yuan Chun
133-43 Roosevelt Ave., Flushing 718-939-7788
Dumplings:
Fried Dumpling
99 Allen St.
212-941-9975
Dumpling House
118 Eldridge St.
212-625-1023
SOUTHERN
Cantonese:
Cantoon Garden
22 Elizabeth St.
212-964-2229
Big Wong King
67 Mott St.
212-964-0540
Dim Sum:
Dim Sum Go Go
5 East Broadway
212-732-0797
Oriental Garden Restaurant
14 Elizabeth St.
212-619-0085
Fujian:
Happy Fuzhou House
135-33 40th Ave., Flushing, Queens
718-358-1919
88 Reach House
88 Division St.
212-625-8099
Hong Kong:
Ping’s
22 Mott St.
212-602-9988
Gum Fung Restaurant
136-28 39th Ave., Flushing, Queens
718-762-8821
EASTERN
Shanghai:
Joe’s Shanghai
9 Pell St.
212-233-8888
Yeah Shanghai Deluxe
65 Bayard St.
212-566-4884
WESTERN
Sichuan:
Grand Sichuan
227 Lexington Ave.
212-679-9770
Spicy and Tasty
39-07 Prince St., Flushing, Queens,
718-359-1601
With all the options—Fujianese, Shanghainese, Sichuan or Hong Kong-style, to name a few—it’s hard to know where to start. To demystify things a bit, I’ll arm you with enough knowledge of Chinese regional cuisine to navigate a menu and, more importantly, impress your companion.
The history of Chinese food in America mirrors the history of Chinese immigration. The first Chinese who came to the U.S. arrived in the 1860s. At the time, China forbade emigration, and only those who lived in the British-controlled area of Guangzhou (commonly known as Canton) in Guangdong province were able to leave. Necessarily, Chinese food in America became synonymous with Cantonese cooking.
Things began to change, however, in 1965, with the lifting of the Asian immigration quotas. Immediately after, a new group of professionals from Taiwan and Hong Kong entered the country. Chinese refugees from Vietnam arrived in the late ’70s, and the next big wave of immigration occurred in the 1980s with the opening of the mainland. Large numbers of immigrants from Fujian settled in New York’s Chinatown, and other groups from Shanghai, Chongquing and Beijing, among others, settled in Flushing, Queens.
New York’s restaurant scene now features a happy amalgam of food from all over China, although most menus are still dominated by Cantonese fare. At the same time, most Chinese restaurants in New York serve a combination of regional favorites, acting much like diners that offer both linguine with clam sauce and bagels and lox.
“That’s what customers expect,” says Jacqueline M. Newman, the editor and founder of Flavor and Fortune, a magazine devoted to the study and appreciation of Chinese cuisine. “They’re in business to make money, not to be purists.”
And yet, understanding the strengths and specialties of different regions can lead to a much more exciting and rewarding dining experience, keeping in mind, of course, that every chef always has his own variations.
In general, Chinese cuisine can be broken up into four simple regions: North, South, East and West.
In the North—where wheat is the main staple—noodles, breads, dumplings and buns feature prominently. Beijing, of course, is known for its duck. But Mongolian hot-pot and Chinese-Muslim dishes such as grilled lamb with cumin and knife-cut noodles also originate in the North.
The province of Guangdong dominates Southern cuisine, and is the home of the aforementioned Cantonese cuisine. These dishes are often stir-fried or steamed and seasoned mildly with a touch of sweetness. Barbecue is popular, and many Cantonese restaurants hang their roasted meats in their front windows. Other common dishes include chow fun, chow mein, lo mein, pork spareribs with salt and pepper and congee (a rice-based porridge). The ever-popular New York brunch alternative, dim sum, with its many dumplings and small dishes brought around on carts, also originates in Guangdong.
Fujianese cusine, which hails from the Southeast, has spread through much of Chinatown, especially the area along East Broadway. Soups and soupy dishes are especially popular in Fujian, as is a red, fermented rice-mash, which is made from red brewer’s yeast and glutinous rice. A thick, sweet soy sauce is another common flavoring.
Hong Kong-style restaurants tend to feature large aquariums filled with fish and shellfish from which you can pluck your dinner. XO sauce is a Hong Kong specialty. The exact recipe is unknown, but its spicy and pungent flavor is thought to stem from garlic, chili pepper, dried shrimp and dried scallops.
Cooking from Jiangzhe, China’s Eastern coast, which includes Shanghai, tends to be sweeter and oilier than food from other regions. “Red Cooking” is one of the most popular ways to prepare food. It entails using soy sauce, rock sugar and star anise as a red glaze. Xiolongbao, or soup dumplings, are probably the most famous Shanghai dish. Other Eastern specialties include Lion’s Head (a large pork meatball cooked with napa cabbage, tofu and cellophane noodles) and Dongbo Pork—a sweet dish cooked with rock candy, cinnamon bark, soy sauce, star anise and rice wine.
Sichuan cooking, which comes from the West, is the second-most common Chinese regional cuisine in America. It’s known for its use of chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, though most Sichuan restaurants here don’t serve their dishes in their authentic, mouth-numbing glory. Beef filet with chili sauce, also known as water-boiled beef, is simmered in a bright red broth and served on a bed of nappa cabbage. Mapo Tofu is topped with fried ground beef in chili sauce, and Double Cooked Pork features a sweet, black bean paste.
This list, by nature, can only be a starting point. As the longest continual food culture in the world, Chinese cuisine is like China itself—vast, varied and constantly evolving. But ultimately, the best way to learn about Chinese regional cooking is to eat your way through it. It may take a lifetime, but it’s a tasty pursuit.
NORTHERN
Islamic Chinese:
Li Yuan Chun
133-43 Roosevelt Ave., Flushing 718-939-7788
Dumplings:
Fried Dumpling
99 Allen St.
212-941-9975
Dumpling House
118 Eldridge St.
212-625-1023
SOUTHERN
Cantonese:
Cantoon Garden
22 Elizabeth St.
212-964-2229
Big Wong King
67 Mott St.
212-964-0540
Dim Sum:
Dim Sum Go Go
5 East Broadway
212-732-0797
Oriental Garden Restaurant
14 Elizabeth St.
212-619-0085
Fujian:
Happy Fuzhou House
135-33 40th Ave., Flushing, Queens
718-358-1919
88 Reach House
88 Division St.
212-625-8099
Hong Kong:
Ping’s
22 Mott St.
212-602-9988
Gum Fung Restaurant
136-28 39th Ave., Flushing, Queens
718-762-8821
EASTERN
Shanghai:
Joe’s Shanghai
9 Pell St.
212-233-8888
Yeah Shanghai Deluxe
65 Bayard St.
212-566-4884
WESTERN
Sichuan:
Grand Sichuan
227 Lexington Ave.
212-679-9770
Spicy and Tasty
39-07 Prince St., Flushing, Queens,
718-359-1601
posted by Lisa Gross at 9:58 PM
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