On Sunday mornings that the Mets aren’t home, I generally head over to Hong Kong Supermarket in Elmhurst. One such Sunday, I discovered they didn’t have the meat item I was looking for, and headed around the corner to New York Supermarket. After I was done there and walking out, I noticed the bakery counter also boasted some dim sum. Being hungry, I quickly grabbed a ‘bao’ (literally, bread or bun) and a plastic container of dim sum – specifically, turnip cake. It sounds way weirder than it is; I guess it’s turnip mashed up (it doesn’t taste like turnips), and mixed in is bits of ham, Chinese sausage, dried shrimp, and lovely goodies, then fried in a rectangular shape. Generally it is dipped in ho-yau or oyster sauce; this didn’t come with any but it was only $1.50 or so, what do you expect? It was still warm, and while I prefer it crisper on the edges, it’s from a random bakery-inside-a-supermarket so I didn’t have high hopes. I still remember as a kid, going out for dim sum and the cart would actually fry them fresh for you as they came around… those were the days. It seems even NYC is moving towards getting rid of the cart system for dim sum, sadface…
The other item, which might look like an abomination to any non-Asian person but to most Asian people who grew up going to Asian bakeries is quite normal… is a hot dog & corn bao/bun. Of course, I grew up eating the kind that is dough wrapped around a hot dog – think a pig in a blanket, but full size, and with soft, fluffy bread that is ever so slightly sweet – so this is a variation on that. It was bad. I mean, really bad. The corn fell off immediately and scattered everywhere, and that which remained did nothing for flavor or even texture. Ah well, it fulfilled the need to be fed, and for cheap.
A Sunday or two later, I found myself at Hong Kong Supermarket, loading up on tofu ($1 a container), broccoli (79c a lb), and other assorted cheap veggies and meats, but starving, so I took a swing by the open-refrigerated-case-section (near the tofu) and picked this up: cold noodles with sesame sauce for $2.29.
Inside waited a container of hot sauce and a container of watery sesame sauce snuggled into spaghetti with a sprig of cilantro and some shredded carrots.
I mixed it all up together (with only a little hot sauce) and it fed me, but it wasn’t amazing… BUT it suited as a whole meal for $2.29! Decent enough.
Both Hong Kong Supermarket and New York Supermarket have some goodies that make shopping at either fun with some great deals to be had. I recommend going and perusing the wares yourself!
Hong Kong Supermarket
82-02 45th Avenue
Elmhurst, NY 11373
New York Supermarket
82-66 Broadway
Elmhurst, NY 11373
Nicholas says
Hahaha, it’s impossible to explain why turnip cake tastes good (or even what it really is) 🙂
skippymom says
The first thing I said when I saw the pic’ of the corn bun was “OMG what is that and how do I recreate it.” Want isn’t a strong enough word for how bad I want that beauty in my tummy [not your version, of course, sorry it sucked, but I bet I could come close. Could you try so I can copy? hee] – and I am not even hungry right now, but I would SO eat it. 😀
And turnips rock – and frying them. Bring ’em on. Especially with all the other yummies they put in. Sorry they are getting away from dim sum carts – that is a total shame.
Still, I am so jealous right now – and busily scribbling notes to figure out how to make the corn bun.
PS – sorry I obviously know nothing about taste/salt intake/tastebuds [FB] I just wanted to share what happened to me. I can’t even look at canned food, processed or fast food anymore – it tastes like crap. But that is just me. Good luck with the salt thing. You know another thing – everything tastes so much sweeter now. It is weird – and I never cooked with salt to begin with before I got sick – it was because my husband had high blood pressure. Take care.
Hungry says
My mom used to make turnip cake from scratch. It involved grating the turnip, added glutinous rice flour, meat, dried shrimp, scallions. Steamed, then cut into pieces for frying. I loved her version. It was never as thick/heavy. Come to think of it, it’s time to make it on my own.
Connie says
I believe the turnip cake is made with grated daikon. At least that’s what my grandma used to make it with. Grated daikon, rice flour, water, browned ground pork, sometimes diced Chinese sausage, dried shrimp, sliced green onions, a little grated ginger and sometimes fermented black beans (that I lovingly called “flies” when I was a little girl). The mixture is steamed, then cooled and sliced before frying. Thanks for reminding me of a nice memory of watching my grandma cook 🙂