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October 30, 2011October 2011 Food Finds: Young ginger, pho novel, Sriracha film project
This is something new that I’m launching on VWK—a monthly recap of food-related bits that I recently stumbled upon. Well, they’re not just odd ends, but rather interesting information, ideas, and edibles. They are things that I physically and mentally chew on. They provoke me to think about our resources, savor the season, and celebrate Asian foodways.
It’s difficult to dedicate a post on each item. I may tweet or flag it on the VWK fan page but who knows if you received them? That said, this is the first of the “Food Finds” posts. Hope you enjoy it!
Edibles
Young ginger - See the pinkish tipped ginger at the top? It’s mild “young” ginger that you don’t have to peel to cook or pickle. I bought that hand last week at
New May Wah market in San Francisco. Young ginger’s season won’t last for much longer so enjoy if you can.
Excellent chow fun noodles - At last. Thickish, restaurant-style chow fun noodles for home cooks. Poke at it to make sure it’s still soft, then cook it up the day you buy it. These are a scant 1/8 inch thick and 5/8 inch wide – thicker than what you want for noodle soup but perfect for stir-frying. The one I got is a Bay Area product. Maybe your Asian market carries something similar?
Fresh chiles - Get what you can NOW and freeze them. I grew the long (Holland) chiles above from seeds I saved from purchased chiles.
Fennel extract – Terrific for digestion and easier than chewing on fennel seeds. Mix it with club soda for a refreshing beverage too. Got this from my local health food store but you can source it
online too.
Dry-farmed tomatoes
- The season is coming to a close on this Northern California specialty crop. Pioneered by
Molino Creek Farm, the tomatoes are minimally watered, resulting in smaller fruit with intense flavor.
Reads
The Beauty of Humanity Movement – If you’re into the intricacies of pho and modern Vietnamese history, this
historic novel by anthropologist
Camilla Gibb is for you. Set in Hanoi, it trails the disillusionments and triumphs of a pho street vendor. Vials of MSG as prized keepsakes? That’s among the rich details in the engaging work.
Asian dumpling pro: This New York Daily News
profile of chef Peter Lee gives a glimpse into what it’s like to make 1,000 dumplings daily for a dim sum house.
Hong Kong-Style wonton noodle soup in LA - On the Eat Drink & Be Merry blog, Dylan goes dissects one of his favorite dishes, revealing the cultural nuances that only an insider would know. His
journey includes a list of noteworthy noodle joints.
Diversity in agriculture – The New York Times published a great
story on the rise of “refugee agriculture.” Farmers from Asia, the Middle East, and Africa are growing produce that they traditionally eat, not the usual suspects. I'm looking forward to that!
Immigrant owners of food trucks – The Vilcek Foundation’s fall newsletter,
Keep on Truckin’ profiles immigrant owners of food trucks, including Roy Choi of
Kogi BBQ, Jerome Chang of
Dessert Truck, Theo and Elena Butuya of
Elena’s Restaurant. Iliana de la Vega's Oaxacan
El Naranjo inspired my
spicy sardine corn empanadas.
Multimedia
Good Girl Dinette in LA – Thanks to Michelle Esperanza for pointing me to this
KCET (public TV) video review of Diep Tran’s Los Angeles restaurant,
Good Girl Dinette. Blogger Kathy Chaplin and writer Lien Ta critique the banh mi and pot pie. Tran discusses her road to restaurateurship.
Sriracha hot sauce film project – Viet-American filmmaker Jess Dang is looking for funding for a documentary on Sriracha. You can
back it for as little as $10.
Tofu family legacy - Cookbook author
Grace Young and novelist
Monique Truong pointed me to this WNYC public radio
segment about the challenges of keeping the Fong Inn Too tofu factory open from generation to generation.
Feel free to add your reactions and comments. Pose questions too.
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I love young ginger! It shows up in the Kansas City market every year. I can't find it in NYC, though.
Posted by:Noah |
October 31, 2011 at 06:17 AMSan Diego Asian markets carry the rice noodles that are already sliced about the same width as the ones you show (not sure about the thickness). I can't remember the company's name, but they also make the noodle sheets, also pre-packaged. However, I miss buying the fresh-made noodle sheets from San Francisco's Chinatown.
Posted by:Sandy |
October 31, 2011 at 07:53 AMNoah: I bet you have to go to a Brooklyn or Flushing market for the young ginger. Hope the weekend snow storm wasn't overly freaky.
Posted by:
Andrea Nguyen |
October 31, 2011 at 09:29 AMSandy: I "think" the difference is that these rice noodles say "Chow Fun" on them -- so as to indicate that they're good for stir-frying. The "Hu Tieu" is generic in Vietnamese for Chinese-style rice noodles.
Posted by:
Andrea Nguyen |
October 31, 2011 at 09:30 AMAndrea, I really wanted to back Jess Dang's Sriracha project. I really did. But the moment I read his essay about Sriracha being an island, I changed my mind. I've never been to Thailand and yet I know Sriracha is not an island. And this person is asking for money for a documentary that aims to educate people? Good luck.
Posted by:
Chrisjone |
October 31, 2011 at 05:52 PMChrisjone: You are absolutely right. Jess goofed. The coastal city of Sriracha has a nearby island named Koh Si Chang (Sichang Island). She may have mixed them up.
Oye. I'll let her know of the mistake. It's a worthy project but she needs to start off on the right foot!
Thanks for being upfront!
Posted by:
Andrea Nguyen |
October 31, 2011 at 09:42 PM@Chrisjone: I apologize, I made the mistake of saying Sriracha was an island. Thanks for the heads up. -Jess
Posted by:
Jess Dang |
November 01, 2011 at 10:29 AMSriracha forever! Good luck, Jess
Posted by:
Carmie Callobre |
November 02, 2011 at 09:43 AMI saw some this ginger in Boston last week. I was shocked by the price but it was fascinating none the less. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by:
ashleyj@tablesofcontent.com |
November 04, 2011 at 04:55 AMAt a Berkeley farmer's market, I paid about $8/lb for young ginger raised by local Asian farmers. The hand above I paid $4/lb. Our weather in Northern California and demand may explain the lower prices.
Posted by:
Andrea Nguyen |
November 06, 2011 at 10:01 AMRe: Sriracha documentary, I love the idea! I hope Jess gets enough funding to proceed with the project.
Posted by:Oanh |
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