China 46

[Jason Perlow]

The scallion bread is new, I had it with Fat Guy on my last brunch visit as well. Its very good. Its completely separate from the Scallion Pancakes -- and they have 2 versions of scallion pancakes, one with egg and one without. The one with egg is definitely the better one.

[jo-mel]

LOL!  Sorry...should have made this clear...they ALSO had scallion pancakes out, and I know those (too well).  This was more of a bread, about 2-3" tall, and cut in big squares, with sesame seeds on top--hence the comment that it looked like Chinese foccacia!!  So I'm still wondering...  Cecil?  Jason? Anyone?   

And I forgot to mention one funny yesterday; I went back up to the buffet and found a brand new dish up there that I couldn't i.d., but it looked like it had slices of bacon laid on top of a pile of carmelized onions.  I asked one of the women who works at the front of C46 what it was, and she said "Pork."  Then she proceeded to tell me what it was IN CHINESE.  All I could do was smile and laugh!!

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I was curious about the dish you described. In one of my Wei-Chuan books (on Shanghai cuisine) there is a picture of marinated pork belly slices( fresh bacon) that had been deepfried, then steamed with preserved mustard greens and crystallized sugar. Could that have been it? Did you try the dish?

[Curlz]

Jason, thanks for clearing that up...scallion bread it is/was! Of course, I think Chinese foccacia is a much more creative name, but so be it.

Jo-mel, I did try the pork dish, and I'm sorry to say that I can't be of more help...the bacon (which was thick, btw--not bacon as we know it, but it did have the 'waves' of meat and fat, which is why it looked like it) definitely wasn't deep fried--it was more like a slow-cooked/BBQ style, very dark in color, and VERY tender. And what I'm saying were onions may well be something else! It had a very strong pork flavor and a spice I couldn't i.d., so I passed a piece of the meat to my dad. Iirc, his question was "Are you tasting camphor?" I'm still not sure, and then we were interrupted by the delivery of the pea shoot dumplings (a do not miss!!) and I moved on. I'm not sure that I liked the pork, but it was certainly interesting.

[jo-mel]

Curlz --- I should have clarified the 'deep/fried' part. The recipe in the Shanghai book asks for a 1 1/3 pound piece of soy and wine marinated pork (layered with skin-fat-meat) deep/fried with the skin and fat only, enveloped in the hot oil. It then goes in iced water for a while, then cut into thick slices, brushed with the marinade, and arranged in a steaming bowl. The preserved mustard green goes on top and that is topped with the crystal sugar. The whole thing is steamed for 3 hours.

The picture in the book shows what appears to be tender, thick pieces of fatty pork with rind over a bed of dark chopped vegetable.

I know what preserved mustard green looks and tastes like. The picture looks more like preserved 'Red in snow", a chopped salted winter cabbage, and called Mei Gan Cai in the book. (mei as in 'plum' -- for those who know the characters, and gan as in 'dry')

Now I'm curious about the dish and will look for it the next time I'm at C46.

[Curlz]

Please do, and report back, Jo-mel! This sure sounds like it except for the rind part...

The picture in the book shows what appears to be tender, thick pieces of fatty pork with rind over a bed of dark chopped vegetable.

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[ghostrider]

The pork dish that jo-mel describes sounds very much like the one I used to get at the fabled Say Eng Look in NYC's Chinatown, which was for years the only outpost for genuine Shanghai cuisine down there.

Coincidentally I just ran across a mention of Say Eng Look in the New York forum & that has jogged some memories (& a couple of posts over there).

The first time I ordered the dish, the server tried to dissuade me by saying, tactfully, "Usually the Chinese people like this." I'm sure he'd had experiences with Westerners who didn't know what they were getting into. I was finally able to convince him that I had read about the dish & really wanted to try it, & was allowed to order it. I did wind up having to eat around some of the fat, but my gosh, it was good.

Nice to know that China 46 offers a version of this. Got to get up there when I feel that my system can handle the sodium shock.

[Rachel Perlow]

I hope they have that pork dish at today's brunch, now I HAVE to try it.

[rooftop1000]

We recently had the same cut of pork at Kang Suh in NY and we were also discouraged from ordering it...as BBQ it was OK wouldnt get it again but....I do love crispy pork fat

[Qing]

I was back to China46 with my friends last Saturday morning. I was so exciting to talk with everyone who works there, but forgot to order two of the most my favorate dishes: the Sauteed Soft Shell Tortoise and The House Special Sautee with the saseme buns.

I think I have to go the next Saturday.

[Adam P.]

Wow.

I just had an(other) absolutely fantastic dinner at China 46 tonight. I have been on a quest to try every dish on their menu (a daunting task, considering they have so many specials), and stumbled upon a MUST TRY dish off their regular menu for spicy chili lovers; Beef with Vegetable in Roast Pepper Sauce.

This dish was amazing. It is their spiciest dish. It will make you cry, figuratively and literally (maybe). It is served beef stew style, similar to the curry beef stew at Penang. It contains melt in your mouth beef with cabbage, cilantro, scallions, thinly sliced garlic, rehyrdrated dried chilis (via the broth) and lots of spicy fire-roasted green chilis. It was sublime; ethereal. A nice smoky flavor and spicy as hell. If they dumped some pinto beans and a little cumin, it would probably win an American chili contest.

Highly recommended. I spoke to Connie on the way out and she said they make it with fresh de-boned flounder as well...I think I'll try that next time!

Edited March 29, 2005 by Adam Plonski (log)

[jo-mel]

I was back to China46 with my friends last Saturday morning. I was so exciting to talk with everyone who works there, but forgot to order two of the most my favorate dishes: the Sauteed Soft Shell Tortoise and The House Special Sautee with the saseme buns.

I think I have to go the next Saturday.

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So what did you eat, Qing??

And --- since you have the inside info, what do Cecil and the others eat?

[Adam P.]

I was back to China46 with my friends last Saturday morning. I was so exciting to talk with everyone who works there, but forgot to order two of the most my favorate dishes: the Sauteed Soft Shell Tortoise and The House Special Sautee with the saseme buns.

I think I have to go the next Saturday.

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So what did you eat, Qing??

And --- since you have the inside info, what do Cecil and the others eat?

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I would like to know as well. I have been to C46 many times and never bothered to ask the owner (or any of the co-workers) what their favorite dishes are. The past few meals have left me in a state of near food frenzy (j/k...sic). If I remember correctly, Qing, you were extremely helpful in getting me acquainted with some of their best dishes when I first came to eat there.

[jhlurie]

I was back to China46 with my friends last Saturday morning. I was so exciting to talk with everyone who works there, but forgot to order two of the most my favorate dishes: the Sauteed Soft Shell Tortoise and The House Special Sautee with the saseme buns.

I think I have to go the next Saturday.

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So what did you eat, Qing??

And --- since you have the inside info, what do Cecil and the others eat?

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I've seen those guys eating Jiaozi. But also fishy head things.

[Rachel Perlow]

That's how we "discovered" jiaozi. We were there on an off hour and the staff was sitting down to dinner. One platter was full of plain looking dumplings we hadn't had there before. On inquiring, we were given a plate of them. They've been a de riguer dish of ours ever since, and since then, have regularly appeared on the special board up front.

[Adam P.]

Now that I think about it, I've eaten there late a few times and have seen what they eat together as a group when the restaurant is about to close. I saw the rolly-polly fish heads (on tray or in soup). I've also seen large banquet trays of chicken feet, thinly sliced dry beef with hot peppers and giant bowls of Shanghai casserole-looking soups.

I have yet to try those jiaozi...I haven't seen them on the specials board. Does Cecil write them as "jiaozi" or some other english translation?

[Rosie]

Can you describe jiaozi?

[Susan G]

Rosie, I don't know what China 46 has in theirs, but usually jiaozi are dumplings - ground pork with shrimp or crabmeat, ginger, garlic and scallions, sometimes with bok choi. The dough around it is flour and water paste, rolled thin and stuffed. They're usually steamed, and dipped into a vinegar-soy-ginger-chili sauce at the table.

[Jason Perlow]

China 46 Jiaozi:

[Curlz]

Am I correct that jiaozi is the overall/generic term for dumplings? Or does it mean a specific type (i.e., "ground pork with shrimp or crabmeat, ginger, garlic and scallions, sometimes with bok choi")?

C46 has a fabulous list of dumplings, esp for Sunday brunch!

[Jason Perlow]

It's specifically a type of steamed dumpling of that particular shape, but there is some variation as to the actual filling used.

[Adam P.]

Ahhh...Those jiaozi. I've had those on the brunch menu listed as "pork & pea shoot dumplings".

[Jason Perlow]

Actually China 46 has several steamed dumplings that sort of look like Jiaozi but are not actually Jiaozi. The pork and pea shoot ones look similar.

Although, come to think of it, that picture might not actually be Jiaozi.

[pbrodsky]

Ahhh...Those jiaozi. I've had those on the brunch menu listed as "pork & pea shoot dumplings".

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I want some!

[Jason Perlow]

Here's another kind of steamed dumpling China 46 serves, the lamb dumplings:

And of course, the Pork Xiao Long Bao

[Jason Perlow]

Here's a picture of Jiaozi from our 2004 dinner:

and the filling: