eG Foodblog: Pan - How to stop cooking and love life

[Becca Porter]

Don't feel bad I don't know that one either.

[Pan]

Onion board is basically a sort of cracker-like (but much bigger and significantly thicker than cracker-sized) crunchy bread with lots of bits of onions baked onto it. Very nice stuff!

Well, faithful readers, I will be posting about my lunch shortly.

Edited July 14, 2005 by Pan (log)

[anzu]

Re Black and White Cookies:

1.  When dear friends of ours from Germany visited us here in the US, my parents traveled with them for several weeks in the western half of the country and they were here in south central PA for several weeks also.  (But we didn't visit NYC during that visit.)  They kept saying they wanted to get some Americanos cookies.  We had no clue what they meant.  They described them, but it was no help.  They kept saying how delicious they were and couldn't believe we didn't have them.  We asked in many bakeries and no one knew these cookies, either.  (This was before the internet was such a resource for this kind of thing.)  Years later, dh and I were in NYC for the day, walked past a bakery window, and ta da:  Americanos, aka Black and Whites!  Another example of the difficulty most foreigners have wrapping their minds around the size of the US -- a specialty from NYC gets adopted in Germany as the cookie of America, though millions of Americans have never heard of it, much less eaten one.  Oh, and the one we bought was lousy -- we couldn't comprehend how these had captured the imaginations of Germans everywhere.

2.  Last winter, my dh made these with the recipe in King Arthur Flour's Baking Book.  I've never heard such moaning and groaning while he was doing the icing!  In the end, they looked as if a deranged kindergartener had been let loose with brown and white tempera paints.  I made all the appropriate comforting noises necessary to the frustrated beginning baker and urged him to take them to the get-together he'd baked them for anyway.  Everybody loved them.  He told our friends to enjoy them that night, cuz he'd never fool with them again.

←

OKAY! You just cleared up something that I've been wondering about ever since I moved to Germany.

They're called Amerikaner here, and are available in a great many bakeries, as well as nasty versions sold prepackaged in the supermarket. The standard size is big - almost 4-5 inches across, but mini-Amerikaner are available as well.

However, Amerikaner very often only have single colored icing (white).

Actually, it cracks me up that people would be looking for Amerikaner in America. There are also cookies called Kameruner (i.e. how you would refer to people from Cameroon), and a type of sweet dumpling called 'Moor's head'. Surpise, surprise, both these dishes are dark colored.

I had always thought that ALL these names were hangovers from non-politically correct times. Maybe I'm wrong, and your friends would be looking for Kameruner on their trip to Cameroon.

[Pan]

Today, my good offline friend, Matthew (eGullet Society member mascarpone) met me in Sara Delano Roosevelt Park at the corner of Grand and Chrystie Streets. There was a time when anywhere north of Canal was no longer part of Chinatown, but that corner is now one of the three or so biggest shopping areas of central Chinatown. It's also not far from some Vietnamese Banh Mi places. Banh Mi are sandwiches in a baguette, as you'll see in a minute.

But first, an exterior shot of Banh Mi Saigon:

Banh Mi Saigon is on Mott St. between Grand and Hester Sts., a narrow and very busy shopping street. (I find this photo a little funny because if you look carefully, you can see a reflection of the photographer -- that's me, of course.) Do you notice the necklaces in the window? Those aren't just for show. This shop is both a jewelry store and a sandwich place. Odd perhaps, but I can't see why it couldn't work, and they are giving a go of it.

Here's an interior shot of the sandwich-shop portion of the store:

I was given permission to take this shot on the condition that the counterwoman wasn't in the picture, but some of the customers weren't so shy.

Remember that I mentioned jewelry? The store also sells these pretty amethyst geodes:

I like geodes, but I already have some and don't really have room for big ones. I enjoyed looking at them, though, and I'm glad they let me take this photo.

Anyway, though, back to the sandwiches:

Mine (#2, Banh Mi Gai [Gai=chicken]) is on the left and Matthew's (Banh Mi Saigon, with pork) is on the right.

These sandwiches were really fantastic, among the best sandwiches I've ever eaten! I think that except for the differences in the meats (excellent roast chicken vs. two kinds of pork) and perhaps a little hot sauce on the Banh Mi Saigon, the ingredients were basically the same: cucumbers lightly pickled in a vinegar/sugar solution, shredded jicama and carrots (also very slightly pickled, with the pickling in both cases really amounting to a few minutes to perhaps a few hours' soaking -- just guessing here), cilantro, jalapenos, and a moderate amount of mayonnaise on a baguette. But there's something about the way the roast meats were marinaded, the way the vegetables were pickled/soaked, the freshness of the vegetables and high quality of the ingredients, and the perfect balance of all ingredients that put these sandwiches head and shoulders above another Vietnamese banh mi place Matt took me to before, whose name he'll remember (I'm too lazy to check for that right now ).

Last night, I had a tough time, I believe because I must have eaten too much of the Gui Zhou Spicy Chicken last night at Grand Sichuan. It's very tasty but pretty oily. So I slept fitfully and was a little concerned about eating heavily for lunch today, but one could have hardly picked a better lunch under the circumstances than that sandwich. It wasn't very fatty and seemed pretty healthful. However, keep in mind that the picture above shows you only half of each sandwich! So it was a big lunch. I plan on eating lightly for the remainder of the day.

Edited July 14, 2005 by Pan (log)

[Pan]

OKAY! You just cleared up something that I've been wondering about ever since I moved to Germany. 

They're called Amerikaner here, and are available in a great many bakeries, as well as nasty versions sold prepackaged in the supermarket. The standard size is big - almost 4-5 inches across, but mini-Amerikaner are available as well.

However, Amerikaner very often only have single colored icing (white).

Actually, it cracks me up that people would be looking for Amerikaner in America. There are also cookies called Kameruner (i.e. how you would refer to people from Cameroon), and a type of sweet dumpling called 'Moor's head'. Surpise, surprise, both these dishes are dark colored.

I had always thought that ALL these names were hangovers from non-politically correct times. Maybe I'm wrong, and your friends would be looking for Kameruner on their trip to Cameroon.     

←

I like to buy Bahlsen's Afrika cookies sometimes. They're covered with dark chocolate. Yeah, pretty damned politically incorrect, if you ask me -- at least for Americans. Each country has its own standards of political correctness in food nomenclature, I guess. But they're still tasty.

[Pan]

The photos from Moishe's and Grand Sichuan are great, really mouth-watering! I'm enjoying watching your food-photography skills progress throughout the blog.

But, no pressure.... :)

←

Thanks a lot for your support, Kara!

[Pan]

I've been snacking on some more Ting Ting Jahe ginger candies (I broke open another bag last night). I also had some Metamucil, but we won't talk more about that for the remainder of the blog, OK?

[SuzySushi]

These sandwiches were really fantastic, among the best sandwiches I've ever eaten! I think that except for the differences in the meats (excellent roast chicken vs. two kinds of pork) and perhaps a little hot sauce on the Banh Mi Saigon, the ingredients were basically the same: cucumbers lightly pickled in a vinegar/sugar solution, shredded jicama and carrots (also very slightly pickled, with the pickling in both cases really amounting to a few minutes to perhaps a few hours' soaking -- just guessing here), cilantro, jalapenos, and a moderate amount of mayonnaise on a baguette.

←

They use jicama in the sandwiches in NYC? Here, it's a carrot-and-daikon slaw.

[Pan]

lotus root - yum!

sweet potatoes with ginger and scallion double yum!

any chance Pan or a reader would have recipes for these to share?

milagai

←

Not I, I'm afraid. There are some good Indian lotus root dishes, though (I forget from what region). Have you made anything with lotus root?

[Pan]

I've also had their black and whites, assorted cookies, bialeys, and God knows what else.

How are bialys different, in flavor and texture, from bagels? I've eaten a bialy or two, but not enough to know how the recipes might differ, or if there's a difference in the cooking.

And I can't really even get a good bagel around here, much less a bialy.

←

As you'll hear a lot of New Yorkers (especially old-timers) tell you, it's not that easy to get a really good bagel even in New York, though I think bialys are somehow a little harder to really screw up. I don't love the bagels at Moishe's (they're just OK), but their bialys are quite decent, even if I could stand to have more onion.

If wesza has a look at this blog, perhaps he'll give us an authoritative discourse on this topic.

Edited July 14, 2005 by Pan (log)

[canucklehead]

lotus root - yum!

sweet potatoes with ginger and scallion double yum!

any chance Pan or a reader would have recipes for these to share?

milagai

←

Not I, I'm afraid. There are some good Indian lotus root dishes, though (I forget from what region). Have you made anything with lotus root?

←

My mom makes this Chinese braised lotus root and pork belly stew that is insanely goooooood! The lotus root is "smashed" rather than cut to maximize the thread like characteristics of the root. Not sure if can get a recipe - but I will hunt around.

[zeitoun]

This shop is both a jewelry store and a sandwich place.

←

Maybe one day you'll find a pearl in your sandwich, who knows...

More seriously, really enjoying this blog...

Edited July 14, 2005 by zeitoun (log)

[Pan]

For anyone who knows: I have a Lotus plant growing in my backyard pond. The lotus root dish you showed, Pan, looks like the part at the base of the flower. Somewhere I think I have heard this referred to as a Lotus "Pod". Is not this also the thing that one can find dried in flower arrangements?

So, is Lotus Root actually the part that grows under the dirt, or is it the base of the flower? If it is the base of the flower, can I eat the ones growing in my pond?

←

I don't see any reason why not.

In order to be sure, go to this website:

http://www.chinesetakeaways.com/

Click under "Cuisine Guide" and then under "Lotus Root" in the "Ingredients" list. See the bulbous stems (roots, whatever) that have a characteristic pattern of perforations when cut widthwide into sections? Do the bases of your lotuses look like that? Then unless you have some reason to doubt the safety of growing conditions in your pond, you can eat them.

[Pan]

Oh, I just realized that I forgot to tell all you cost-conscious people what those two big sandwiches cost -- along with a Vietnamese iced tea for Matt (I didn't get a drink): $8. And Matt sprung for lunch today.

[worm@work]

lotus root - yum!

sweet potatoes with ginger and scallion double yum!

any chance Pan or a reader would have recipes for these to share?

milagai

←

Not I, I'm afraid. There are some good Indian lotus root dishes, though (I forget from what region). Have you made anything with lotus root?

←

Ooooooohhh, I love lotus root. The only Indian lotus root dish I've tasted was at a Kashmiri friends place. His mom would use it in a curry and also made some sort of pan-roasted pakora-style things with it. I rarely end up using it in my cooking since my husband is shy when it comes to unfamiliar vegetarian stuff :). I have a huge packet of sliced and dried lotus root that I deep fry... makes for an amazing snack!! milagai, you're probably familiar with this (tamara kazhangu) ?

-w@w

[Pan]

Ooooooohhh, I love lotus root. The only Indian lotus root dish I've tasted was at a Kashmiri friends place.[...]

←

Yeah, I was thinking Kashmir; I just wasn't sure enough to say it.

I think there must be a lot of lily pads in that beautiful lake in Srinagar.

[Pan]

These sandwiches were really fantastic, among the best sandwiches I've ever eaten! I think that except for the differences in the meats (excellent roast chicken vs. two kinds of pork) and perhaps a little hot sauce on the Banh Mi Saigon, the ingredients were basically the same: cucumbers lightly pickled in a vinegar/sugar solution, shredded jicama and carrots (also very slightly pickled, with the pickling in both cases really amounting to a few minutes to perhaps a few hours' soaking -- just guessing here), cilantro, jalapenos, and a moderate amount of mayonnaise on a baguette.

←

They use jicama in the sandwiches in NYC? Here, it's a carrot-and-daikon slaw.

←

Yeah, I really think that was jicama. I didn't taste any of the bitterness of daikon in it. Perhaps mascarpone will weigh in later with his opinion.

[Pan]

This shop is both a jewelry store and a sandwich place.

←

Maybe one day you'll find a pearl in your sandwich, who knows...

More seriously, really enjoying this blog...

←

I'm sure there would be panic in the shop if jewelry got into the sandwiches...what a funny image!

For those of you who don't know, zeitoun has been making himself a great source of information about inexpensive "ethnic" eateries in Astoria (part of Queens, New York) and so forth. So we two are kind of kindred spirits.

[mizducky]

Oy. You Americans.  I feel like I should know this... but don't.  What's an onion board?

←

Onion board is basically a sort of cracker-like (but much bigger and significantly thicker than cracker-sized) crunchy bread with lots of bits of onions baked onto it. Very nice stuff!

←

Onion board is also known as "pletzel" in Yiddish. The ones I fondly remember from my childhood weren't so much cracker-like as kinda like someone took a bunch of bialy dough and made a large, skinny, squarish foccacia-like thang with it. A little flaky, a little chewy, baked golden-brown, generously flecked with browned bits of onion. Insanely good with standard bagel-fixings.

Edited to add: here is a picture of an onion board--this one's a little bit fatter than the ones I remember from when I was a kid.

Edited *again* to add: Oh wait! Now here is a picture of an onion board that looks a whole lot more like my childhood memories.

(Yes, I'm obsessed--why do you ask? )

Edited July 14, 2005 by mizducky (log)

[Pan]

Before I forget: Joyeux 14 juillet for those of you who are celebrating! I'm doing nothing for the holiday today, but I do have a great memory of the fantastic fireworks show in the Place de Chaillot in 1992. I was sitting in the Champs de Mars watching the French Air Force fighter planes fly overheard in formation and hearing excellent music that was synchronized with a bunch of lovely combinations of flower fireworks. And then there was that river of fire effect from fireworks dropped from near the museum toward the Place de Chaillot below.

OK, end of flashback, and back to New York, year 2005.

[Pan]

Oy. You Americans.  I feel like I should know this... but don't.  What's an onion board?

←

Onion board is basically a sort of cracker-like (but much bigger and significantly thicker than cracker-sized) crunchy bread with lots of bits of onions baked onto it. Very nice stuff!

←

Onion board is also known as "pletzel" in Yiddish. The ones I fondly remember from my childhood weren't so much cracker-like as kinda like someone took a bunch of bialy dough and made a large, skinny, squarish foccacia-like thang with it. A little flaky, a little chewy, baked golden-brown, generously flecked with browned bits of onion. Insanely good with standard bagel-fixings.

Edited to add: here is a picture of an onion board--this one's a little bit fatter than the ones I remember from when I was a kid.

←

Hmm...that's different from what I was thinking of, but I know this, too, and like it very much. I may be describing something that should be called by another name.

[mizducky]

Edited to add: here is a picture of an onion board--this one's a little bit fatter than the ones I remember from when I was a kid.

←

Hmm...that's different from what I was thinking of, but I know this, too, and like it very much. I may be describing something that should be called by another name.

←

Heh. Check my previous post--I found another picture that looked closer to my childhood memories of a foccacia-sized bialy-thang. Here it is again ...

[Pan]

Edited to add: here is a picture of an onion board--this one's a little bit fatter than the ones I remember from when I was a kid.

←

Hmm...that's different from what I was thinking of, but I know this, too, and like it very much. I may be describing something that should be called by another name.

←

Heh. Check my previous post--I found another picture that looked closer to my childhood memories of a foccacia-sized bialy-thang. Here it is again ...

←

Yeah. Looks good, too.

So what's the crunchy onion bread I'm trying to describe called? Anyone know?

[zeitoun]

For those of you who don't know, zeitoun has been making himself a great source of information about inexpensive "ethnic" eateries in Astoria (part of Queens, New York) and so forth. So we two are kind of kindred spirits.

←

C'mon!! I'm a rookie compared to you!!!!

[cakewalk]

Edited to add: here is a picture of an onion board--this one's a little bit fatter than the ones I remember from when I was a kid.

←

Hmm...that's different from what I was thinking of, but I know this, too, and like it very much. I may be describing something that should be called by another name.

←

Heh. Check my previous post--I found another picture that looked closer to my childhood memories of a foccacia-sized bialy-thang. Here it is again ...

←

Yes, except I don't remember them being round. They were made in huge rectangular pans, and they cut off as much as you wanted. They were sold by weight. (Or maybe I'm imagining this? Does anyone else remember buying them in this form?) Well, whatever shape they were or are, they're darn good. The more onion the better, of course.