The glutinous wrapper of this dumpling ($1) was dyed green, perhaps by mugwort, and the filling might have been shredded daikon, though it had been sweetened beyond easy recognition. A set of nearly identical green dumplings from the same table, filled with sticky rice, each sported a red dot; the dumpling shown here in biteaway view was unmarked. Both types of dumplings may belong to a broad category of Hakka snacks called aiban. Can any Eating In Translation reader tell us more?
Also shown: a skinny peanut-studded zongzi ($1).
Yummy Yummy Bakery
35 East Broadway (Catherine-Market Sts.), Manhattan
212-925 1368
I think you're right about the coloring, since 'ai' refers to mugwort (or a similar green) - in Mandarin it's called ai cao (cao is grass) and the snacks are called cha guo. As for the filling, the sweet variety definitely uses daikon and could also include sesame and peanuts, while a savory one could have minced pork and dried shrimp.
Posted by: eddy | June 23, 2012 at 12:50 PM
Mugwort and aiban make sense together, but each is an educated guess. The vendor's wares were unlabeled, and she understood neither English nor Mandarin, at least not my Mandarin.
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