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Good neighborhood Indian, albeit not in my neighborhood: lamb kali mirch (the last two words are Hindi for "black pepper"), crispy okra, and Nawabi jhinga (cream sauce, masala, curry leaves).
Garam Masala
1819 Palmetto St. (Seneca-Onderdonk Aves.), Ridgewood, Queens
347-799-2071
www.GaramMasalaNY.com
Of course this flavor exists. How have I never come across douce au corosol, Haitian soursop fudge? The shop owner also treated me to a sample of her visually identical douce grenadia, displayed under its own plastic wrap in the tray to the right. She proffered it in a separate bag, too, to sequester the pungent aroma of passion fruit.
The New Ultimate Bakery Shop
1248 Flatbush Ave. (Ditmas-Newkirk Aves.), Flatbush, Brooklyn
718-693-4128
www.Instagram.com/TheUltimateBakeryShop
(This venue is closed.) Makhlama — seasoned ground lamb, scrambled egg, and sautéed onion — what passes for the "all-day breakfast" at what seems to be the only Iraqi restaurant in town. Also shown: the slow-cooked rice dish called qoozi, with more lamb.
Iraqi House Restaurant
7215 Third Ave. (72nd-73rd Sts.), Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
718-833-3338
www.Facebook.com/IraqiHouseRestaurant
Closed Monday
For want of a proper name, I'll call this street food "Chinese taffy." Despite the crushed peanuts, it's not out-and-out sweet (note the bit of green), nor is it fully savory. It is, however, fresh enough to droop under its own weight.
H/T Joe DiStefano, Chopsticks and Marrow
Chinese taffy vendor
This afternoon, on the west side of Main St. between 41st Rd. and Sanford Ave., Flushing, Queens
Huitlacoche (Weet-lah-Coh-chay; often pronounced Qweet- in accord with another common spelling, cuitlacoche) is a fungus that grows inside corn husks. Although unattractive, it's highly regarded among many Mexican cooks for an earthy, tangy, mushroom-like flavor with a hint of raw corn. The plump golden kernels added to this cheesy quesadilla were a nice touch: Corn and huitlacoche each echoed the other.
Day of the Dead at St. Mark's
East yard, St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery, 131 East 10th St. (at Second Ave.), Manhattan
www.ManoAMano.us/en/day-of-the-dead-dia-de-muertos-nyc.html
(The 2019 event was held on October 26-27)
Prettier after: leavings of my lunch special. Below, what I was working with: rice and chicken nuggets, in bulk, and a dunking pond of sweet-and-sour sauce, accompanied by a tub of wonton soup and a Kari-Out bag of fried wonton strips.
Peking Garden
3163 Broadway (La Salle St.-Tiemann Pl.), Manhattan
212-865-3600
(Photo album expanded with eight additional dishes.) At the first sight of dried scallops with squash, you might ask, where are the scallops? The featured ingredient is present throughout, but — after being cooked and dried near the fishery, then rehydrated in the kitchen and torn to bits to release as much flavor as possible — the shellfish muscle meats are near-impossible to recognize. The beige tidbit in the center I teased out just for the photo; most of the scallops were in shreds.
Like salt-cured meats, dried scallops are rich in umami, but the marine saltiness of their home waters is tempered with a sweet undercurrent. When this dish is on the table, you'll need no prompting to eat your vegetables.
For English speakers the menu identifies the second dish shown here as "ginger chicken with sesame oil," but to customers who read Chinese, the characters that signify "three cup chicken" are more evocative. Equal parts sesame oil, rice wine, and soy sauce are cooked down, often in the presence of ginger, garlic, chili peppers, and sugar, until their flavors are absorbed by the chicken; basil is commonly added as a finishing touch. Since the liquids are largely reduced, when served the dish often sizzles. At a minimum, it should glow; so will you.
For more dishes from several meals, see my photo album.
Taiwanese Specialties
84-02 Broadway (at St. James Ave.), Elmhurst, Queens
718-429-4818
www.Facebook.com/Heart.Of.Taiwan
Handing me a sample of her sugar-dusted fritters, the Congo-born chef told me that they were hybrids of New Orleans beignets and East African mandazi. These, hinting at coconut, were her favorite of several flavors. On reflection, I recalled many similar snacks with West African roots; later I also came across the Congolese name mikate (mee-Kah-teh). Nomenclature was not my priority at the time, however, not while the fritters were still warm.
New York African Restaurant Week Festival
MIST Harlem, 46 West 116th St. (Fifth-Lenox Aves.), Manhattan
www.Eventbrite.com/e/african-restaurant-week-festival-2019-come-enjoy-the-best-of-africa-tickets-59536627656
(The 2019 festival was held on October 12)
"Tortas are modest in appearance — they resemble flattish cupcakes with minimal adornment — but they taste like breakfast at grandma's to many homesick Filipinas.
"And tortas are a common bond between Nora Galleros, Jeanette Uy and Khaterine Gadingan — Khaty, to her friends. Nora, Jeanette and Khaty grew up in the Southern Philippines, on theisland of Mindanao, and think back fondly to the food of their home city, Gingoog (Hee-ngo-og).
"In 2004, Jeanette remembers, the 'first stop when I came to New York' was to visit her high school friend Nora, who had arrived in 1990 and was running her own business. Jeanette, who loves baking so much that she 'could forget time' while in the kitchen, brought Nora a little something to accompany her morning kape, or coffee. Tortas, of course." Read more on Culinary Backstreets.
Typically served in tidbits, isi ewu — "goat head," in the Igbo language of Nigeria — conceals its component parts well. Ours was coated in a so-called native sauce, which includes tomato, chile pepper, palm oil, and often crayfish. Possibly the brain was incorporated as a thickener; regardless, the sauce was very rich, as the second photo suggests. After every two or three pieces of goat head, we resorted to a sliver of raw red onion.
Also shown: afang, a stew whose namesake leafy vegetable also answers to the Igbo name ukazi and the English name wild spinach. The final photo exposes chunks of croaker that had been buried beneath.
Eazylife Restaurant & Lounge
1300 East 222nd St. (at Boston Rd.), Eastchester, Bronx
347-603-7644
www.EazylifeRestaurant.com
Thank you!
