Yesterday evening, at the suggestion of some savvy Chowhounds, a friend and I rode the 7 train to the end of the line, Flushing-Main Street, the real NYC Chinatown. There is nothing like playing tourist in your own city! Flushing is a world apart from Manhattan. Beijing opera music blares from streetside speakers, and open air markets are replete with vats of fresh tofu, curious vegetables, and for the more adventuresome, live frogs and turtles.
I had visited Flushing once before to seek out authentic northern Chinese dumplings at a fantastic little restaurant called Best Northern Dumpling Shop, another Chowhound recommendation. But given the recent below-freezing temperatures in the NYC area, I had been craving the warming spiciness of Sichuan cuisine. And boy if we didn’t ever find it!
Our destination was Chengdu Tianfu, or loosely translated, Chengdu Heaven. As the Chowhound post promised, it was little more than a hole in the wall. Since it was New Year’s day, the main cook wasn’t there, and the menu was somewhat limited. But what flavors awaited!
We ordered:
Authentic Sichuan cuisine is a revelation. Contrary to popular belief, the food isn’t always overwhelmingly spicy. While all of the dishes were excellent, one of the favorites yesterday was the rabbit, which was served cold and featured diced rabbit (bones included) and peanuts (an unexpected surprise). The dish featured a strong “málà” (痲辣, or numbing-spicy) flavor: there was both a lovely, back-of-your throat spiciness and a tongue-and-lip tingling numbness, each in perfect balance, and neither too intense (at least to my taste). Perfect with the cold beers we were drinking.
The numbing part of the málà flavor comes from sichuan peppercorns (花椒, or huājiāo). The flavor itself is delicate, and the numbing effect is unexpected and a lot of fun, especially paired with chili peppers.
I’m inspired to head out to an Asian grocery this weekend to pick up some peppercorns and make some 麻婆豆腐 (Mápó dòufu, or Mapo Tofu), a rightfully famous Sichuan tofu dish. If I had been thinking about it, I would have picked some up in Flushing!
Clacked by Molly B.
on Jan 02, 2009 @ 19:47 EST5EDT
