The thing that really whet my appetite about dim sum when I first tried it was an umistakable sense of being immersed in a neverending cavalcade of cart-borne deliciousness. Alas, as with all passions, this newfound chowlust abated.
That's not to say that I didn't still have my favorites after the honeymoon was over. I like har gao, with their crystalline wrappers bursting with shrimp, as much as the next guy. And I always try to save room for some creamy dou fu fa, spiked with a liberal splash of sorghum syrup to sweeten the nutty, fresh hot tofu. I'm also always on the lookout for such special dishes as fried whole shrimp showered in slivers of garlic and jalapenos. But for what seems like forever I haven't snatched up anything really new with my chopsticks.
Until last week. My longtime yum cha buddy and I were three-quarters through a meal at Manhattan's Jing Fong when a cart rolled by bearing the above delight. At first glance we were sure that this dainty pear-shaped trio must be some type of dessert. I can't say whether we thought this because we were nearly stuffed or because they were fruit-shaped.
As you've no doubt guessed by now, there was nothing fruity about these pears. Encased within the golden crust was a savory mixture of chopped porky goodness. Oh, about those stems, they're stems all right – cilantro stems.
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