The Gaijin Guide: Chinese Desserts

Chinese Desserts/Candies

? *Picture not found*	Betel Palm Fruit Candy - Chinese (I think?) The fruit of the Areca palm - brownish, dried fruit slivers with a candied/chemical taste. Would I try again? Nah - a forgettable munchie. Where I found it: Evergrand Trading
	Bing Tang Hu Lu - Chinese I had been wanting to try them for quite some time. They look sort of like mini candied apples (hawthorne apples, actually) - five or so candied fruits on a skewer, $2.00 a stick. I've read that they are a standard street food in China, and come in several variations (ie: with skewered chocolate, sprinkled coatings, etc.) Sadly, they looked much better than they tasted. The candy was hard with a basic-candy-store taste, and the fruit was very bland, with seeds in them. So, it went like this: chew, chew...spit. Chew, chew, chew...spit again. Not so fun - and I thought I'd learned my lesson with tamarind candy! Would I try again? Nope. Where I found it: Outside the Broadway mall in Chinatown
	Bird's Nest - Chinese Usually found as bird's nest soup. Bird's nest is well, the saliva of swiftlets, a tiny bird found throughout southeast asia. Instead of using twigs, swiftlets make their nests out of salivary secretions, which harden upon contact with the air. The nests get cleaned, and processed down as soup. I haven't had the soup version yet (it's rather expensive), but I have had desserts that include bird's nest as an ingredient. The stuff is somewhat rubbery, but it wasn't unpalatable. Hardly noticable, really. Would I try again? Can't wait to find a soup! Where I found it: In dessert form, it's at Healthy Desserts on Centre Street.
? *Picture not found*	Butterfly Pastry/Cookie - Chinese I've seen this cookie at one or two Chinese bakeries so far - I think it's a staple. It's shaped like a pretzel or butterfly (ie: formed into a loop de loop.) I've only tried one so far. It was okay, but flaky, and a bit dry. Could be due to the bakery I bought it from, so further experimentation is warranted. Would I try again? From a different bakery... Where I found it: Golden Carriage Bakery, on Centre Street - but I've seen it elsewhere, too...
	Chan Pui Mui (Preserved Plum) - Chinese What can I say? It's a plum. It's preserved. It was somewhat tart--a nice taste - short and sweet. Would I try again? Sure. Where I found it: My local Bronx deli.
? *Picture not found*	Chinese Cake (Also called Hong Kong Cake, Gei Dan Jei) - Chinese/Hong Kong A kind of honey-comb waffle cake, available on the streets of China town. Slightly brown and crispy on the outside, warm bakery bread on the inside. Not much different from a Belgian waffle without the syrup. Would I try again? Sure, but I'm in no rush. Where I found it: Everywhere on the street!
	Dragon Beard Candy - Chinese A candy treat that takes years to learn to make - thousands of delicate, thread-thin strands of sugar and maltose, wrapped around a filling of grated coconut, peanut and sesame seeds. The sugar outside is sweet, although not intensely so, and is of course susceptible to heat. In the summer, the strands tend to melt into a solid coating. The filling is nice, and very powdery. Would I try again? No, it didn't really rock my world, although they were nice. Where I found it: The only place in NYC I've ever found it: Deluxe Food Market, although you have to catch them at the right time. It's often sold out or not ready. It's also available via mailorder at Yuzumara.com.
	Duck Egg Pastry (Preserved) - Chinese Also called pidan. It's a flaky pastry, wrapped around a salt preserved egg (not to be confused with a 1000 year old egg, which is preserved in lime/soil) The yolk is thick, an olive-yellow--and the yolk turns blackish brown. Not my favorite, even before I found out what it was. Honestly, the white has a thick, overly sweet mouth-feel. And the yolk is chewy, like dry licerace (but has no discernable taste.). Would I try again? Not intentionally. Where to find it? Deluxe Food Market Phil says: What's wrong with an old, unfertilized bird embryo? Oh God, where do I begin....
	Egg Custard Tart (Daan Tart) - Chinese/Hong Kong Made of egg, flour, sugar and milk, these little custards are a staple of dim sum halls and Chinese bakeries. Not too sweet, but a nice starter dessert for people less accustomed to exotic Chinese sweets. Would I try again? It's nice, but no hurry. Where I found it: Any good Chinese bakery
? *Picture not found*	Ginger Milk Curd - Chinese A mildly sweet dessert, made from milk - chemically (yet naturally) congealed with ginger juice. The result is nice, with a subtle sweet/ginger flavor - approximately the consistency of thin porridge. Would I try again? Well, I've forsworn milk. But in general, the dessert is nice enough to repeat. Not amazing, but definitely okay. Where I found it: XO Kitchen
	Glutinous Rice Balls - Chinese My absolute favorite Chinese/Asian bakery treat! Also called daifuku in Japan. Steamed, or boiled (I'm not sure which), these balls are made of glutinous flour and filled with sweetened "an" (adzuki beans). They're available for $.60 ea. all over Chinatown, a great bargain. They're about the size and weight of (well, um, testicles), and usually covered with coconut shreddings. The steamed flour has a marvelous chewy texture, and the filling is sweet and delish. Gotta have 'em, gotta try them! 4 stars! Would I try again? What do you think? Where I found it: They're everywhere. Offhand, I've seen them at Maria's Bakery on Mott, and at Dragonland on Walker/Baxter. Phil says: "Marvelous chewy texture? It was as if someone slipped a pound of raw clams in my mouth."
? *Picture not found*	Glutinous Rice Cake - Chinese Translucent white slab of steamed glutinous flour, sweetened with just the right amount of sugar. Not much to say other than try it. (It's like a glutinous rice ball, without the 'an' filling...) 3.5 stars. Would I try again? Oh yes. Where I found it: HW Cafe Bakery
	Glutinous Rice Cake with Black Sesame - Chinese Not 100% sure of the ingredients, but it seems like a regular glutinous rice cake, but black (from the black sesame.) Very, very good. I've only found it in one place in Chinatown (see the links page for details.) But it's very much worth the taste teste...3.5 stars. Would I try again? Yum, yes. Where I found it: Golden Fung Wong Bakery
	Haw Flakes - Chinese These things are really good! Also called "Firecracker Candy" due to how they're packaged, I only bought them because they looked different. Well, they're also quite tasty. The only ingredients are haw berries (no, not pork, as some urban myths say) and sugar. Like little red communion wafers. Delish, and cheap! 3.9 stars! Would I try again? Yes (this and tamarind candy are two are my surprised-I-like-them finds. Would I found it: Evergrand Trading
	Honeydew Sago - Chinese/Hong Kong (and also Singapore) A popular dessert made from coconut pudding ringed with balls of green honeydew melon - and bathed in coconut/condensed milk broth, studded with black tapioca pearls. (Commonly topped with ice cream, although I demurred for that ingredient.) Would I try again? Yes. This was quite nice - and yet not too filling. Sometimes, that's the perfect combination. Besides, they molded the pudding into an adorable little heart shape. It was just so cuuuuutte! Where I found it: XO Kitchen
? *Picture not found*	Lotus Seed Pastry - Chinese Light flaky pastry, filled with lotus seed paste. I actually found the taste of lotus seed slightly dull and muddy. Would I try again? No - if I were in a light flaky pastry mood, I'd opt for Winter Melon instead. Where I found it: Deluxe Food Market
	Mango Pudding - Chinese Self explanatory. Imagine Jello pudding, but airier, and with a mango flavor. Not bad for summertime. It was hard to find - I got mine at Dragonland Bakery, on 131 Walker Street. Would I try again? On a hot day. Where I found it: Dragon Land Bakery, on the corner of Walker and Baxter.
	Moon Cake - Chinese Moon Cakes have historical significance for the Chinese. They're made of egg yolk, with a bean paste filling and feature heavily in the August Moon Festival. You'll find them in every bakery in Chinatown. This may be heresy, but I found them mundane and a trifle heavy. You should still try one, you may disagree. Would I try again? No. Where I found it: Golden Fung Wong Bakery
? *Picture not found*	Pork and Nut Cookie - Chinese It's a cookie. It has pork and nuts in it. It has a slightly funky taste, although not too unpleasant. I can't think of what to compare it to. It looked better than it tasted, but I finished it. Would I try again? No. Um...no. Where I found it: Deluxe Food Market
	Red Bean Pie - Chinese Alot like the moon cake (see above), although I liked it more for some reason. It's okay. Would I try again? If I were in the mood. Where I found it: Deluxe Food Market
? *Picture not found*	Sa Qui Ma Cake - Chinese Couldn't find a picture of this anywhere - but it's something like a Rice Crispy Treat, although with a sweeter, Chinese twist. They have something like dates and nuts mixed in. And they're very chewy, tasty and soft. You should try them! Would I try again? Yes. Where I found it: Deluxe Food Mart.
	Sesame Rice Balls (Jin Dui) - Chinese Deep fried glutinous rice flour, browned and covered in sesame seeds. Available all over Chinatown, and familiar even to many who don't frequent bakeries. Because I love regular glutinous rice balls, I was really looking forward to trying these. But the deep fried greasiness took away from the experience. (9/17/04 - Just had a second of these, and it was definitely better than the first...so I have to temper my previous opinion. These are good, but still oily!) Would I try again? Yes, but I like the non-fried ones better. Where I found it: Golden Fung Wong Bakery
	Snow Frog Jelly (Hasma) - Chinese Here's where it gets weird and exotic. If you're squeamish, stop reading now! It's part of a traditional Chinese sweet dessert soup (tong sui). The soup can be served hot or cold, and has transluscent white gelatinous blobs floating herein. Those blobs are the "secretions from the glands of the snow frog." Specifically, frog fallopian tubes. It's actually pretty sweet and filling, and the blobs are light and almost immaterial on the tongue. The hostess where I ordered it was extremely surprised that I knew about it, and wanted it. (She told me it was good for the complexion.) Not bad - if you have the guts, order it at a restaurant, and freak out your friends today! Would I try again? Yes, it was actually very pleasant. Where I found it: Sweet N Tart What Phil says: You hafta wonder what's worse: The people who eat frog goo, or the people who harvest it. It would explain why Kermit always seems so happy.
	Tang Yuan Little dessert rice-cake balls, filled with sweet peanut or sesame paste. Known in Singapore as Ah Boling, these babies can be served in sweet tong sui soup, or plain (sometimes rolled in a coating of crushed peanut.) Would I try again? Yep - these are great! Soft, sweet and melt in your mouth. And they're even cheap, running only a couple o' bucks a serving. Where I found it: XO Kitchen. They're also available in do-it-yourself version, over at Dynasty Supermarket.
? *Picture not found*	Winter Melon Pastry - Chinese A thin, flaky pastry with a winter melon fruit filling. Surprisingly light and refreshing. Yum. Would I try again? Yes, on the right day. 3.1 stars. Where I found it: Deluxe Food Market