I was in Chinatown with my son and nephew the other day, on a search for that standout of the Chinese pastry world, the sesame donut.
Chinese pastry being somewhat of an acquired taste, I’ll wager many of you have never sampled this particular delicacy—although “delicacy” might not be the best word, since it is almost as densely packed with calories as the average neutron star is loaded with, well, neutrons.
Here’s a photo:
You will notice that although it is called “donut,” the shape actually has more in common with the donut hole. Think of it as a jelly doughnut without jelly, made of sweetened glutinous rice flour, a sticky pully substance that is somewhat gelatinous and yet resistant to the teeth. Inside is a nice dollop of sweetened bean paste, and the whole goopy mess (I say that with affection) is fried in oil till it absorbs enough to be oozing with the stuff.
Sounds bad, I know. But it can be highly habit-forming, something like writing about Obama. And since none of us had eaten any in several years (on reflection, perhaps that’s a good thing) we thought it was high time we indulged our collective craving.
We parked on a street that featured three Chinese bakeries. But although each was loaded with doughy buns and cookies, egg custard tarts and even various Western desserts, no sesame donuts could be found.
We walked up and down the streets, passing apothecaries crammed with jars containing myriad dried and powdered unknowns, meat stores with hanging pressed ducks dyed red, stores with silk sheath dresses and robes of bright hues, even Chinese girly magazines and video stores and cookware and of course the ubiquitous restaurants. Every time we passed a bakery we stopped, but nowhere were the sesame donuts of which we dreamed and for which we salivated.
We began to wonder whether they had gone out of style. Or perhaps something more tragic was at work, and the market for them had folded because their prodigious greasiness had killed off most of their aficionados.
But thanks to the remarkable tenacity of the young folk we did not give up, and their patience was rewarded at about the twentieth bakery. The donuts did not disappoint: crisp on the fried outside, with the sesame coating lending a bit of grit to the texture. Softer on the inside, a trifle gluey but not mushy, with the more intense sweetness and darkness of the bean center; the whole thing giving off the pop and ooze of grease on first bite. Well worth it.
[NOTE: I do not recommend attempting this at home, but here’s a recipe for those who like to live dangerously.]
Previously a lifelong Democrat, born in New York and living in New England, surrounded by liberals on all sides, I've found myself slowly but surely
July 24th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Oh, no, thanks, I’ll pass.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:56 am
I am a big fan of yours, Neo, but your culinary inclinations baffle me. Cantaloupe? Feh! They’re OK, for low-calorie filler, but compare a cantaloupe to a ripe peach…
And those strange doughnuts, with a dab of bean paste inside. Bleh!
I remember you said some years back that you’re a big ethnic food fan, as am I. But not Chinese sweets.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:57 am
…even after such a lively and stylish description.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
So, what does this have to do with Obama?
July 24th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Obama? Well, something deep-fried filled with a weird pasty interior and….
July 24th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
So, what does this have to do with Obama?
It is the hope for change that brings you this tasty Chinese treat…
July 24th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Well, I think they look pretty good, actually. Too bad I have to drive around a hundred miles to find a Chinese restaurant worthy of the name.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
I will pass on sesame buns, thank you. Give me pork buns by the dozen.
July 24th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Lemon Chicken is the Chinese shiznit!
July 24th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
I love dim sum! Your approval rating has risen as far as I am concerned. Not by much though.
July 24th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Sesame dough balls are tasty enough, but I prefer a good batch of mung bean hopia.
July 24th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Apparently according to the guys a PopSci these aren’t as unhealthy as I had supposed.
http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2008-07/eat-drink-man-woman-and-cricket
July 24th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
I kept staring expecting to see a claw pop through the crust and an antenna emerge…
July 24th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
I’ve never had one. Gives me something new to search over the weekend. Also, some of them neutron stars.
July 24th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Coconut buns, especially when hot, are also to die for.
July 24th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
If you find yourself in China, a word of advice: stay away from the pork buns. See below.
“Chopped cardboard, softened in an industrial chemical and made tasty with pork flavoring, is a main ingredient in batches of steamed buns sold in a Beijing neighborhood, state television said.
The report, aired late Wednesday on China Central Television, highlights the country’s perennial problems with food safety despite continuing government efforts to improve the situation.
Countless small, often illegally run operations exist across China and make money cutting corners by using inexpensive ingredients or unsavory substitutes. They are almost impossible to regulate.”
Here’s the recipe if you want to whip up a batch:
Squares of cardboard picked from the ground are first soaked to a pulp in a plastic basin of caustic soda — a chemical base commonly used in manufacturing paper and soap — then chopped into tiny morsels with a cleaver. Fatty pork and powdered seasoning are stirred in.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/07/12/health/main3049080.shtml
July 24th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
Yum!
July 24th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
Love them, especially when they’re fresh and warm, funny thing is the only place in Denver I ever eat them is at the Panda Buffet, not exactly gourmet Chinese, but they do have the little sesame balls, for lunch and dinner, and perfect for desert with a plate of fruit, especially….. cantalope!
July 25th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Those little gems are everywhere here in Seattle in the ‘ID’ (international district)…..
September 4th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Great job! I love how easily you convey your information and make it such a quick read!