dragon beard candy 龍鬚糖 cuz i like my candy wispy

i love awkward translations of things. especially the asian ones into english...or how about this one?! not asian, but still awkward, right??

it's a real disservice to the original language because the wording probably sounded pretty rad before its massacre into english (literally). take this 龍鬚糖 (lóng​ xū​ táng) or dragon beard/whisker candy. in chinese, the wording connotes images of strong, majestic dragons with long flowy beards....in candy form. so purty, so delicate. but in english, you just think, wtf?? candy whiskers?! candy beards?! what is this edible hair follicle that you speak of? can it even be tasty?

when i saw edythe's tweet about dragon whiskers/ beard candy at the hawaii supermarket in the sgv, i got so excited that i almost peed in my pants. my last taste of this unique chinese candy was about 20+ years ago and never once did i run across it again till now.

not only is this a tasty concoction, it is also steeped in ancient chinese traditions, a confection served only to the chinese emperor and his court back in the days. the fine hair-like strands are created by constant pulling, stretching, folding of a sugary "dough" made of maltose, sugar, corn syrup, or in this case, honey. i liken it to savory hand pulled noodles, but of course this is a more delicate, sweet version. normally, the strands harden after a day, but the addition of honey keeps this candy soft.

alex goh practiced the art of dragon beard/whiskers candy making for over 20+ years. he might even look familiar to you if went to that night market fiasco in pasadena not too long ago.

stretching.

twisting.

pulling.

the strands double up in minutes.

a sweet beard indeed.

then he pulled off sections of the dragon beard and filled each piece with loose chopped peanuts, sesame seeds, and/or toasted coconut.

he carefully folds the "beard" over its peanut innards.

a sweet, silky looking cocoon is the result of all that labor!

for $5, you get a box of 8. although they are on the "smaller" side and not as sweet as i remembered, i do appreciate rediscovering them again. it is just a unique candy with an interesting history and totally worth a try especially due to its rarity. if you want your fix of some sweet hair follicles, alex is at the hawaii supermarket in san gabriel during the weekends. thanks again edythe for the lead!

Alex Goh
Dragon Whiskers Candy
(919) 597-9325

Hawaii Supermarket
120 E. Valley Blvd.
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 307-0062

price: $
verdict: tasty, try it!

drooling for fish curry at bhanu

i drool for many things. chocolate, diamonds, leather bags... and this coconut fish curry ($9.99) dish at bhanu indian grocery & cuisine in san gabriel. yes, indian food in SAN GABRIEL, the mecca of east asian eating...i kid you not. imagine these tender pieces of fish swimming in a thick curry sauce spooned over some rice. such a delicious, hearty bite and a must order when you're there. do it, i promise you that there will be some kind of party, somewhere in your mouth when you taste it.

the garlic naan ($2.50) was also a great way to sop up the fish curry. it was just garlicky enough to fend off the nearest vampire or bad date.

the papadam ($2.25) was an airier version of a thin, crispy cracker. two dipping sauces were provided for our nibbling pleasure.

the aloo bangan ($6.99) was a win with the tender eggplant and potatoes. great balanced flavors and another favorite dish at our table.

the tandoori chicken ($11.99) was exceptionally juicy and flavorful. the chicken was well seasoned and a must order when you're there. the steam rising from the chicken was absolutely mesmerizing...and this picture kinda makes me drooly again. *wipe*

the vegetable biryani ($8.99) was deliciously flavorful and a great accompaniment to the curry and chicken. i definitely think in this context, vegetable biryani > plain white rice.

the aloo mutter ($6.99) was less interesting than its dishmates, but still quite tasty. in general, it was on the mushier side and may not appeal to those with teeth. just sayin'.

bhanu indian grocery and cuisine is a great, chillaxing place with just the right amount of flavors to make your tastebuds skip a beat. if you are in the area and crave sustenance not found in a bowl of noodles or dumplings, then i suggest you drop by bhanu for a tasty treat.

Bhanu Indian Grocery and Cuisine
7246 Rosemead Blvd.
San Gabriel, CA 91775
(626) 291-2101
http://www.mybhanu.com

price: $$
verdict: tasty, try it!

yun nan 168 makes my tongue sweat

sometimes i like walking around with a sign hung around my neck announcing that i'm "the roaming belly, a glutton for punishment." i mean really, who freakin' suffers 113 degree freaky l.a. heat during the second to last week of september and then turns around to eat a spicy, sweat induced meal at night? me, that's who. me. hi, my name is the roaming belly and i am a glutton for punishment.

not wanting to be a debbie downer when my second family suggested yunnan cuisine for dinner, but after hearing how spicy it can get, i must admit, i got a little nervous. in fact, as we pulled into yun nan 168's parking lot, i got a whole lotta nervous because i was worried i'd be dead by the end of the meal.

but the gustatory sight that awaited me placated my fears. even if i couldn't eat anything on the menu, i can at least sample all of these chili oil lacquered cold dishes. man i love this stuff!

we first started off with a cold plate combo (three items for $4.20) of pig's ear, beef tendon, and blanched potato sticks.

the cold plates were so good that we went back and got another plate, this time with tofu strings, sliced chicken livers, and marinated cucumbers. I LOVE THIS STUFF! i loved the subtle heat from the chili oil and all these components were straight up prepared dang well here...the best prepared cold dishes i've tasted by far.

then the parade of spicy food came to town. first up was their stir fried lamb ($9.95) which was supple and silky, an after effect of bathing in cornstarch first which is a trick used often in a chinese kitchen. the flavors were spicy as expected but definitely delicious. as i ate, i carefully collected all the ginger, garlic, and peppers on my plate to avoid a spicy death.

the noodles in chicken broth ($5.25) offered a nice reprieve from the heat. cool and soothing to the tongue, this broth became the safe cellar that i ran back to after the unrelentless tornado of of spices on my tongue.

the twice cooked cured pork in brown sauce ($9.95) was another hit at my table. though not as spicy, the heat was still present...fear not.

the bamboo fungus chicken hot pot soup ($16.95) reminded me of my childhood when i was forced to drink medicinal soups to correct my "inner heat." if not for these traumatic experiences, i would have appreciated the floral notes that infused this soup.

and finally, the graveyard of spices. do take particular note of the black peppercorn looking thing on the right. actually, it is the prickly ash pepper and if you bite into one, you will immediately feel a numbing effect on your tongue. it also releases licorice notes as it numbs your tongue. strangely addicting i must say.

so overall, i am happy to report that yunnan cuisine did not kill me. in fact, the barrage of spiciness that i expected was actually more like numbing heart burn on my tongue. although i had to get use to the oiliness of the dishes due to their generous use of chili oil, i was 100% happy with my meal. in fact, i'll be coming back real soon, yah hear?

Yun Nan 168
1530 S. San Gabriel Blvd.
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 280-7688

price: $$
verdict: omg, i love it!

phoenix food boutique or ice cube down pants?

during the dog days of summer, it can get so hot that your innards will boil, your skin can fry to a crisp like chicharrones, and your b.o. quadruples in potency due to the heat. if you're a lucky a.c. owning bastard, you can blast that square box of godsend till your brain freezes to avoid this so cal heat...unless you're pathetic like me and all you have is an old school fan that goes click, click, click when it turns. perhaps at some point in this heated desperation, you consider dropping a few ice cubes down your pants to cool down, though if you're a boy, i don't suggest this. i hear your shlong can freeze off...or worse yet, the ice cube will stick to your snake like ralphie's tongue to the flagpole in a christmas story. there's gotta be better ways to cool off than this. oh man, but there is.....

they have a.c. ahhhh...and sweets.....and a.c......and a.c......and a.c.....(click, click, click goes my fan as i type).

and those icy, icy, sweets...mmm...no more ice cubes in me chonies yay! the best item by far for my panting tongue and b.o. emmitting body is the phoenix mango shaved ice ($5.95). holy moly what isn't there to love about a pile of soft fluffy snow, little tapioca balls, sweet mango cubes, and a cold lava flow of mango puree. i'm getting HOT just thinking about something so COLD.

and while you're there, might i suggest that you pick up a few more items especially for your bikini ready body? like these luscious mango mochi balls ($2.95).

soft, yellow-tinted mochi dusted with coconut shavings envelops a large piece of mango. the mango mochi is slightly chilled which feels refreshing to hot sunburned lips BUT this dessert is quite the crap shoot though. sometimes, you get a really sweet mango piece and the bite is HEAVENLY, but sometimes you get a sour OR bland mango piece and you find you're just biting on mediocre mochi. you be the judge.

i also like to pick up a box of their pecan tartlets housed in sushi boxes. i LOVE pecans and the phoenix boutique versions are the perfect balance of sweetness to me since i'm not a fan of overly sweet pecan pies. might i add that these are some lovely bites. too bad the overuse of butter will make you regret this purchase but c'est la vie fatties.

phoenix food boutique also serves savory foods and snacks. on another occasion, whilst waiting for dinner to happen like...4 hours later, we ordered a plate of the spicy squid. acceptable, but the "whiteness" of the batter was so dang odd to me. albino batter? could it be?! perhaps i am just use to old oil and burnt fried foods :0. it was ok. i definitely don't come here for their savory items.

so when it gets so hot again that i actually contemplate dropping a few ice cubes down my pants, you know there's a 50/50 percent chance that i'll be at the phoenix food boutique heifing down some of that mango shaved ice OR at the gas station buying a large bag of ice cubes.

**the alhambra location has super rude servers. i avoid that place like pubic lice. consider yourself warned.**

Phoenix Food Boutique
712 W. Las Tunas Drive
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 289-9888

price: $
verdict: tasty, try it!

mochi + pizza = mochizza @ strawberry cones

mochi is so versatile! you can make boobs out of them (reference to a previous post), eat them with all kinds of fillings inside, celebrate the new year with them, pile a few powdery bites on your froyo, or put them on pizza. PIZZA?! yes. pizza. enter strawberry cones in san gabriel, a japanese pizza shop that specializes in japanese style pizza now available for your consumption in our very own sgv.

when i was told about this place, i was puzzled but intrigued. mochi + pizza? as if pizza wasn't fattening enough on its own, now you have glutinous rice cakes on it to really kill you. anyways, i wasn't deterred by the not so healthy aspects of this mochizza so a few friends and i went there last night for dinner. the menu is rather extensive (click on the pic to get a better look at the offerings and the pricing). they also offer a few competitively priced combo meals if you're totally over the golden arches but only have a few bucks to spare for a meal.

we started off with their karaage (fried chicken) appetizer ($3.75). the fried chicken had a thick breading to chicken ratio. the ranch dressing that was provided for dipping was light and airy, almost like a whipped ranch dressing which was nice, but overall, i found the whole thing to be a tad oily and not yummy enough for a repeat order.

we also decided to share a small teriyaki mochi chicken pizza ($11). the toppings consisted of chicken, mochi pieces, red onion, nori strips, mozzarella cheese, teriyaki sauce, and MAYO. yes, MAYO. the initial bite was tasty and the mochi chunks provided a fun, chewy texture to the pizza bite. but after the first slice, i decided the overly sweet teriyaki sauce spoiled it's potential. not to mention the oily mayo pools that you found on top. i don't understand the love affair japanese folks have with mayo...it's everywhere!

the box.

the teriyaki chicken mochizza.

here's a close up of a piece of mochi in the pizza.

we also ordered a half and half pizza with avocado and salmon on one half and margherita on the other half. this is where some spicy tomato sauce would have been nice because the margherita side tasted bland. there's not much of a flavor profile when it's just a wedge of tomato and basil leaf on cheese. i could have skipped this combo pizza entirely.

we ended the meal with one of their desserts, the california walnut and raisin pizza ($9.80), which is made with chikutan dough (bamboo charcoal mixed in the rice flour pizza dough). the crust looked a little off putting because it had a gray/blackish color to it which if you cook enough in general would instinctively make you wonder if it's burnt. i found my first bite to be tasty, but subsequent bites revealed a rather dry and overly sweet dessert pizza. i was done.

another look at the blackened chikutan crust.

i appreciated the complimentary green tea and coffee you got there, but no matter how much green tea i drank, i could not wash away the heavy and greasy mochizza ball i had in my belly. the hook of having mochi on the pizza brought me in, but the toppings and taste in general failed. i WOULD NOT come back again and that's my story and i'm sticking to it like mochi to teeth.

Strawberry Cones
227 W Valley Blvd #118-B
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 293-1852
http://www.strawberrycones.com/

price: $$
verdict: not worth my time