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Goldthread

In recent years, New York’s Chinese-food scene has evolved with incredible speed and diversity.
Long gone are the days of chop suey and egg foo young. Now, the discerning diner can choose between Yunnan rice noodles and Sichuan dry pot, a stir-fried version of the venerated spicy hotpot.
Food trucks deliver jianbing with toppings adjusted for the American palate, noodle purveyors slow-cook broth to exacting standards and hotpot chains from mainland China are opening outlets in the suburbs.
For Wang Chao, the owner of Hunan Slurp in New York’s trendy East Village, this evolution means room to experiment with regional flavours and dishes.


As with many Chinese restaurants in New York, Hunan Slurp’s genesis begins with homesickness. A new wave of immigrants from mainland China has brought diversity to New York’s Chinese-food scene, with restaurateurs serving dishes from their respective regions to provide a taste of home.
For Wang, that dish is fish noodle soup, one of the stars at Hunan Slurp.
“When we were in elementary school, everyone would line up for this dish,” he says. “You’d buy your own bowl, bring it over and we’d all eat it together on small plastic stools on the side of the road. It’s a dining experience and atmosphere that you can’t really find anymore.”
Somewhat ironically, Hunan Slurp is precisely the opposite of the no-frills dining experience he describes from his childhood.

A bowl of noodles here costs upwards of US$30. The wood panels and subdued lighting invoke the image of a Brooklyn cafe rather than a tent on the roadside.
Wang acknowledges the contradiction but notes that local food in China has undergone a transformation – the stereotype of cheapness no longer applies.
Local governments have been cracking down on street vendors, moving them from the curb into manicured food courts. Popular restaurant chains such as Haidilao and Xiaolongkan use state-of-the-art technology that allows customers to order from kiosks, meaning they don’t even have to interact with human servers.
Few of these developments seem to have reached the American psyche.
‘Addicted to spice’: where to find the best Hunan food in Hong Kong
“I feel like Chinese food is undervalued in the United States,” Wang says. “Most Chinese restaurants only compete on price, and somehow, it’s made Chinese food seem [as if it’s] worth less than Korean or Japanese food.”
Wang sees it as a vicious circle. When restaurants care only about the bottom line, he says, they can never improve their quality. He and his compatriots see it as their mission to change how Americans view Chinese food.
“For us, we feel like all we’ve done is take something that’s already been going on for a long time in China,” he says, “and brought it here to America.”

Nowhere does Wang’s zealous focus on quality show more than in the ingredients, which he often sources himself.
Take his fish noodle soup, a fish fillet doused in a pork bone broth and served with a side of noodles. He insists on using fresh fish because it best replicates the flavour of his childhood, so every morning, he heads to a supermarket in Chinatown to procure the ingredients.
“My motivation to be a chef comes from the dishes my grandma made and the street food I ate when I was younger,” Wang says. “I want my dishes to feel like a memory, the kind of untainted memories you have eating as a kid, when everything was great.”

It doesn’t always work out perfectly. Most of the fish in landlocked Hunan province comes from the Xiang River. The freshwater catch tastes milder than the saltwater fish commonly found in New York. So Wang settled on sea bass and adjusted the recipe.
“Chinese people don’t like to eat meat that’s too gamey or fishy,” he says. To counterbalance the strong flavour of sea bass, Wang adds beer to the meat. “The wheat in the beer makes the dish slightly sweet. The alcohol takes away any unwanted flavours and washes out the taste of blood.”
Although Hunan food is famous within China, outside, it’s not as established as, say, Sichuan cuisine. Wang’s hope is that his restaurant can introduce New Yorkers to the eccentricities of his hometown cuisine.

“Hunanese food is the art of playing with fire,” Wang says. “You have to constantly pay attention to when ingredients are added, how hot the pan is and how large the flame is.”
Hunanese chefs, Wang proclaims, have exacting standards for how to handle the heat. The fish, for example, must be tossed into the oil at peak temperature. “That way it won’t curl and stick to the pan,” he says.
American Chinese chain Panda Express and its ‘authentic’ Chinese food
Hunan Slurp has been open for more than a year now, and its steady flow of customers — comprising both curious New Yorkers and homesick Chinese — suggests Wang is making strides in his mission.
“I have classmates from when I was in graduate school in New York, all American, and when they come here to eat, they’re so surprised,” he says. “Most of them have never actually had real Hunanese food. For them, it’s a totally new experience.”
This article was originally published on Goldthread . Follow Goldthread on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram for more stories about Chinese culture.



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Chinese culture

Chinese food doesn’t have to be cheap, says chef selling US$30 fish noodle soup in New York

The fish noodle soup at Hunan Slurp. Photo: Nathaniel Brown

The lighting at Hunan Slurp is subdued. Photo: Nathaniel Brown

Wang hopes to challenge the long-held stereotype of Chinese food as cheap. Photo: Nathaniel Brown

Wang often picks out the fish himself at a supermarket in Chinatown. Photo: Nathaniel Brown

Wang uses beer to get rid of any fishy taste. Photo: Nathaniel Brown

From Tim Ho Wan to Mott 32, the Hong Kong restaurants taking on the world

--Forbidden Duck--Alvin Leung of Forbidden Duck in Singapore[11OCT19 FEATURES FOOD]CREDIT : Forbidden Duck

--MOTT 32--Steamed Egg with Fresh Abalone and Iberico Pork at Mott 32 in Los Vegas, United States. [11OCT19 FEATURES FOOD]CREDIT : MOTT 32

--HUTONG--Yu xiang fried dumplings,, at Hutong on Lexington Avenue in New York, September 2019.[11OCT19 FEATURES FOOD]CREDIT: Hutong

--Tim Ho Wan-- This handout image shows Char Siu Bao (baked barbecue pork-stuff bun) Tim Ho Wan in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, [POST MAGAZINE Figured Out FEATURES]

--Forbidden Duck--Steamed Dumpling with Crab Meat and Pumpkin at Forbidden Duck in Singapore.[11OCT19 FEATURES FOOD]CREDIT : Forbidden Duck

--HUTONG--Calamari flowers turns out to be perfectly cooked squid in Sichuan peppercorn and chilli oil at Hutong on Lexington Avenue in New York, September 2019.[11OCT19 FEATURES FOOD]CREDIT: CHRIS DWYER

--HUTONG--Interior,  Hutong on Lexington Avenue in New York, September 2019.[11OCT19 FEATURES FOOD]CREDIT: Hutong

--HUTONG--Bao & soymilk: a white sesame seed mousse paired perfectly with soymilk ice cream, at Hutong on Lexington Avenue in New York, September 2019.[11OCT19 FEATURES FOOD]CREDIT: Hutong

Steam rice rolls from Tim Ho Wan. credit Sean Halloran

Glutinous rice dumpling from Tim Ho Wan. credit Sean Halloran

This image taken on August 18, 2013 shows a waiter carrying Baked Bun with BBQ Pork at the Dim Sum restaurant Tim Ho Wan in Sham Shui Po, to illustrate story that begs the question, "is it worth the wait?" 18AUG13 (SCMP 05SEP13 48hrs)

This image taken on August 18, 2013 shows customers inside the Dim Sum restaurant Tim Ho Wan in Sham Shui Po, to illustrate story that begs the question, "is it worth the wait?" 18AUG13 (SCMP 05SEP13 48hrs)

--Forbidden Duck--Peking duck at Forbidden Duck in Singapore[11OCT19 FEATURES FOOD]CREDIT : Forbidden Duck

--MOTT 32--Interior at Mott 32 in Los Vegas, United States. [11OCT19 FEATURES FOOD]CREDIT : MOTT 32

--MOTT 32--MT Barbecue Pluma Iberico Pork with Yellow Mountain Honey at Mott 32 in Los Vegas, United States. [11OCT19 FEATURES FOOD]CREDIT : MOTT 32

Peking duck at Hutong restaurant, part of Hong Kong’s Aqua Restaurant Group, on Lexington Avenue, New York, the US. Photo: Hutong

Themed dining experiences on trend in Singapore, where food is the starting point for a cultural journey via music, sensory experiences and hands-on cooking

Barramundi with turmeric, galangal, lemongrass served with torched ginger, coconut, and apple slaw at a Once Upon A Secret Supper event in Singapore. Photo: Elodie Bellegrade

--Brunch Bandits--Handout image shows Ethiopian injera platter in Singapore, organised by Brunch Bandits.[15OCTOBER2019 FEATURES] CREDIT: Brunch Bandits

-Restaurant Zen-Interior, Restaurant Zen, Singapore. [15OCTOBER2019 FEATURES] CREDIT: Instagram / @restaurantzen.sgp

--Le Petit Chef--Handout image shows Le Petit Chef, at the Grand Hyatt Singapore.[15OCTOBER2019 FEATURES] CREDIT: Le Petit Chef,

-- Once Upon A Secret Supper--Handout image shows  Secretos De Mexico. Ode to cacao gods. Mexican chocolate tostada, Mole Poblano ice cream, amaranth candy, cacao nibs, candied orange peel and organic edible flowers.jpg, in Singapore.[15OCTOBER2019 FEATURES] CREDIT: Elodie Bellegrade

-- Once Upon A Secret Supper--Handout image shows Secretos de Mexico dinner, Wild caught parrot fish ceviche with pico de gallo, homemade aioli and bbq corn.jpg, in Singapore.[15OCTOBER2019 FEATURES] CREDIT: Elodie Bellegrade

--Lionel Chee-Lionel Chee, who is also SingaporeÕs ambassador at the World Food Travel Association.[15OCTOBER2019 FEATURES] CREDIT: World Food Travel Association

--Once Upon A Secret Supper--Handout image shows Angie Ma - Founder Once Upon A Secret Supper.[15OCTOBER2019 FEATURES] CREDIT: Brunch Bandits.

-Restaurant Zen-Hot smoked and  BBQ quail, kabu, wasabi, pata negra , Restaurant Zen, Singapore.  [15OCTOBER2019 FEATURES] CREDIT: Instagram / @restaurantzen.sgp

--Brunch Bandits--Handout image shows Tablescape at Pan Africanism - with plantain and jollof rice arancini in profile - with a charmoula dipin Singapore, organised by Brunch Bandits.[15OCTOBER2019 FEATURES] CREDIT: Brunch Bandits.

Singapore is embracing curated dining experiences that combine food, music and decoration from different cultures. A Peranakan dining experience (above) at a mini museum/dining venue in Katong, Singapore.

Lifestyle

Food & Drink


New wave of immigrants from China has brought diversity to food scene, serving dishes that provide a taste of home
Owner of Hunan Slurp feels ‘Chinese food is undervalued in the US’; his dishes show a zealous focus on quality



A new wave of immigrants from China has brought diversity to the food scene, serving dishes that provide a taste of home. The owner of Hunan Slurp feels ‘Chinese food is undervalued in the US’, while his dishes showcase a zealous focus on quality.


Food and Drinks

Lunar: Stories