Cool Cucumbers: Pai Huanggua Now Trendy in NYC

Cool Cucumbers: Pai Huanggua Now Trendy in NYC
Aug 27, 2015 By eChinacities.com

Chinese staple pai huanggua or smashed cucumber salad is now a trendy dish in New York City, according to a recent article in The New York Times.

Smashed cucumbers are able to better absorb seasoning than sliced cucumbers. The article notes that the rough surfaces of the smashed cucumbers soak up flavors almost instantly.

“It's cool how just changing the way you break down an ingredient completely changes the way it feels and tastes,” Chef Danny Bowien of NYC's Mission Chinese Food told the Times.

Chinese restaurants in New York such as Xi'an Famous Foods have served the dish for decades, but smashed cucumbers have begun popping up in unexpected places. Chef Bowien also owns a Mexican restaurant, Mission Cantina, where the cucumbers are served with lime, cumin, and oregano sesame paste. The dish is also found in different variations at Untitled at the Whitney, and Ippudo ramen restaurants.

Source: inews.qq.com

Warning:The use of any news and articles published on eChinacities.com without written permission from eChinacities.com constitutes copyright infringement, and legal action can be taken.

Keywords: smashed cucumbers Mission Chinese Food pai huanggua

3 Comments

All comments are subject to moderation by eChinacities.com staff. Because we wish to encourage healthy and productive dialogue we ask that all comments remain polite, free of profanity or name calling, and relevant to the original post and subsequent discussion. Comments will not be deleted because of the viewpoints they express, only if the mode of expression itself is inappropriate.

coineineagh

Is it a trademark Chinese cooking style? Is it really characteristic enough to be called a style? I believe the inventor shouted, at his eureka moment: "darn, i sat on a cucumber. oh well, waste not want not." - in Chinese of course. he later went on to crush bananas, tomatoes and birthday gifts. the chairs in his house were stinky. 5000 years of history later, the smashing technique was 'refined' with prehistoric wooden clubs.

Aug 28, 2015 06:18 Report Abuse

Quinn68

This is one of approximately three Chinese dishes that I actually like. I'll make it myself when I move back to NY.

Aug 27, 2015 20:25 Report Abuse

rasklnik

CHina town has Chinese Food...this is news?

Aug 27, 2015 19:08 Report Abuse