Eatin Good In Someone's Neighborhood: An E.Bo Pupuseria & Chinatown Dumpling House

Wow. So, I ate these meals a while ago but they were real good so I posted the photos knowing I would come back and write something magical about them... and here I am.


Depending on where you live, you might have some good local yum yums. I'm talking about those ethnic communities that boast a predominate flavor... a local speciality if you will that your barrio is known for.

If you live in Chinatown, there's a good chance your local cuisine is Chinese, though it could also be Vietnamese, Korean, or Japanese... maybe even Malaysian. In Brookline, you probably have a good kosher deli or two, the North End? Most likely your jam is Italian... and in East Boston, we've got the Pupuseria. We have good Italian too but I don't want to take away from the North End, so we'll claim some pretty awesome Salvadorean and leave it at that.

Anyway, a while ago (like before I started working again) I went for lunch at a local Pupuseria called Mama Blanca's. It's a tiny little place I had driven past a million times when I was taking the "secret bat cave entrance" to the airport just for residents. I always wanted to stop but never did for whatever reason, but finally when a friend called and wanted to get lunch in East Boston one afternoon, it seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Pupusa Mixta

It was such an impressive and budget friendly meal, I found myself there three nights later for dinner and then again several days in a row. The food is simple and uncomplicated, but fresh and prepared with care. The mixed pupusa with beans, cheese and pork is all melty inside and deliciously crisp outside with a lovely little topping of tart, vinegary cabbage and hot sauce. Tacos are super fresh with tender beef, double layer corn tortillas and zippy salsa.

I should also add that this place is run by the nicest bunch of people and it's a friendly neighborhood spot where you can get good, home cooked food for about the same amount it would cost if you cooked it at home. It's worth a trip to East Boston although you'd probably never find it you're not from here.

Amazing Beef Taco (I think it's like $3.00)

The very same week I made my first of several trips to the Gourmet Dumpling House in Chinatown. Same dining companion, same level of love for an awesome and unbelievably affordable meal.

Scallion Pancakes & Sautéed Pork Julienne w/ Bamboo Tips

A Minor Typo or Translation Mishap?

The main reason I wanted to go to the dumpling house was because since coming back from China this winter, I have been a tad obsessed with xiao long bao and have yet to find anywhere that does them well. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the soupy dumplings at Gourmet Dumpling House but I wasn't blown away.

The dumpling dough is a tad thicker than I like it and ironically, the dumplings didn't hold their juice as well as I would have hoped. I really love that scalding burst of rich brothy goodness that a good soupy dumpling injects in your mouth and spills down your chin. These dumplings (they do pork and pork with crab) are very good - but they're not exactly the real thing.

Xiao Long Bao w/ Crab & Pork

All is quickly redeemed however because everything else on the menu is pretty damn awesome. The pork and bamboo tips was bordering on addictive and the Chinese watercress with garlic was nice and crisp and would definitely ward off any vampires for a while. This was also a good meal because I got a call back about a job while I was there that I would later be offered which is the job I have today. The Gourmet Dumpling House is good luck!

Pork & Bamboo Tips & Chinese Watercress & Garlic

None of this will seem very impressive now but in early March when everyday was gray and cold, this beautiful day when the temperature climbed past 65 seemed like a miracle. I had interviewed in Faneuil Hall and decided to walk down to Beach Street in Chinatown and snapped these early signs of spring during my travels. It would snow a good foot two days later and when I left for Amsterdam on the third day, I would arrive to chilly weather and blustery, gray days.

An Outdoor Flower & Produce Stall on Washington

Spring Palette

More

Lunchtime at Downtown Crossing

Nothing But Blue Sky...

Signs of Spring in Chinatown

I did all this great eating while Dana was working in Amsterdam and out of boredom, I had made a chocolate amaretto cheesecake which Maceo decided to help himself to one evening as we lounged around in front of the TV. Before you get all grossed out, I don't share food with my cat... even though Maceo is a truly spectacular specimen and hardly classifies as a cat at all. I made him stop as soon as I took the picture and he doesn't like people food anyway. He merely wants to see what's up with it. He's far too finicky to actually eat it, which is sort of ironic.

Anyway, sorry for the truly delinquent post but Mama Blanca's and GDH are two spots worth checking out my any estimation. They represent something that's far too hard to find these days... really great food at really affordable prices, served by really nice people.

Shanghai Surprise! Or the case of the dumpling disaster...

So, being unemployed has given me a whole new appreciation for the culinary arts. I love to cook. I love kitchen gadgetry and the smell of slow roasting meats. But I hate coming home from work at 8PM and having to make dinner. It made me forget how much I liked cooking. Shame on you. Bad job.

Being a lady of leisure has allowed me to spend time preparing food at a pace that suits me. Really slowly. I've been experimenting with the slow cooker, I made a mean Indian meal the other night, but I may have been a little ambitious when I decided to make Shanghai dumplings from scratch for Chinese New Year.

Since coming back from China in December all I really wanna eat is dumplings. Little doughy balls filled with savory pork and crab meat and bursting with soupy juices. YUM. Just writing the words makes me woozy. I bought the bamboo steamer as soon as I got back and had been getting frozen dumplings at the Asian grocer but thought for Chinese New Year I would pay proper homage to this culinary delicacy. Instead, I may have desecrated a holy tradition. Plus... we drank Japanese beer while eating said dumplings which I don't think would be embraced by our friends in the far East.

Aspic Aspirations

Anyway, all was going well until I forgot to add the gelatin to the aspic. This is an all day affair. You have to make the stuffing (pork, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, etc.) and then you make the aspic (sake, more soy sauce, chicken stock & bones, etc.) because you need a soupy base for the filling. However... you can't stuff a dumpling with liquid - you could try but it would be messy - so you mix your stuffing and your aspic and then you put it in the fridge for an extended period of time for it to get firm. The gelatin which I forgot to add helps things to stiffen up a bit... I added it later but had already altered the chemistry of the thing beyond repair. I also didn't give myself enough time to let the stuff get firm. Ugh. When you spend a whole day making something and forget a little thing like some powder made from horses hooves (is that true?) - it's beyond annoying.

DOUGH!

So then there's the dumpling dough. Doesn't that sound cute? I made it twice which was not cute. The first batch didn't rise and I think I may have scorched the yeast on the second batch. You have to turn it into little circles, stuff them and then pleat the tops. Holy hell is this hard. I don't think my hands are small enough or something. My fingers kept getting in the way and stuffing was oozing out of the top.


I ended up having Dana finish them because I was a minute away from feeding the stuffing to the cats and chucking the dough across the house. I have done this before. It was a pie crust. Not pretty. I found pie dough for the next year in the weirdest places.

Year of the Lopsided Ox...

So we ushered in the new year with some pretty deformed looking dumplings but they actually tasted pretty good. I think they lost a lot of juice because the pleating exercise wasn't wildly successful so they weren't sealed up tight enough. I also made longevity noodles and we drank some Sapporo (Kenji was present so we were just respecting his heritage) and then we had some sesame candy from Vietnam and mango ice cream. It was like a pan-Asian celebration!

How to Make it... or Not

This is the recipe I followed. I looked at others but she simplified the aspic recipe which won bonus points because some of the recipes were really complicated. This one also has a video and you can see how she pleats them. It didn't help me cause mine still sucked but it does give you a better idea of how the technique should be deployed.

Those dumplings haven't seen the last of me. I won't be discouraged by one 14 hour, somewhat disastrous and utterly irritating dance with the dumpling shaped devil. Till we meet again my delectable little dough ball.