The Mom came home excited with a bunch of china buns one night, in an attempt to shirk her dinner responsibilities. Purchased from a stall exactly opposite OG Chinatown, this is home to the chinese nationals who tuck into the hometown fare heartily...step into the shop and you are instantly transported to China (nearly). People tuck into their food with such gusto (fingers and chopsticks), you question if they are really that hungry or the food was too much of their hometown to bear.
Sizing up the mantous (see the size of a chicken egg versus what seems like an ostrich egg). Comes in four flavours; plain, vegetarian, pork and onion and pork and vegetable.
Peppery fillings that reminded me of a bun version of a popiah with coarsely chopped vegetables for the vegetarian bun ($1.50).
The Shandong buns ($1) are solid carbos, thick, chewy with huat kueh texture. Compared to the familiar supermart mantous, these china equivalents are more substantial. Local mantous are sweetened ones hence a rude shock when I bit into the plainest blandest mantou ever. All is not lost...I turned them into dessert buns by lathering kaya and peanut butter! Kaya turned out very promising infact.
Acquired these buns are, needs some getting used to but they are addictive surprisingly!
Jia Xiang Xiao Chu (Opp OG Chinatown)
#01-67/68
Sizing up the mantous (see the size of a chicken egg versus what seems like an ostrich egg). Comes in four flavours; plain, vegetarian, pork and onion and pork and vegetable.
Peppery fillings that reminded me of a bun version of a popiah with coarsely chopped vegetables for the vegetarian bun ($1.50).
The Shandong buns ($1) are solid carbos, thick, chewy with huat kueh texture. Compared to the familiar supermart mantous, these china equivalents are more substantial. Local mantous are sweetened ones hence a rude shock when I bit into the plainest blandest mantou ever. All is not lost...I turned them into dessert buns by lathering kaya and peanut butter! Kaya turned out very promising infact.
Acquired these buns are, needs some getting used to but they are addictive surprisingly!
Jia Xiang Xiao Chu (Opp OG Chinatown)
#01-67/68
Interesting! I'm in that area a lot recently... think I'll give their buns a try one day. I see a lot of people eating them and I'm always so curious [yet hesitant to try them, heh]!
ReplyDelete- Tasha
hi tasha! yes you should...it's not all that bad to be honest. Just takes some getting used to :)
ReplyDeletei looooove the vegetarian bun! haven't tried the Shantong mantou, but it's very plain because it's meant to be dipped in the veggies and meat dishes you order at the stall too. ^ _ ^ i believe they have some sort of set system - 3 veg, 2 veg 1 meat, etc. for a set price.
ReplyDelete-mel
ooh, i didnt knw that! sounds like interesting...shd head back there for a proper meal~!
ReplyDelete