PicoBlog

I’m writing this on a Sunday morning and I am slightly hungover. Kind of a Sunday rite of passage, isn’t it? One day I’m going to be the type of person who wakes up and goes on a Sunday morning run/coffee date at 7am (I think? Maybe?) but right now is not that time.

Luckily for me, I live in a hangover food mecca. There is nothing, and I mean nothing better than dim sum for breakfast when you’re in those initial morning hours of hangover haze - not so hungover you can’t function but hungover enough that you popped some Advil and as soon as the feeble tide of relief begins to wash over your pounding headache, you know it’s time to eat some carbs and take a nap.

My preferred carb in this situation is usually a dumpling or noodle of sorts which is why cheung fun is perfect: these steamed rice rolls come stuffed with anything from dried shrimp to roast pork to veggies and eggs, which makes them part noodle, part open-ended dumpling–see what I mean? They’re also surprisingly light and delicate– essential for a fragile hangover stomach. And even though they’re a staple at sit-down dim sum meals, there’s no shortage of shops/carts specializing in just take-away cheung fun in my neighborhood, which is great because it means no one needs to see your (read: my) puffy face and red, sleep-deprived eyes.

For your benefit (and obviously, for mine) I decided to embark on a Chinatown steamed rice roll odyssey of sorts. There are many delicious places to eat cheung fun but for the purposes of this list, I stuck with mom n’ pop shops specializing primarily in steamed rice rolls, all for under $5. These are my findings.

(PS: I use “steamed rice roll” and “cheung fun” interchangeably in this post but both refer to the same thing)

(All addresses are listed at the bottom of this post)

The Cheong Fun cart on the corner of Hester Street and Elizabeth Street is so inconspicuous that I only really noticed it when I came looking for it. There’s no English signage - it’s just a plain silver cart with Chinese characters on the side and a tiny window through which you can order your cheung fun. I’m assuming the characters on the side of the cart are a menu of sorts but because there was no English menu I decided to stick with a classic and what will be considered the control variable for this study moving forward: a dried shrimp rice roll. I’m sure you could order pork or beef or regular shrimp but I really love the texture and salty umami-ness of dried shrimp. This steamed rice roll was a different style from the rest of the bunch. It came served in a plastic pint container (rather than an aluminum takeout carton) and was very wet– floating in a soy sauce/hot sauce mixture should you accept the offer (you should). I liked that it came with egg and scallion - it felt like a complete meal, plus the egg soaked in soy sauce was *chef’s kiss.* The steamed rice noodle itself was extra chewy, a little bloated with liquid (not a bad thing!) and had a very stretchy, mochi-like texture. It was a super filling bite and one of the most unique rice rolls I’ve had in the city.

This carryout window is around the corner from my new place, and after trying a rice roll here for the first time, I can confirm that I will probably abuse the proximity. These rice rolls are so delicate and so delicious, plus there was the option to order a Chinese sausage and vegetable version (which I did, obviously) and it was incredible– not something I’ve seen before. I also ordered a dried shrimp rice roll to stay consistent, and I can’t remember if I added scallions or it came with scallions, but either way, I highly recommend the greenery for a little freshness. I made a mistake by not adding enough of the communal sweet soy dressing to the rice roll which is why mine was a *little* bland (again, no fault of theirs!) but on the plus side, it was approximately 17 degrees this day so I took my rice rolls home and drowned them in more soy and chili oil. Absolutely one of the best I’ve ever had.

I saved the best for last. Yi Ji Shi Mo makes my absolute favorite steamed rice roll. What sets this place apart is the delicate, crepey nature of the rice noodle itself as well as a filling I haven’t seen anywhere else yet: preserved radish. The rice noodle manages to stay chewy/stretchy but it has a real bite to it, which kind of reminds me of tofu skin noodles, if you’ve ever had those. Yi Ji Shi Mo also allows you to order small sizes of their rice noodles (basically half portions), which is great for maximizing variety. I tried to order one half portion of preserved radish rice roll and one half portion of dried shrimp rice roll, but wires got crossed, and I ended up with a preserved radish dried shrimp rice roll. I’m not gonna lie, I think I stumbled upon something magical there. The preserved radish is crunchy, slightly sweet, and a little fermenty-tasting, while the dried shrimp is pure savory umami goodness. Next time I go, I’ll be ordering the same rice roll plus scallions. I literally could not imagine a more delicious bite.

Cheong Fun Cart: 159 Hester St, New York, NY 10013

Sun Hing Lung Co: 58 Henry St, New York, NY 10002

Yi Ji Shi Mo: 88 Elizabeth St, New York, NY 10013

ncG1vNJzZmidnZ65urLEnaWeql6owqO%2F05qapGaTpLpwvI6cn6Kmkam8uLqMnJ%2BerZ6ceqfBzWaaq5mnoQ%3D%3D