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Travel: Hot Spot
Nanjing
Snacks
By CRYSTYL
MO |
SMALL TREATS Nanjing, unlike
many Chinese cities, doesn't boast about its tasty snacks.
While Shanghainese love to brag about their steamed pork buns
and Beijingers crow about their boiled dumplings, Nanjing
keeps its particular brand of xiao chi, or little snacks,
under wraps. The best way to sample Nanjing's unsung delectables
at their most authentic is to join the early morning crowds
in the Wenchang Xiang neighborhood, a few blocks from People's
Square. You'll find dozens of dexterous cooks already up and
kneading, shaping, frying and baking all manner of snacks.
One of my favorites is jianbing, or fried pancake. Crepe
batter and an egg are expertly fried on a cast-iron hot plate.
Then the pancake is sprinkled with a variety of pickled vegetables,
slivered seaweed, hot sauce, hoisin sauce and sesame seeds.
Finally, working with callused heat-resistant fingers, the
chef wraps the whole steaming concoction around a crispy strip
of fried dough. It's heavenly.
But Nanjing's best kept secret is its crayfish, a freshwater
crustacean that resembles a tiny lobster. Although stir-fried
whole crayfish can be found in other cities, Nanjing's rich,
savory version is unrivaled. They are spicy but not overly
fiery, richly flavored but still fresh-tasting. Crayfish are
messy to eat, however, so bring a stack of napkins. Then,
as delicately as possible, bite off the head and tear open
the shell. The snack is hugely popular: vendors sell it from
large cast-iron woks on the street, takeout places offer it
by the tray, and dozens of restaurants have red crayfish stickers
on their windows.
And the vendors go all night long. If you get the munchies
at 2 a.m., make your way to Yanggong Jin (Yanggong Alley),
a narrow lane lined with crayfish restaurants. You'll know
you're there when you see the bright red shells littering
the curb all the way down the street.
  
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