It’s also a very simple dish,
made of,
well,
fish,
noodles,
and soup.
But Wang is obsessed with getting as close
to the authentic taste as possible.
And that means picking out the fish himself.
Wang throws in green onions,
ginger,
goji berries,
winter melon,
and a splash of beer,
which removes some of that fishy taste.
He then adds a pork bone soup and lets the whole thing simmer.
The soup is served hot in a clay pot,
with a side of noodles and a sprinkling of edible flowers.
Wang grew up in Hengyang,
the second-largest city in Hunan Province.
It’s often considered the epicenter of Hunan cuisine.
Although Hunan food is famous within China,
outside of it, it’s not as popular as,
say, Sichuan cuisine.
And while Americans are slowly discovering
China’s diverse range of cuisines,
most people still associate Chinese food
with dishes like chop suey,
sweet and sour pork,
and General Tso’s chicken,
which were adjusted for the American palate.
General Tso’s chicken, by the way,
was created by a Hunan-born chef in New York,
but it’s barely known inside of Hunan.
For Wang, Hunan Slurp represents
a new wave of Chinese restaurants
that are introducing Americans
to the authentic flavors of different parts of China.
Now, within a 10-block radius in New York City,
you can find jianbing from Beijing,
hand-pulled noodles from Lanzhou,
and mala dry pot from Sichuan.
Hey guys, I've actually eaten at Hunan Slurp before,
and it's definitely different from the Chinese food
that I had growing up in New York
when a lot of it was still just Cantonese.
If you liked that video, we a lot more about New York's
changing Chinese food scene,
including one about a Taiwanese beef noodle shop,
and another about Sichuan dry pot.
You can check them out at the links below
and don't forget subscribe to @Goldthread2.