Infamous Taste of Pakistan – Student Biryani Food Cart
Student Biryani Food Cart
Btw 37th Road & 74th Street (right outside of Kabab King)
Jackson Heights, Queens 11372
Student Biryani Truck, Jackson Heights, NY
For those of you who doesn’t know, I am a HUGE fan of biryani! HUGE! My Pakistani friend Tahsin and Indian friend Leena was ever so generous to share with me their mother’s home cooked version of chicken biryani which I will share you pictures of. Both have obvious and similar ingredients like rice and the usage of chicken, but the seasonings and other spices is what separates them in taste and style. This is what I love about ethnic food. Check out my post on the Pakistani take on biryani.
I did not make a post on the Indian version of biryani but I will post you up a picture for you to see:
Kam Hing Coffee Shop
Kam Hing Coffee Shop
119 Baxter Street
(Near Canal Street)
(212) 925-0425
Hours of operation: 8am-6pm
Kam Hing Coffee Shop
If you ask the locals of Chinatown, they will tell you that this coffee shop sells the best Chinese sponge cakes ever and I cannot agree with them more. Growing up in this neighborhood, my mother would take my brother and I after school to this small and old shop and order many warm and individually wrapped sponge cakes to go. Of course she also orders a cup of coffee for herself and two warm cups of milk teas for my brother and I to drink with the cakes. Those were happier and more delicious times.
Kam Hing Coffee Shop
Kam Hing Coffee Shop Store Front
Recently I was in Chinatown to meet a dear friend of mine from work. She wanted to try all the delicious food that this town has to offer and I figure that the infamous Kam Hing Coffee Shop should be the first stop because they were closing soon and it would be something that I know she will like. We walk in there around 5:50pm which was perfect because the store closes on time at 6:00pm, and was greeted by a Latino cashier who speaks fluent Cantonese. Ever since I was a child, there was always several Latino cashiers who speaks fluent Cantonese which impressed me each and every time. We were fortunate enough to order the last two cakes. The cakes are $0.60 and was $0.50 when I was a kid. Nonetheless it’s quite a bargain and you will never find a bargain like this anywhere else. Even at that time, the cakes were still nice and warm and we decided to eat it right away. While we were eating, this guy came in and ordered a cake and was disappointed with the bad news that it was all sold out. So my advice to you is to come here way before it closes because you never know.
Kam Hing Coffee Shop's Sponge Cakes
The difference between this sponge cake and the other sponge cakes in the other Chinese bakeries is that this cake is very moist, light, fluffy and slightly sweeter. You just have to try it to see the difference!
Anyways, until next time,
<3 FCG
Favorite Brand Name Recipes: Chunky Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
In another installment of the cake mix cookies series, today I will be featuring the Chunky Oatmeal Raisin cookies recipe that I got from my Cake Mix Cookie book published by Publications International, Ltd.
Chunky Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Trust me, the cookie actually tastes better than it looks. I didn’t take better pictures because I was exhausted from baking at 11pm at night time.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 package (approximately 18oz) yellow cake mix
- 1 1/2 cup of oats
- 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch of grounded cloves (I added this to the original recipe)
- 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 cup (2 sticks) of melted unsalted butter
- 1 cup of raisins
- 1 cup of walnuts pieces, toasted
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Combine cake mix, oats, flour cinnamon and cloves in a large bowl until well blended. Beat brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a medium bowl until well blended. Add egg mixture and melted butter to dry ingredients; stir until combined. Fold in raisins and walnuts.
3. Drop tablespoonfuls (I use a cookie scooper) of dough 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. (Make sure to spray PAM cookie oil onto the sheets) Bake 14-16 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown. Remove to wire rack; cook completely.
Yield 4 dozen cookies.
To get the cookies to look a little flat, just take two fingers and press on top of the dough so it flattens a little. I made 3 dozen cookies with my cookie scoop, but I’m sure I could have made 4. I don’t like small cookies so these cookies worked out well for me. The cookies are soft like a cake, and chewy like how a cookie is supposed to be. The combination between raisins and oats are heaven to me. I only used 1/2 cup of walnuts because I’m not a big fan but I appreciate the texture in the cookie.
Anyways, good luck if you choose to use this recipe. It is so easy to make, but difficult to make it look nice!
Chunky Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Close up of chunky oatmeal raisin cookies
Until next time,
<3, FCG
What’s for Lunch at the Lord Series – Day 4
Cosi
1 Exchange Place
Jersey City, NJ
(201) 451-0535
So naturally I was excited when my co-workers invited me to have lunch at Cosi. There is only one sandwich that I absolutely love at Cosi and that is the Hummus and Fresh Veggies flat-bread sandwich. I have this soft spot for warm bread and hummus. In my opinion the combination between the creaminess from the hummus and the hard, yet soft texture of the warm bread is the perfect marriage of deliciousness. The best part about cosi is that for the most part they serve healthy and delicious foods.
Cosi Fresh Hummus and Veggies Flat-bread Sandwich
Next time I need them to take out the onions, but nonetheless this is a very delicious sandwich. Cosi is always bristling with crowds of people. If you come here at a later time like 1:30pm+, it is less crowded.
Until next time,
<3, FCG
Penang Malaysian Restaurant – Chinatown, NY
Penang
41 Elizabeth Street
New York, NY
(212) 431-8722
Penang Malaysian Restaurant - Chinatown, NY
One of the few Malaysian restaurants in Chinatown, Penang is located right off of Canal Street and right into the heart of Chinatown. Growing up, if I was hankering for Malaysian food, it was either at Penang or Nyonya, which is on Grand Street. There are a few more Malaysian restaurants that has popped up in Chinatown, but they are not as popular as the two that I mentioned about.
To be quite honest, I have always enjoyed the food at Nyonya. But this isn’t a post about Nyonya, it is on Penang. The atmosphere in Penang seems very quiet and desolate. I guess you’ll have to pick the right time, but I came here at 7pm with my party of eight and there were only two people there. No music was playing in the background and let me stress how quiet it was. Not only that, the lighting seems to be kind of dim which made me feel a little creeped out. Let me tell you, the atmosphere/feng-shiu at Nyonya is definitely not like that. I have only eaten the Hainanese chicken and the roti canai here since they were signature dishes which I will talk about that later.
Yes, if you can do take-out, do it!
Penang Menu
When you eat at a restaurant in Chinatown, most locals eat it family style. Hence the nice round tables with multiple seats. Let me know you the dishes my friends and I ordered:
