Quest

Orient Express

Great eats sometimes take a little explaining By Signe Langford

Cruising through downtown’s new T&T Supermarket (222 Cherry St., 416-463-8113) is a little like falling down a rabbit hole. Some shoppers at the colourful sushi counter can be heard squealing in delight, while others, eyeing strange and wonderful foods among the stacks of exotica, whisper culinary SOSs: “What is this? What do you do with it?” We’ve found five great reasons to take the plunge.

The Dish	The Details	The Verdict
Pan-fried turnip cakes, $2.50 for three	Shreds of crunchy, tender-crisp turnip nestled in a custard-like, fried cake	Golden fried and crispy on the outside, with a familiar cruciferous hit on the inside, these babies are nothing like their mashed Anglo-Saxon cousins. Delicious with a drizzle of soy or sriracha sauce
Marinated duck wings, $3 per 200-gram pack (about 11 pieces, drummies and tips)	Marinated in what tastes like a mix of soy, hoisin, a bit of sesame oil and five-spice, this bargain is Asia’s answer to the Buffalo wing	Tiny but delicious. A minute on the grill crisps up the skin and brings out the spice’s Szechuan, clove, cinnamon and anise flavours
Ready-to-cook chicken feet soup with yellow beans, $6	A just-add-water kit of dry beans, chicken feet, pork, jujube, honey dates and a piece of dry citrus peel. The label also claims it’s a sure-fire cure for dropsy	Light, nourishing and healthful, the broth is tasty without being complicated; the pork emerges fall-off-the-bone tender, and the beans offer the perfect amount of resistance to the bite. And nothing quite says “I’m a bona fide foodie” like sucking on a chicken foot
Pork ribs with sweet and sour plum sauce, $4 per 450-gram pack	Raw, bite-sized ribs in sauce, ready for steaming at home	Forget the advised 20 minutes’ steaming—unless you like pork sashimi. Forty-five minutes yields meat that’s slide-off-the-bone tender and swimming in a lightly fruity sauce
Polly Ann frozen fruit and ice milk bars, $3 for four	Frozen tropical fruit and non-fat milk on a stick; flavours include lychee, coconut, mango, green bean, red bean and taro	The texture is smooth and creamy, punctuated by chunks of yummy fruit. Any other ice pop is a waste of calories

Originally published December 2007

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