NI HAO!

Over spring break, I went to Disney World with my friend, and we got to experience a lot of good food in Disney’s Epcot as there is a World Showcase in Epcot where eleven countries are represented. Therefore, dining at the World Showcase is not to be missed. I reserved a table at a restaurant called Nine Dragons in Epcot’s China Pavilion for dinner. This is a beautiful restaurant with three main dining areas separated by wooden screens. We started our meal with braised pork belly steamed buns. I was a little concerned that the dish would be a little on the slippery side with pork belly usually being tender but fatty, yet somebody figured out how to fix that by topping the crunchy chow mein noodles and some red onions, which contrasted nicely with the spicy sweetness of the chili aioli. What intrigues me most is the steamed bun (also known as steamed bread). It is very soft and chewy. It reminds me of Dr. Colabroy’s lesson about gluten: the more gluten in the dough, the chewier it is gonna be. I used to make a lot of steamed buns when I was in Vietnam, so I comprehend that due to the protein content in bread flour (or all-purpose flour), and when the flour is mixed with water, gluten is formed. In the recipe, yeast is also added; otherwise it would just be a flat bun.

After trying the pork belly buns, we tried the dumplings. It is the classical Sichuan chicken dumplings in a Chinese spicy chili sauce with a bouquet of fresh vegetable topping. Six arrived with an order and we chose the mild spiciness for our sauce. I did not pay attention to the description that the dumplings were “in” the sauce, so I was really shocked when the waiter brought the dish to our table. The dumplings were completely drown in the chili sauce. Never in my life have I seen dumplings are served like this before. I was immediately related to what I learned in Eatalians with Professor Daniela. Italians do not like their food drown in the condiment; it is meant to be used sparingly. Like olive oil, which is an Italian condiment, soy sauce is also a condiment of Chinese origin used to enhance flavor of the food. Even back in my country, we do not slather the condiment on the food so heavy. But overall, omigosh, these were amazing! I really enjoyed food. The savory sauce tasted incredible! It went so well with the flavorful dumplings stuffed with tender chicken that has marinated in sweet and sour Sichuan sauce (a heavy sesame paste with soy sauce and dried chili peppers).