In New York, it’s easy to get street food. Not only are there stands famous for ethnic cuisine, but just about anywhere you like, you can get yourself a hot dog with ketchup, a pretzel with mustard or a knish, not to mention a hot roll with butter or bagel with cream cheese and coffee.
In Toronto, the selection is slightly different. Vans selling Chinese food and poutine line the bigger avenues, and even the smaller streets have hot dog and sausage stands.
As for Paris… well it took some getting used to. Sure, you have your boulangeries with panini and sandwiches (or something a little sweeter if you’re feeling crazy), but one of the best ways to get a quick meal in Paris is to go to one of the many Asian traiteurs.
A traiteur is technically a specialty shop of sorts. There are Italian, Japanese, Vietnamese traiteurs… even an American one right near my school where you can pay exorbitant prices for Skippy, canned pumpkin, H and H bagels and Oreos. The Asian traiteurs are plentiful, though, and there happens to be one right on the walk between my fourth and fifth period classes.
Nearly every Tuesday, I stop by the traiteur. I used to experiment, trying the steamed shrimp or veggie dumplings, vegetable stir fry, caramel beef, or even the boules de cocos, small balls made of coconut flavored rice and rolled in coconut flakes. Now, however, I always go for the same thing: the salade de soja, soy salad.
By soy, they mean soy bean sprouts. Added to these sprouts are other vegetables, chicken or shrimp, and a deliciously sweet, creamy dressing that I can’t quite identify. I like to cover mine with soy sauce, but unless I buy potstickers at the same time, they won’t sell it to me. “Il y en a déjà de la sauce!” There’s already sauce. Leave it to the French to tell you how to eat your food. (This is the same country where sometimes you are refused ketchup for your fries.)
A little while ago, I tried to recreate a version of the salad. Mine was delicious, and Britney and I slurped it all up after a long night of drinking, but it isn’t at all the same as my traiteur version. Oh well… guess I’ll have to keep experimenting!
Mock Traiteur Salad
1/2 green cabbage, sliced very thin, as for cole slaw
1 red or orange bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
1 jalapeño pepper, finely diced
1 scallion, thinly sliced
2 cups soy bean sprouts
1 inch ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili paste
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons crème fraîche (or sour cream)
Combine cabbage, peppers, scallions and bean sprouts in a large bowl. Combine sugar and vinegar to dissolve sugar. Add the rest of the dressing ingredients. Stir and pour over slaw. Toss to coat and allow to sit for at least three hours. This salad gets better (and hotter!) with time.
Hi, just thought you’d like to know that those are actually mung bean sprouts and not soybean sprouts.. mung bean sprouts are milder and sweeter.. soybean sprouts are also tougher and need some cooking, else the ‘head’ is very hard and has a very raw taste..