EAT IN ASIA / Destinations / Other destinations / Europe / Hungary
Asian-style dishes - Be careful - you might be surprised!
Thai? Chinese? Vietnamese or Korean food? Rice or noodles? The choice is so big, and as all these cuisines are so rich and so tasty, the choice is not so easy. Asian-style cuisine is full of flavors, aromas and uses some unique ingredients, that make these dishes even more interesting. If they are served in a restaurant with a native chef or cook, then these dishes are highly probable to taste as they should. Of course, the lack of all needed ingredients, need of using frozen ones and fresh have influence of the meal’s quality, however, it is really possible to have it almost as good as it would be in Thailand, Vietnam, China or Korea. Well, you can always find a cheaper version of an Asian restaurant – fast food Asian bars, but although offering satiating and tasty take-away meals, these meals usually stay behind those served in a proper Asian restaurant.
Staying one month in Hungary, it was almost a must to try it too. Thai noodles, fried rice, hot-pot, Vietnamese soup etc. All what we loved so much in Asia and what we choose abroad as an occasional change from the local food. So, it was obvious to do the same in Hungary. As noodles and rice are not popular in Hungarian cuisine, we were missing them. Magyar dishes usually come with potatoes, French fries, or bread. Other side dishes include fried vegetables, pickles or fresh veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce or onion. To sum it up – rice and noodles (apart from Italian style pastas) are really rare. That is why, when we found restaurants serving Asian-style dishes we wanted to try them. Two of them were the most surprising for us – rice dumplings and Thai rice noodles.
Rice dumplings in Miskolc
That meal was a complete surprise for us. In the menu it was stated that these dumplings should be stuffed with vegetables and mozzarella cheese and served with vegetables. Having in mind all dumplings we had in Asia everything was coming to our mind regarding what to expect, apart from what we finally got. I wondered whether it would be more like Japanese gyoza dumplings (read more about them in the post Trying Gyoza Sandwich in Okayama), or like Chinese jiaozi or baozi, or maybe like Vietnamese rice buns stuffed with red beans. And if so, how would the real filling look like? Would these vegetables be cut and mixed with a mozzarella cheese? Or maybe, would the rice dough be mixed with veggies? And how would these vegetables be served? Fried or fresh? And what kind of vegetables? Carrots, onion, cabbage or leek? So many questions, so many doubts, but one thing we were sure – it surely be something really good. We were excited like a child that is expecting a gift. With every minute, our excitement was bigger and bigger. And as we had to wait almost an hour, we were not only excited but also hungry. So, when the meal finally came, our surprise was even bigger. Rice dumplings in a restaurant in Miskolc were completely different from what we thought, we might get. Even the smallest part of our expectations was not met.
First of all, these rice dumplings were breaded. Actually, we should not be surprised so much in Hungary, as their cuisine is full of dishes with breaded meats, vegetables etc. But, as we expected something Asian – Chinese or Japanese, we were not expecting to get breaded dumplings. I could hardly imagine a Japanese gyoza in bread crumbs… Well, maybe that is my lack of imagination. OK, meat or fish, yes, but not baozi or gyoza dumplings. So, these Hungarian rice dumplings were breaded, that is the fact. Unfortunately, I dislike almost every meal that is served like that, as for the real taste is lost. But, I gave a chance to these dumplings. The meal was served quite nicely. Maybe not as in atop end restaurant, however, all ingredients were nicely arranged and you did not have a feeling, that they were just thrown on your plate. Four dumplings were lying on one side and on the other were stewed vegetables. All that was garnished with some thin slices of a leek and a carrot.
As these dumplings were breaded, there was still that surprise, what would be inside. The round shape suggested that, surely, it would not be a gyoza dumpling. So, my guess was – baozi. Strange, but could be – four breaded baozi. So, let’s cut it. And here was the next surprise. No baozi! Nothing like that! After cutting the dumpling, the inner part astonished us. The whole dumpling dough was probably made of a mix of a blended, cocked rice, some flour and some vegetables. I guess, probably an egg was there too, but I am not sure. If it is about vegetables, there were some small carrot cubes, some green peas and corn. The amount of it was marginal, so I think calling it a rice dumpling with vegetables is a misuse. Frankly speaking, it was completely tasteless. Vegetables did not add any special flavor. Just plain dough with something more tough inside – vegetables. Inside was also a small mozzarella cheese ball, as it was promised. After cutting it in half it was nicely melting. The dough was tasteless too. Neither spicy nor mild, even not salty, what is positive, but I guess even a pinch of salt was not added to it.
The crust – breadcrumbs, was thick and heavy. It was crunchy, well fried and had a nice golden color. Everything regarding the visual aspect was fine. Unfortunately, it was full of oil. Heavy and dominating.
Vegetables in a red sauce were fine. Although not what I expected to get, they went well with this dumplings’ version. It had a lot of sauce and was oily too. The stew mostly consisted of some cabbage and tomato chops. Was fine, nothing to be said more. Neither spectacular nor tasteless. Just an ordinary cabbage and tomato stew with some oil.
Definitively, this meal was not the best one. Heavy, without any special flavor. No aroma, no reference to Asian dishes. I would rather call it a variation on an Asian cuisine. Surely, not to be repeated.
Let’s have a look then as something more secure. Noodles should rather be as noodles. And surely not breaded. So, the next choice were Thai noodles with chicken.
Thai rice noodles with chicken - Pecs
Yes, let’s try something form the Thai cuisine. Pad Thai? Rice noodles? Glass noodles? Well, what we wanted was one thing, and what we could get was another thing. In Pecs we found some restaurants, in the old town, that were serving not only Italian and Hungarian dishes, but also Asian meals. We decide to make a decision regarding the dish depending on what was available. We found one place, where, although a lot of people were sitting both inside and outside, there were still some free tables. A nice place, a nice garden, a very good view and the menu looked quite well. The restaurant was serving some vegan dishes too. Apart from that, some meals could be prepared with ingredients that either were lactose or gluten free. Although we were not interested in that kind of a meal, it was tempting. Created an impression of a restaurant following some trends and prepared for customers with different allergies and health problems. The place looked fine, so the decision was done too.
The menu was not very long, however sufficient. Burgers, pizzas, pastas, Asian meals, Hungarian specialties, salads and light meals.
I selected spicy rice noodles with chicken. The meal was served on a big plate, the same you might use for any kind of pasts. Chopsticks were not available, but it was OK to use regular spoons and forks. Noodles were in a red sauce. I think some dark soya sauce was added to it too. The amount of the sauce was ideal. Noodles were not floating in it, just nicely, fully soaked. The sauce was semi-spicy. Hot, but not as spicy as you might get it in Asia. However, there was no need of tunning it up. This time added vegetables were more Asian style. Carrots and zucchini were julienned. Not a lot of it, but still they were there. On top of noodles were chicken breast stripes. Well prepared, chopped into proper sizes. Tender, juicy and aromatic, probably thanks to the sauce. The amount of the chicken was really big. Not as you might get in Asia. Chicken stripes were sprinkled with sesame seeds that not only were adding an extra flavor, but also were creating a nice design. The only think that was not as it should be, was that that were not rice noodles you know from Asia. However, all in all, it was tasty, full of flavor, properly spiced and also nicely served. Yes, this time, this meal was similar to the real Thai cuisine. So, it was a good choice. Apart from that, the atmosphere was nice, and we had a good time in a good place with a tasty Thai meal.
So, as you can see, Asian food might not be so easy to get. Although available in a lot of places, still might not be as you might expect it to be. Nevertheless, it is always worth trying it and checking what is where. So, don’t be discouraged!
