Sauerkraut fish, suancai yu, is making a splash out of Flushing into Manhattan.



Yesterday on my walk through UWS and Morningside Heights along Broadway, I noticed quite a few places that previously could be found only at the end of the 7 line. Nai Brother Sauerkraut Fish was one of them.



Sauerkraut fish, a fish poached in pickled mustard broth, is one of Sichuan cuisine’s staples. It might look like a soup but I wouldn’t call it a soup. The liquid surrounding tender white fish fillets is thick. And intense! It is seriously sour, salty, tangy, funky, numbing, and very spicy hot — you have to be prepared.



Coming from the part of the world that survives on fermented-preserved-pickled everything, I got addicted to pickled mustard greens, suan cai, the moment I tried them first time in a Flushing basement.



At Nai Brother, we ordered their signature Naige bowl and a dry pot with fatty beef. In each bowl, fish or meat were mixed with different kinds of tofu, fungi, noodles, and vegetables that complemented texturally and picked up the sauce clean. A real deal — first spoonful transported us to China. We even paused and looked at each other. Tasty! Tasty! Tasty! And intense — the back, the shoulders felt the heat, ears tingled, faces blushed, noses ran.



As we were leaving, a middle aged Manhattanite with a flaxen ponytail settled at the table next to us. Raising her eyes from Neil Gaiman’s book she placed an order specifying low salt and no spice. To make sure he understood, the server politely bowed closer with a silent question in his eyes. It didn’t seem like a language barrier though.



I wonder how that went.



#food #diningout #manhattanrrstaurant #nycrestaurant #upperwestside #chinesefood #sichuancuisine #sauerkrautfish #mala #hotpot