From Guangzhou to Flushing, steamed rice roll with egg.
A couple of weeks ago my friend Jane sent me a video of Guangzhou rice rolls being made. “I wish we had these here,” she wrote via Facebook message.
Within a day or two she sent me another message, apparently these rolled rice noodles had to come Flushing thanks to an outfit called Joe’s Steam Rice Roll. So we decided to check it out.
The joint’s Chinese name, “Shi Mo Chang Feng Wang,” as Jane was so kind to inform me translates to “Stone Milled Rice Roll King.” Sure enough right in the window was a stone mill used to grind rice into a slurry and the king himself, whose name it turns out is actually Joe.
Stone ground rice is Joe’s secret!
Joe and his crew offer a dozen varieties of fillings, including pork; beef; pork liver; egg; and two types of barbecued, pork char siu and roast pork with crisp skin. The rice slurry is poured onto a broad metal tray, which goes into a steam cabinet. When it has set into sheet of white dough, the filling is added, and then it’s rolled up.
The noodle’s given a braid before it’s filled.
Jane went for zhai dan chang or egg and lettuce, and I had shao zhu chang, crispy roast pork. Both were quite lovely and delicate. The twisted skeins of rice roll have a tendency to unfurl when picked up, but that makes eating them all the more fun.
When I asked Joe about how other people make their rice roll he said they use a powder. Nice to see somebody doing it the old fashioned way in Flushing!
Joe’s Steam Rice Roll, 136-21 Roosevelt Ave., #A1, Flushing
Isn’t Joe using a powder too? Just because he’s grinding the powder on-site instead of getting the rice already ground, it’s not like rice has volatile aromatics that dissipate (like coffee for example) and it’s better fresh ground. It’s a fun gimmick for sure, but are they better than any of the other steamed rice rolls in the neighborhood?
I see your point but I think he is our better than anyone in the neighborhood maybe not because of the process but because of the variety of fillings and delicacy of the wrapper
When I lived in Flushing (almost 10 years ago), there was a little place under the LIRR overpass that had rice rolls – they came in a little styrofoam cup with sweet soy, chili oil and a peanut sauce. The place also had fairly mediocre, but very cheap, dumplings and lo mein – as I recall, everything was $1-$2. Convenient, greasy and cheap made it great at that point in my life; not sure when it closed up. Sun Hing Lung on Henry St will always be my go-to cheap rice noodle roll spot!
Hi there you’re talking about a a plaza which has since closed. I could never bring myself to eat there. I’ll have to keep your Henry Street place in mind.
Going to try this for sure. I’ve actually never had rice rolls.
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Actually there is also a place in manhattan chinatown! I’m not clear if she is also grinding the rice, but noodles are assembled when ordered from various filling options.
Only open until about 3:30.
Sun Hing Ling co on Henry st
http://www.sunhinglungco.com