Dish of the Week: Tapioca pearl dumplings
This week’s featured dish may look similar to all that white stuff piled up outside, but don’t be fooled: you can’t throw them at people in Dupont Circle or use one to claim that global warming isn’t real. Well, you could, but it wouldn’t be very effective. No, the white balls pictured above are a kind of savory dumpling common in Southeast Asian cuisine.
Tapioca dumplings or balls (which may be listed as sakoo yat sai, sakoo sai moo, sakoo sai gai—basically, look for something that starts with “sakoo” on the menu) are a popular Thai and Lao street food. Although the chewy, slightly translucent skins are made from tapioca starch, the dumplings are filled with savory flavors like chicken, pork, pickled radish, garlic, and peanuts. They’re barely bigger than a gum ball, but each morsel packs an explosion of flavors and textures from the sticky tapioca and crunchy roasted peanuts.
These steamed dumplings are a great way to whet your appetite before a meal and are savory enough to pair nicely with a crisp beer. Find them on the menu at Thip Khao (3462 14th Street NW) where they’re stuffed with pork and pickled radish, or at Baan Thai (1326 14th Street NW, 2nd Floor) where they’re filled with chicken, radish, and peppers.
Small Bites
The Whiskey Stumble Walk returns
The D.C. Whiskey Walk is back for their third year. Starting at noon on Saturday, pub crawlers can mosey between Dupont and Logan Circle while sipping on Irish whiskey. Each of the eight participating bars—Black Jack, Black Whiskey, Board Room, Buffalo Billiards, James Hoban’s Maddy’s, Science Club, and Stoney’s— will offer a different type of whiskey; there will also be food and other drink specials, along with a bagpiper, natch. Tickets are $55 and include eight one ounce whiskey pours. A portion of proceeds will donated to Becky’s Fund.
Chef in your house
Chef Tim Ma (of Water and Wall and formerly Maple Ave) will now come to your house and cook dinner for you and seven to eleven of your closest friends. Rates for Ma’s “Gather + Feast” Supper Club-cum-catering service start at $100 per person for a weeknight four course dinner or $135 for the weekend. Interested hosts can book Ma and his team on Kickstarter for dates starting now through mid-April.
It’s like Comic Con, but for food nerds
So you think you want to be a food blogger? The International Association of Culinary Professionals’ annual conference is coming to D.C. on March 27-30. The event kicks off with an 80th birthday party for acclaimed French chef Jacques Pepin, followed by three days of sessions on everything from food photography to recipe development to the latest trends in the restaurant and beverage world. No word on whether there will be any secret ramen though. Register for full conference or single day passes online.
From root to table
Foodies have yet another reason to do their grocery shopping in Eastern Market. Aside from the historic market hall, a creamery, kitchen store, and artisanal olive oil shop, the neighborhood now boasts a new market, called Radici (303 7th Street SE). The store, whose name means “roots” in Italian, will offer a selection of local and imported foods and prepared items like sandwiches and coffee. Shoppers can pick up Italian wines, cheeses, charcuterie or linger over a pastry or cup of espresso in the cafe area. Radici is open from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
