Where can i buy HAW FUN noodle? (fresh or dry)

[lestblight]

Been trying to make Beef Chow fun... but cant seem to find haw fun or hor fun noodle- its the wide rice noodle.. supposed to be sold in sheets or dry..

I called Zhou Handmade noodle and they dont make this noodle.. was thinking of going to HONG KONG SUPERMARKET

but wanted to make sure before i trekked it out there.

any ideas?

Thanks so much

[hungrycomposer]

There is also a nice old shop on Mott, East side of the street, one or two blocks south of Canal. They also sell turnip cake, dumplings, everything I've bought there has been good. I still miss the place on Canal and Broadway (I think it was broadway...) that turned into a tchotchke shop for tourists.

[wew]

The Mott st. shop is my favorite for rice noodles. The bagged noodles at Bowery and Grand the woman try to down sell me seem to have an off putting flavor (from the oil?).

[hungrycomposer]

I agree that the Mott street noodles are better. I like the Bowery and Grand noodles, but they have more oil on them and tend to fall apart when you cook them. I think they are also a little thinner. They're still a good resource in a city with many choices.

[Ike]

I really enjoy the block sheets of rice noodles with dried shrimp from the stand at Bowery & Grand. The ladies advised me (through a bystander who kindly translated) to steam them for 2-3 minutes. This works really well and they don't fall apart. They're great even just with some olive oil.

On my second visit, I noticed the pre-made soups in big plastic containers, but nobody was there to translate this time and I couldn't identify most of them. I might try one next time anyway though.

What's the exact address of the place on Mott?

[fourunder]

There's a fresh rice noodle shop on the north side of Grand Street, west of the Bowery. It's in the middle of the block and you can identify the store by the stainless steel table/counter.

I still purchase from the ladies on the corner of Grand & Bowery, but suring the warmer months, I find their products do not last more than a couple of day.....now that it is becoming cooler out, it's not so much of a concern, but once it gets warmer next spring.....I will only purchase a one day supply....

[DarthEater]

On Grand street between Elizabeth and Bowery, there is a small outdoor stall that sells it by the bag.

[fourunder]

I can't help you with the name of the place, but I can help you with the location.... I do believe the store is located on the northeast corner of Grand and The Bowery. They have a excellent selection of Fresh Rice Noodles and Soy products.....all very cheap. If memory serves me, the Chow Fun Noodles are .75 cents and you can purchase them in block sheets or cut. I always get the firm ToFu and Rice Noodles with Dried Shrimp as well. Inside the store front , you can purchase Turnip Cakes and Congee.

While you are there on Grand, the produce, sea foods and bbq shops are all good shopping as well. Shopping on or near Grand is cheaper than across The Bowery and Canal Street areas of Chinatown.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&...

[lestblight]

thanks so much to both of you!

i will check it out next week.

is HK supermarket worth it? or are therre any better ones?

[kobetobiko]

I think they also have it at Deluxe Food Market.

As for rice noodles at these grocery stores, they are not made in-house and may even be coming from the same factories/ wholesalers, so the quality won't be too different (average).

[KTinNYC]

I think you might be thinking of the NE corner of Bowery & Grand for the fresh rice noodles. The stand is run by two older ladies that are a riot. The noodles are sold by the piece not the pound.

[fourunder]

KT,

You would be correct about the two ladies...although I would use less flattering words to describe them myself....

You are correct about the corner and I will edit my reply

[KTinNYC]

The ladies can be brusque but I really do find them endearing. What is it about them do you not like?

[fourunder]

First let me say, any treatment they may have exhibited to me in the past will never deter me from frequenting the store....I enjoy their products first for quality and then value.....and to say I do not like them is not correct. I actually find them amusing....and very hard working individuals roughing the elements and customers. If i had truly harbored any ill will or feelings towards them, I would not have offered my recommendation for this topic.

Brusque would definitely be appropriate in describing their demeanor or approach.... for the most part, I tend to over shop and purchase too many things....here at this stand it is no different. If I need three tofu...I buy six. If I need one pack of noodles, I buy three. If I need three Joongs, I buy six......the ladies have no patience for a guy like me and demand payment after each order........but the worst is when I buy the Shrimp Noodles by the pound. I ask for two and they give me four. When I tell them I only want two pounds....suddenly they do not understand and just stare back at me....now I know what you are thinking...what's the difference...I usually purchase twice as much as needed.....the difference is I had picked the items myself when I over shop. The ladies do not know my mind-set....but rather they just take it upon themselves to give me more than I request and basically refuse to remove any from the bag.......Now this stuff is ridiculously cheap @ $1.25-1.50 per pound, so we are only talking about a few dollars only.....so I always acquiesce and move on......the only real problem is carrying the extra weight to the car which is usually blocks away. It has been this way for decades..... and my arthritis is only getting worse

[KTinNYC]

Ah, the oversell, yes, but this isn't just with these ladies. It happens with every vendor in Chinatown.

"How much for 1?" I ask the lady selling the jung on Grand & Forsyth. "4 for $5". "I just want to try 1 to see if they are any good", I reply. "of course they are good" and I get handed a bag with 4 jung and I hand the lady $5.

At the stall selling vegetable I see gai lan for 2 lbs for $3. "Give me one pound." "It's so cheap, take 2 pound." Two pounds of gai lan is put into a red bag, I hand over $3.

"I'll have 1 lb of the ground pork, please". The butcher throws a hand full of ground pork into a bad and then onto the scale. One and a third pounds, he prints a receipt, sticks it on the bag and I go to the register to pay.

That's just the way it is and I don't begrudge them one bit. I think the haw fun ladies do it with more charm than most. Their brusqueness is more of an act than anything. I've asked them for recipes and suggestions and I find them very helpful. Probably doesn't hurt that I speak to them in my rudimentary Cantonese.

[hungrycomposer]

Have you ever tried asking for half of the amount you want?

[KTinNYC]

I don't mid getting the extra. It really doesn't hurt me and I put some extra money in the vendor's pocket.

[hungrycomposer]

Today I was walking home from Chinatown, stopped to buy chow fun, and started laughing when two women tried to convince me to buy two quarts of soup instead of one. I looked at the street sign (Bowery and Grand) and realized that was the place. BTW I was coming home from dim sum at 88 Palace, which was pretty good, contrary to recent reports here.

[lestblight]

Thank you KT

What are the hours for these stands?
im wondering if i can go after work? or are they closed up by 8?

Thanks!

[KTinNYC]

I don't really know the hours but most will have closed for the night by 8 pm.

[lestblight]

cool

guess im gonna have to try and trek it during lunch!

thanks again

[chocokitty]

There's a few vendors down in Chinatown that has fresh haw fun. I remember there's two along Grand Street between Mott & Elizabeth. One of them sells it by the pound and the other is by the bag.