From the top: Carne desmechada arepa (stewed shredded beef corn
cake) served with black beans, rice and plantains; pollo guisada cachapas
(stewed shredded chicken on sweet corn cakes) from La Arepa.
tion is. Stir-fried with a hint of fragrant sesame
oil, Shaoxing wine and sugar, this is the
diner food of your dreams from halfway
around the world. Mixed with a plate of sour
spicy shredded potatoes and you begin to
see where continental cuisine has poached
its favorite dishes. This is an omelet and hash
brown extravaganza accented with black
vinegar and chili peppers. It’s an anomalous
experience for anyone who didn’t grow up
eating traditional Chinese food — simultaneously
far-flung and entirely familiar. Even
garlic-scented pea shoots evoke collard
greens from the American South, each bite
a lesson in how cultures connect over oceans.
That’s not to say, however, that Chong
Qing doesn’t have an unpredictable side.
Kidneys, tripe and chicken gizzards find
their way into the wok quite often, but always
as a vehicle for acid and spice. Even the desserts
are an amalgam of sweet and savory:
Snow mushrooms with rock sugar and a syrupy
green bean soup serve to reimagine what
vegetables are capable of. But the best part of
the journey is the realization that a trip abroad
is just as much an exploration of home.
388 Wickenden St., Providence, 272-2049,
chongqinghouseri.com. MUST GET: Tomato
with eggs, sour spicy shredded potato.
LA AREPA
The irony of La Arepa is that,
as its home country falls
deeper into chaos, this small
restaurant translates its
culinary heritage with
increasing clarity. As with Chong Qing, this
is a kitchen far from its origins and the goal
is to create a moveable feast that tethers
expats to their roots. Mission accomplished.
The minute restaurant is named for a
handheld pocket sandwich made of cornmeal
dough and stuffed with braised meat
or black beans. It makes sense, given the
portability of the arepa; it translates Venezuelan
culture on the run and in a single bite.
As with many native dishes, it’s an amalgam
of starch and protein though often punctuated
with unctuous slices of avocado — a
fruit that has increasingly become a luxury
in Caracas and beyond. Even better, however,
is the cachapa, an amped up version of a corn
cake that requires a knife and fork and your
undivided attention. Cachapas are sweet
griddle cakes that, in their simplest form,
need nothing more than a sprinkling of queso
and some sour cream, akin to Southern cornbread
in its most decadent dairy rendition.
But it’s the combination of sweet corn and
stewed chicken that stands for every international
throwdown version of meat and
dumplings. There’s a reason we gravitate
toward comfort food. Modernism may push
our boundaries but these are the dishes that
validate our childhood, regardless of where
it unfurled.
But the supporting actor for every dish at
La Arepa begins with the humble plantain,
a starch with two distinct personalities.
Sliced green plantains are smashed, fried
and served with sofrito, a sauteed blend of
onions, garlic, green peppers, celery and
sweet habaneros. (The sauce, which is
saturated with cilantro, is the base of myriad
dishes and the sweet, sharp flavor becomes
sentimental for anyone obsessed with
patacones.) But tajadas — sweet, ripe
plantains — are the archetypal comfort food,
the dish you offer to the pickiest eater
arriving on your doorstep from some distant
land. They’re akin to a slice of New York
pizza or a spoonful of Nutella — a ubiquitous
treat that’s impossible to dislike.
In fact, La Arepa has a significant sweet
tooth, ending every meal with a dessert that
doubles down. Torta de tres leches is soaked
through with condensed milk but it still
seems savory next to a slice of bienmesabe
— a cake covered in egg-rich coconut cream,
rum, sherry and meringue. It’s an unabashed
paean to sugar and, if you close your eyes,
you’ll hear the folksy sounds of gaita playing
in the background as you reach for your
second slice.
582 Smithfield Ave., Pawtucket, 335-3711, la
arepari.net. MUST GET: Pollo guisada cachapas
(stewed chicken on sweet corn cakes), empanadas,
tostones. �
82 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JULY 2020