Chun Vegetarian, on the border of Bed-Stuy with Crown Heights, is one of several Chinese restaurants in New York that serves cedar fried rice. I haven’t confirmed an explanation of the name; perhaps it alludes to the color while asserting that the dish is meat-free. Any ideas?
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I believe the cedar is for toon / toona sinensis / Chinese cedar whose young leaves are seasonal right now.
Color and smell is from a paste of the leaves (though I’ve seen recipes that substitute other greens like spinach as toon isn’t that easy to procure).
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With that alternative name in mind, I realize that I have an old photo of toon leaves with egg at Qing Dao Restaurant, in Flushing. The menu, as I recall, described the leaves as “cedar buds.” Thanks, @small_h and @Saregama!
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Dave, did you enjoy the dish and the restaurant?
The restaurant is takeout-only; note the backdrop to my first photo. The dish was OK, but I preferred the Qing Dao version much more, probably owing to the egg.
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