We didnโt need much of a reason to wander back to Sumiao Hunan Kitchen. Thereโs always the prospect of something exotic, like pork kidney, lava fish or sizzling crystal vermicelli. And of course, Sumiao made culinary news last year by being one of the few area eateries to make the Northeast Cities edition of the Michelin Guide as a Bib Gourmand selection.
Another reason to return: new dishes in the changing seasonal and monthly special menus. The newest seasonal menu features kidney, gizzards, and a silk squash โ and we tried most of them for you.
The absolute standout is the silk squash with baby shrimp, light and flavorful with a savory succulence. The silk squash, known as โluffa,โ has nothing to do with exfoliating your skin. Itโs a sweet and delicate edible gourd that looks like a cucumber crossbred with a ripe green melon. The young prawns are also tender and silky, and the dish comes with a light accent of minced garlic and wok oil. Itโs a melt-in-your-mouth sensual experience.
We also sampled the pork kidney with garden cucumber: tender slivers of kidney flower, or zhลซyฤo, tossed with cuke, and sautรฉed scallions and bell peppers with peppercorns and a light garlic and ginger seasoned soy sauce. This is not the chicken liver and onions your mom served; the texture is more homogenous, soft and succulent, with a subtle wurst taste. The five-spiced, double-cooked duck comes with juicy and slightly smoky meat thatโs been braised so that itโs almost pulled in texture, and served in a broad pan with a piquant mixture of red dried peppers, sautรฉed bell peppers, and onion, topped with fresh cilantro and the house mala and dark soy sauces.
The mala sauce โ also known as Chinese numbing sauce โ is essentially Sumiaoโs house-made chili oil (the mala duck appetizer, lean breast medallions served rare-ish, is a fantastic kickoff) and while the portion in the vast pan seems huge, itโs not โ shareable for sure, but I was able to get to the bottom, driven by savory succor of the heat and the well-rendered fat that lent its richness to the dark, gamey goodness of the duck.
If you like spicy food, Sumiao is for you, since fire hot is the calling card of Hunan cuisine, and the chili is king, queen, prince and princess. You can regulate your heat level โ hot, medium, and mild โ but know that some dishes are marinated in a chili base, so there isnโt a non-spicy option.
Off the monthly menu, Shaoโs cooling noodles are the thing to have. The name is intriguing, but these are the essential, cold sesame noodle classic with some heat thrown in to make that โcoolingโ elusive, and the noodles are thinner and more pliable than typical. Like the mala duck and the twisted scallion buns โ think light, airy bao as a roll with super-fresh scallion mixed in โ Shaoโs noodles are a great starter and easily shared.
Most of the dishes at Sumiao are de facto sharing plates and come without sides or frills. If you want rice, you must order one of three kinds separately: white, brown, and black (or purple โforbidden riceโ that packs more fiber and protein than white rice).
Sumiao is also open for lunch, and the lunch specials come with your choice of soup: classic sweet and sour or melted gold. The silk squash and baby shrimp dish is on the menu, along with lava fish and beef on fire. The melted gold soup is a must-try โ a squash and pumpkin puree served hot, and both savory and sweet.
Sumiao isnโt only about food. The restaurant hosts live music in its large, winding dining room on Wednesday and Thursday nights, and is holding watch parties during some World Cup matches this summer.
Have a favorite dish or dine out spot that weโve not covered and think we should? Email Tom at tmeek@cambridgeday.com.
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