I was already on a high from my lucky find of
Osmanthus candy in Chinatown, putting an end to a 5 year long search. My luck continued that day as I was wandering around aimlessly. I stumbled upon a little cart on the corner of Chrystie and Grand Street, right by the B/D subway entrance, called Yao's Dragon Beard Candy. It's not a well-known Chinese dessert. In fact, the first and last time I had it was in the Vancouver Chinatown over 10 years ago!
There was a man making candy inside the cart as I approached, and I noticed a write up by the
Village Voice posted on their window. They wrote a good review of it
here.
Dragon's Beard candy is sort of like the equivalent of Chinese cotton candy. It's made from spun sugar, and when you take a bite, it's like biting into a puff of powdered sugar. The delicate sugar strands will be left hanging from your mouth, giving it the appearance of a Dragon's beard. Yao's candy has peanuts and coconut inside. Each container comes with 6 candies for $3. You can also get 2 containers (12 pieces) for $5.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXH6N4veuWU5ClpB3wx6v6mZjeZn1zge_NCbxxmJsDAEILoJGSimHvVtkSeisjwoJnD0TC69dbs-8VUd9ccQsaxGxQ-JXHDEdEYPhSMtF1fh4gO1uxuX8R4ovqjMKfTuWRYtJAHoNtRk/s320/IMG_0118.JPG) |
Each container comes with 6 candies for $3 (or 2 containers for $5) |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrH0hw8yT0_WAhdqbGGzCSn1qV2uxHgBwmQwJvtotW2AqkbfOCDlk4pcPJ3bD6XAHIsFt9L33ozfS8A-MTWOBlfo2OVcu4vcb6UAwDzLVuWthc2p4ybpZFmbk48XyQwXL_q49kh0QjbE/s320/IMG_0120.JPG) |
See the fine sugar strands? |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQueEgDWAasds-AM6mbgk4ZsfF-07NidC9GyaQ-eCZcZZ_vBFnXXI2Po92PeimPGDFBY-0GmOF7pkYqVqf0oplcn3bv0vtRXUZCE01tCYn5TgfYWEbuqPGfAhxOa3R4FAnSz6IF2iPNNE/s320/IMG_0121.jpg) |
Here's a close up pic |
When I bit into Yao's Dragon Beard candy, it was a little chewy and harder than I remembered when I had it in Vancouver years ago. I wonder how fresh they are, as the shelf life of these candies is very short (the sugar starts to harden and/or moisture gets in). It's such an usual sweet though, and I haven't seen it anywhere else in Chinatown. Have you spotted them elsewhere?
It's worth checking out, especially since it's still a novelty in NYC!
Piggy KL
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