{"id":64376,"date":"2024-08-27T23:01:15","date_gmt":"2024-08-28T05:01:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=64376"},"modified":"2026-04-05T14:10:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T20:10:43","slug":"tasty-noodles-dumplings-albuquerque-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=64376","title":{"rendered":"Tasty Noodles & Dumplings – Albuquerque, New Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Tasty Noodles & Dumplings Just South of Menaul on San Pedro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first time I noticed that the dishes served to people of Asian descent weren’t covered in neon bright sauce, I wondered why those strange looking dishes weren’t on the menu. \u00a0Or maybe I just didn’t see them. \u00a0 I asked my server (who was barely conversant in English) and was essentially told I wouldn’t like “authentic<\/em>” Chinese food. \u00a0“What the heck am I eating<\/em>?” I \u00a0asked myself. \u00a0That was the beginning of my explorations into the ancient and traditional culinary culture of China. \u00a0I delved into just what dishes are considered “authentic” and just what “authentic” means.<\/p>\n

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Kenny Approaches Our Table with Soup Dumplings<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dogmatists and purists insist that dishes that weren’t “invented” in China are spurious, not legitimate. \u00a0They use such terms as “Americanized” and “white-washed” to describe those dishes. \u00a0They point out that much of the Chinese food served across the fruited plain is stickier, sweeter, and unhealthier than traditional dishes served in China. \u00a0They don’t necessarily point out that some of the differences between Chinese food from China and Chinese food served in the states is because of the wide availability of American ingredients such as carrots, snow peas, green peppers, broccoli and mushrooms.<\/p>\n

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A Display of How Noodles Are Made is Painted on one Wall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Additionally, Chinese immigrants were partly forced to rely on their external market \u2014 the American market who preferred sweeter dishes and eschewed such “strange” dishes as offal, chicken feet, braised duck\u2019s tongue, or braised pig\u2019s trotter. \u00a0 Having grown up in Northern New Mexico where we raised our own crops and many of our own farm animals, none of those “yucky” foods turned me off. \u00a0I was raised eating such foods as morcillas (blood sausage), menudo (cow’s tripe soup), lengua (beef tongue), verdolagas (purslane) and quelites (lamb’s quarters), all dishes urban sophisticates might pass on.<\/p>\n

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Making Noodles is an Art<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For a very long time, the Chinese dishes perceived by many Americans to be unappealing were available only on “secret Chinese menus” \u00a0 handed out to Chinese diners and weirdos \u00a0like me who enjoy foods of all kinds. \u00a0Today thanks to restaurants \u00a0such as Chopstix<\/strong><\/a>, Budai<\/strong><\/a>, Nio Szechuan<\/strong><\/a> and ABC Chinese<\/strong><\/a> those secret menus are are available to one and all. \u00a0None of these stalwart restaurants will ever question whether or not you’ll like items on the secret menu. \u00a0In fact, they’ll be grateful if you order dishes less intrepid diners dismiss and won’t ever consider ordering.<\/p>\n

Shortly after taking our seats at Tasty Noodles & Dumplings, our server delivered two menus to our table. \u00a0The thicker, three-page menu included many of the fruity sweet and sour dishes that seem to define what many Americans consider to be Chinese food: \u00a0honey lemon chicken, mango chicken, cola chicken and orange flavored chicken. \u00a0Other Chinese dishes invented in the United States (by Chinese cooks, I should add) include General Tso chicken, Kung Pao chicken, broccoli beef, cream cheese wontons and a few salad dishes. \u00a0Tasty Noodles & Dumplings does not offer an all-you-can-choke down buffet nor any ten dollar plates that include an egg roll, fried rice, soup and a partridge in a pear tree. \u00a0That raised this restaurant in my estimation.<\/p>\n

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Soup Dumplings<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The not-so-secret menu<\/strong><\/a> (labeled as “Chef Special”) is especially intriguing. \u00a0It features such delicacies as stir-fried kidney, braised yellow croacker, duck blood curd and jalape\u00f1o pork belly. \u00a0There’s absolutely nothing on the menu I wouldn’t try. \u00a0 If you’re not so inclined, there are several irresistible options, categorized on the menu as: Shareables, Baos, Dumplings, \u00a0Hand-Pulled Noodles, \u00a0Rice and Noodles and Entrees. \u00a0It’s a menu aficionados of Chinese cuisine will appreciate–even those hung up on terms such as “authentic.”<\/p>\n

Half of one wall is dedicated to artwork depicting the art of making noodles. \u00a0Several menu items feature \u201cLan Zhou Hand-Pulled Noodles.\u201d Lanzhou beef noodle soup, for example, is named for the city of Lanzhou, home to more than 1,000 beef noodle restaurants.\u00a0 Lanzhou\u2019s distinct culinary culture is centered around different types of noodles making the city renowned throughout China for its noodles nonpareil. \u00a0In China,\u00a0 chefs who have mastered the art and skill of pulling noodles are held in high esteem, both as culinary and performance artists.\u00a0 They repeatedly stretch and fold a cylinder of dough then multiply it into progressively thinner strands.<\/p>\n

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Pork Chop Noodles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our visit to Tasty Noodles & Dumplings was greatly enhanced by Kenny, a savvy and enthusiastic server who also doubles as a buffer between the kitchen team and the restaurant’s guests. \u00a0Most of the staff can’t speak fluent English so Kenny takes it upon himself to convey what guests like and what they don’t. \u00a0He’s quite the ambassador, too. \u00a0He urged us to order at least one item from the bao or dumpling menu, pointing out a smallish Chinese woman deftly manipulating dough to form perfectly pinched dumplings and bao. \u00a0Kenny also taught my Kim how to say “thank you” in Chinese. \u00a0Unlike when I taught my friends “pick-up lines” in Spanish that got their faces slapped, Kim’s appreciation drew smiles.<\/p>\n

In a previous post, I shared Wikipedia\u2019s \u201clist of dumplings<\/strong><\/a>\u201d which surprised \u00a0some of you that by definition, empanadas and ravioli are both a type of dumpling.\u00a0 So are gnocchi, pierogi and Pop-tarts.\u00a0 Even Danny DeVito and Barack Obama somehow made Wikipedia\u2019s list, but\u00a0 Hot Pockets didn\u2019t.\u00a0 Two questions are obvious: (1) Who the heck curates this list? (2) Did Michelle Obama\u2019s best-selling tome \u201cBecoming<\/em>\u201d explain if and why she would call her husband \u201cdumpling?\u201d\u00a0 There is, however, no question that\u00a0bao<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0are a type of dumpling.<\/p>\n

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Curry Chicken<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

19 August 2023<\/strong>: Take a bao, Tasty Noodles & Dumplings! \u00a0Since their introduction to the land of e pluribus unum, it seems Americans don\u2019t want to just take one bao. \u00a0We want several of them. The great thing is that they\u2019re becoming ubiquitous. \u00a0You\u2019ll find them in Japanese restaurants specializing in ramen, in Korean restaurants, on Chinese dim sum menus and even in some Vietnamese restaurants. \u00a0As with so many of the world\u2019s culinary gems, the origin of bao is disputed. \u00a0Several nations claim to have \u201cinvented\u201d them. \u00a0Most culinary historians seem to agree bao originated in China. \u00a0Some believe they were first made in Taiwan. \u00a0Whatever their origin, we can agree they’re special. \u00a0 If you’ve never had bao, the very first one to try should be the Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings<\/strong><\/em>), six steamed buns stuffed with pork and broth. \u00a0 It takes fifteen minutes to prepare these tender gems with a delightful surprise inside. \u00a0It takes less than fifteen seconds to declare them absolutely wonderful, especially when soup pours out of the pouch-shaped treasures. \u00a0The pork inside may remind you of Italian sausage. \u00a0By the way, National Bao Day falls on August 22nd.<\/p>\n

19 August 2023<\/strong>: You probably won’t see steak on the menu of many Chinese restaurants so my Kim’s conciliatory choice is pork chops–again not something frequently seen in Chinese restaurants. \u00a0When she espied pork chop noodles<\/strong><\/em> on the menu, she didn’t hesitate. \u00a0The “chops” were more akin to pork ribs than to the pork chops she loves. \u00a0Not a problem. \u00a0She loves pork ribs, too. \u00a0These ribs are marinated in a sauce that imbues them with deep savory umami characteristics. \u00a0Pork sticks to these ribs making gnawing on them a sheer pleasure. \u00a0The noodles are served in a heart-warming broth. \u00a0Tangles of \u00a0noodles absorb the flavor of the beef (though not as much as they might have had my Kim not declined any vegetables).<\/p>\n

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Green Onion Pancake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

19 August 2023<\/strong>: Tempted as I may have been to order something from the not-so-secret Chinese menu, the lure of curry chicken<\/strong><\/em> (chicken cooked with potatoes, carrots, red peppers, green peppers and onions in curry sauce) was just too hard to resist. \u00a0Chinese curry tends to be milder than Indian curry and not nearly as sweet as Thai curry. \u00a0Thank goodness tendencies are not hard and fast rules. \u00a0Tasty Noodles’ curry has a real bite. \u00a0 The curry is simmered in a fragrant sauce and thickened to a delightful viscosity. \u00a0The ratio of chicken to vegetables skews heavily in favor of the vegetables. \u00a0Potatoes were conspicuous by their absence. \u00a0A side of fried rice (a three-dollar uncharge) was rather nondescript. \u00a0 This may be the very best Chinese curry I’ve had in years.<\/p>\n

30 November 2023<\/strong>: \u00a0My revelation that pancakes didn’t have to be slathered with cloying syrup actually transpired in Pe\u00f1asco, not exactly a hotbed of culinary diversity. \u00a0My mom’s daunting challenge of feeding six children was exacerbated by the fact that we weren’t especially adventurous. \u00a0We did all like mashed potatoes so our mom must have figured we’d like potato pancakes, too. \u00a0 \u00a0Forming potato patties from leftover mashed potatoes then adding onions and frying the pancakes in a combination of oil and butter, she probably prayed this new dish would appease her finicky brood. \u00a0Not surprisingly I was the only one who liked these fried orbs, but only after I had “doctored” them with some weirdness or another.<\/p>\n

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Pork & Scallion Dumplings<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I didn’t have to doctor scallion (green onion) pancakes, a popular appetizer at many Chinese restaurants. \u00a0These “pancakes” are essentially made from flatbread that has been folded over several times and grilled or fried in oil and lavished with a generous helping of green onions. \u00a0Though I’ve never met a version of scallion pancakes I didn’t like, my siblings (save for Anita) probably wouldn’t like them. \u00a0Legend has it that explorer Marco Polo fell in love with scallion pancakes. \u00a0When he returned to Italy, he asked chefs to prepare them. \u00a0What he was served was the ancestor of a dish we all know and love: pizza. \u00a0Whether or not this legend has any veracity, scallion pancakes are worthy of a story or two told over the millennia.<\/p>\n

30 November 2023<\/strong>: \u00a0From among the six-million dumplings categorized on the infamous list of dumplings, the one most commonly associated with Chinese restaurants is the familiar crescent shaped dumpling. \u00a0Tasty Noodles & Dumplings offers five different dumplings, each stuffed with different ingredient combinations. \u00a0You can order them fried or boiled. \u00a0Because they’re hand-formed and prepared to order, expect a fifteen minute wait. \u00a0Our early favorite are the pork and scallion dumplings<\/strong><\/em> which come eight to an order. \u00a0 At some Chinese restaurants you practically have to commission an exploration to find any pork within the dumplings. \u00a0Not so at Tasty Noodles where the pork is about the size the sausage you find atop your favorite pizza. \u00a0Better still, the pork is kissed with a hint of fennel.<\/p>\n

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General Tsos Chicken<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

30 November 2023<\/strong>: \u00a0When immigration laws in the fruited plain were relaxed, enterprising Taiwanese chefs brought with them Chinese dishes theretofore unknown in the United States. Many of them were radical departures from stereotypical Chinese-American dishes (such as chop suey) popular at the time. Among the captivating new dishes was General Tso\u2019s chicken<\/strong><\/em> which was \u201cAmericanized\u201d to suit native palates. Over the years it has done more than just suit American palates. It\u2019s become one of the most popular of all \u201cChinese\u201d dishes and is served in Chinese restaurants throughout the fruited plain though it\u2019s not necessarily prepared exactly the same way from one restaurant to another.<\/p>\n

At Tasty Noodles & Dumplings, General Tso’s chicken is based on orange chicken. Fried chicken pieces are breaded and tossed in a tangy orange sauce impregnated with incendiary chile. It’s very similar in style to sesame or orange chicken, but with a kick. \u00a0Chile is added to the sauce of rice vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, water, sugar, and a thickener of corn starch. \u00a0For those of us who don’t especially like sweet and sour Chinese dishes, General Tso’s chicken gives us an excuse to enjoy a dish that’s sweet and just a bit sour. \u00a0The more piquant the chile flakes, the more we like it. \u00a0At least that’s our excuse.<\/p>\n

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Szechuan Chicken<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

30 November 2023<\/strong>: \u00a0Even after 38 years of wedded bliss, my Kim can still surprise me. \u00a0Perhaps because we were both experiencing our first outing after a cold-flu-Covid-general malaise that pretty much wiped us out for almost two full weeks, my Kim actually picked up the “not-so-secret Chinese menu.” \u00a0Though she normally uses it as a beverage coaster, she actually studied it before deciding to try ginger chicken. \u00a0Then when Leo, our server told us there was no ginger chicken to be had, she asked if the Szechuan chicken<\/strong><\/em> can be made “without heat.”<\/p>\n

For me any Szechuan dish without heat is akin to a New Mexico day without chile. \u00a0It just doesn’t make sense. \u00a0The Chinese province of Szechuan is renowned for its fiery peppers and generously spiced foods. \u00a0When Leo indicated Szechuan chicken could be made without heat, I pictured a blandish dish. \u00a0Instead, Szechuan chicken turned out to be rather tasty: bone-in chicken pieces swimming in a delicious broth sprinkled with scallions. \u00a0Though quite satisfying and soul-warming, my mind’s-eye pictured it with lots of Szechuan peppercorn and chile.<\/p>\n

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Peppercorn Fish<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

27 August 2024<\/strong>:\u00a0 When our friends Tom and Ellyn Hamilton are in town, we know we’re in for a great time and great food.\u00a0 Almost invariably we meet up at a Chinese restaurant and without exception we order a lot of food.\u00a0 When my Kim asked our amiable server for recommendations, he recited a litany of “American” favorites: sweet and sour chicken, sesame chicken, Mongolian beef and orange chicken.\u00a0 Obviously he didn’t know to whom he was speaking.\u00a0 I don’t know if he heard me jokingly mutter “He must think we’re white people<\/em>,” but he changed his tone a bit when I inquired about the peppercorn beef (on the not so secret menu).\u00a0 Perhaps he heard Ellyn encourage me to order the duck’s blood entree (which she seemed enthusiastic to try).<\/p>\n

Our server confided that he prefers the peppercorn fish<\/strong><\/em> (bak choy, enoki mushrooms, scallions) over the peppercorn beef.\u00a0 Even the existence of peppercorn fish surprised me.\u00a0 Normally the delicate, subtle flavor of fish gets completely lost (or at least significantly tamped down) when prepared with assertive spices.\u00a0 That was certainly the case with this dish (likely tilapia).\u00a0 To its credit the white fish didn’t crumble into its molecular components and entire pieces could be had with a spoon.\u00a0 This dish is not for the meek of heart.\u00a0 Szechuan peppercorns will clear your nasal passages and water your eyes, not that it dissuaded any of our table’s fire-eaters from enjoying it.\u00a0 If you’re into the science behind the foods, here’s something from Wikipedia that will fog up your nerdy glasses:\u00a0 “Szechuan pepper has a citrus-like flavor and induces a tingling numbness in the mouth, akin to a 50-hertz vibration, due to the presence of hydroxy-alpha sanshool<\/em>.”\u00a0 We may not have understood that, but we certainly felt it.<\/p>\n

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Hot and Sour Soup<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

27 August 2024<\/strong>:\u00a0 As a twelve time judge at the Roadrunner Food Bank’s annual Souper Bowl<\/strong><\/a>, I obviously have a deep and abiding love (as well as a tremendous capacity) for soup.\u00a0 In Tom Hamilton, I’ve met my equal.\u00a0 Tom, a phenomenal retired chef who once owned and operated Colorado’s best steakhouse<\/strong><\/a>, rarely visits a Chinese restaurant without having the hot and sour soup<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 He’s visited China several times so he recognizes the real stuff as well as the pretenders “dumbed down” for American tastes.<\/p>\n

Tasty Noodles & Dumplings served us the largest bowl of hot and sour soup I’ve ever seen, a veritable swimming pool-sized bowl the four of us could share (and still not finish).\u00a0 Though hot and sour soup (along with egg drop soup) is ubiquitous in Chinese restaurants, rarely does it showcase the Szechuan properties that make it “hot.”\u00a0 Still there’s a delightful consistency to even restaurant-quality hot and sour soup.\u00a0 First, it’s made with a surprising number of ingredients.\u00a0 You can probably name mushrooms (wood-ear, shiitake and distant cousin Lilly flower) and green onion, but there’s a lot more going on in even the most basic hot and sour soup.\u00a0 White vinegar and soy sauce impart the sour components of the soup.\u00a0 \u00a0Tom, who delights in replicating (and improving) dishes he likes in restaurants not only can name them all, he can make the best version of the soup you’ve ever had.<\/p>\n

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Cumin Beef<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

27 August 2024<\/strong>:\u00a0 For years I’ve railed so vociferously against the addition of cumin to New Mexico’s sacrosanct red and green chile that readers assume I must hate cumin.\u00a0 Let me clarify that my loathing for cumin applies only when it’s used to adulterate (translation: ruin) chile.\u00a0 Cumin certainly has a place on Indian, Middle Eastern and even some Mexican dishes, but use it on chile and you may as well try deliberately to ruin that chile.\u00a0 The earthy smokiness cumin imparts on the foods of some cultures comes across as musky (like body odor) on chile.\u00a0 So there!<\/p>\n

One of my favorite dishes (thus far) at Tasty Noodles & Dumplings is the spicy cumin steak<\/strong><\/em> (stir-fried beef, red and green peppers, onions, bird peppers and of course, cumin).\u00a0 \u00a0Cumin is It is frequently used in\u00a0Szechuan<\/span><\/span><\/span> food, including spicy stir-fries and noodle soups.\u00a0 Perhaps the key to retaining its delicious properties is moderation.\u00a0 Cumin certainly didn’t dominate the flavor profile of the spicy cumin steak which we found very balanced and delicious.\u00a0 This stir-fry hodgepodge was a delight.<\/p>\n

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Salt and Pepper Shrimp<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

27 August 2024<\/strong>:\u00a0 When “salt and pepper” prefaces a protein such as shrimp, chicken or pork on a Chinese menu, don’t assume this is your mom’s salt and pepper blend.\u00a0 In China salt and pepper may be a mix of fine sea salt, garlic granules, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, fennel, garlic, star anise and cloves.\u00a0 \u00a0It may also include monosodium glutamate (MSG) which has a bad rap though foodies recognize that MSG enhances the umami (salty, savory, meaty) flavor of foods.\u00a0 Like Cosmo Kramer in a popular Seinfeld episode, I like extra MSG<\/strong><\/a> on my Chinese food.<\/p>\n

When our server delivered our Salt and Pepper Shrimp<\/strong><\/em> (tender and buttery shrimp with a crisp salt and pepper crust), my initial inclination was “this is just like Mrs. Paul’s breaded shrimp<\/em>.”\u00a0 I’ve often contended no one over the age of seven should eat breaded shrimp.\u00a0 Tasty Noodles version has me rethinking that fallacious thinking.\u00a0 These shrimp–lightly breaded salt and pepper crust sheathing shrimp with a snap of freshness–were absolutely delicious.\u00a0 If they were readily available and easy to prepare, they’d certainly replace popcorn or chips as my favorite movie-watching snack.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Garlic Eggplant<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

27 August 2024<\/strong>:\u00a0 Not everyone likes eggplant which admittedly can be rather bitter if not prepared correctly.\u00a0 Preparation is definitely the key as my Kim and I discovered years ago when we made an eggplant dish so “metallic” we wondered if we had inadvertently chewed on tin foil (the worse form of torture other than watching The View).\u00a0 \u00a0 Tasty Noodle’s garlic eggplant<\/strong><\/em> was excellent.\u00a0 Slices of eggplant were prepared with garlic, soy and oyster sauce, sugar, and chili flakes.\u00a0 Minced garlic is readily apparent on the photo above.\u00a0 It’s a perfect vegan dish that doesn’t skimp of flavor.<\/p>\n

Tasty Noodles & Dumplings has such a broad and diverse menu that diners of all persuasions will find something to enjoy, including those of us who prefer secret menus. \u00a0Tasty Noodles & Dumplings is located on San Pedro just south of Menaul.<\/p>\n

Tasty Noodles & Dumplings<\/strong>
\n2325 San Pedro Drive, N.E., Suite 1E
\nAlbuquerque, New Mexico<\/strong>
\n(505) 219-3988
\nWebsite<\/strong><\/a> |
\nLATEST VISIT<\/strong>: 27 August 2024
\n1st VISIT<\/strong>: 19 August 2023
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 3
\nRATING<\/strong>: Excellent<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0\u2013 High quality dining experience; very good to excellent food, attentive service, and a well-maintained atmosphere; worth a detour.
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$ – $$$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>: Curry Chicken, Pork Chop Noodles, Soup Dumplings, Green Onion Pancake, Pork & Scallion Bao, General Tso’s Chicken, Szechuan Chicken
\nREVIEW #1352 <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first time I noticed that the dishes served to people of Asian descent weren’t covered in neon bright sauce, I wondered why those strange looking dishes weren’t on the menu. \u00a0Or maybe I just didn’t see them. \u00a0 I asked my server (who was barely conversant in English) and was essentially told I wouldn’t like “authentic” Chinese food. \u00a0“What the heck am I eating?” I \u00a0asked myself. \u00a0That was the beginning of my explorations into the ancient and traditional culinary culture of China. \u00a0I delved into just what dishes are considered “authentic” and just what “authentic” means. Dogmatists and purists insist that dishes that weren’t “invented” in China are spurious, not legitimate. \u00a0They use such terms as “Americanized” and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":67946,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[440,33,141,563],"tags":[3318,3320,4261,3324,3315,3316,4258,3319,3322,4260,3323,4259,3317,1305,3321],"class_list":["post-64376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-albuquerque","category-chinese","category-new-mexico","category-rating-excellent","tag-authentic-chinese","tag-chef-special","tag-cumin-beef","tag-curry-chicken","tag-handmade-bao","tag-handmade-dumplings","tag-hot-and-sour-soup","tag-kenny","tag-lan-zhou-hand-pulled-noodles","tag-peppercorn-fish","tag-pork-chop-noodles","tag-salt-and-pepper-shrimp","tag-secret-chinese-menu","tag-soup-dumplings","tag-stir-fried-kidney"],"yoast_head":"\nTasty Noodles & Dumplings - Albuquerque, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=64376\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tasty Noodles & Dumplings - Albuquerque, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The first time I noticed that the dishes served to people of Asian descent weren’t covered in neon bright sauce, I wondered why those strange looking dishes weren’t on the menu. \u00a0Or maybe I just didn’t see them. \u00a0 I asked my server (who was barely conversant in English) and was essentially told I wouldn’t like “authentic” Chinese food. \u00a0“What the heck am I eating?” I \u00a0asked myself. \u00a0That was the beginning of my explorations into the ancient and traditional culinary culture of China. \u00a0I delved into just what dishes are considered “authentic” and just what “authentic” means. 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