Yang Rou Chuan

Blah. It was cheap… But the dumplings were hard and tasted ordinary… almost tasteless and yucky actually… The Veggie one was most bearable.
Lamb skewer with the seasoning was ordinary too…
We’ve definitely had better. Not worth waiting in line for this.

I’d been meaning to make my way out to the Stonestown farmer’s market for a while and had to go after I heard about Happy Dumpling (aka Yang Rou Chuan). I love cumin lamb, and lamb in general, so the thought of grilled lamb skewers was quite tempting.
Happy Dumpling had the longest line of the prepared food stands. There were 2 women making the dough and filling and cooking the buns. Another guy worked the register and took orders while the final member of the team was on lamb skewer duty. All four people were bustling around to bang out the mounting number of orders.
The buns were very rustic but still quite tasty. The dough was hand-​shaped and filled, so you should not expect a thin, gossamer dumpling skin. They are then pan fried and steamed. I had the pork and chive buns (3 for $ 2) which were quite tasty dipped into a bit of soy sauce, vinegar, and sriracha.
The much talked about lamb skewers were delicious, my main complaint is that I wish they were larger! I split 1 order (3 for $ 5) and we both wanted that third skewer. Tender bits of cumin-​spiced lamb were threaded onto the skewers and grilled on a propane grill. I didn’t find them to be fatty or gamy, but you have to like cumin to enjoy these. I could probably eat 5 of these on my own!
My dining companion complained that he thought the skewers were skimpy by American standards, but you have to appreciate the effort these people are putting into their stand!

I’ve been eyeing this booth for many months now. Today I finally got to try the fried pork and cabbage dumplings and the lamb skewers. The skewers had small pieces of meat and smelled, well, «lamb-​y», which wasn’t very appealing. The dumpling was nice and puffy with a crusty bottom, but there I would’ve wanted a better filling/​dough ratio.
Maybe the skewers are an acquired taste, but I don’t think I’ll be giving them another try. As for the dumplings? I’ll pass.

the sheng jian bao wasnt very tasty, plus very little filling, esp. for the vegetarian ones. the onion pancakes werent flavorful either. yang rou chuan was whatevers. DIY at home would taste better than that.

Every Sunday, irregardless of what I did the night before, irregardless of whether or not excessive amounts of alcohol was consumed, irregardless of how many hours I slept, I look forward to coming to the Stonestown Farmers market for this little shanty.
It’s run by a husband and wife team with some helpers that change every week. They have a simple menu, but the flavor is exceptional.
One disappointment is that their fishballs are no longer on the menu. They’re really good due to the fact that they’re freshly made, not overly processed like the ones you find in the supermarket. They have a lot of texture and there’s a bounce to the bite that indicates that the fish paste was made from freshly pounded fish meat. They don’t have that pungent «fishy» taste either, but just flavorful and a personal favorite. Just a bit of hot sauce and you’re good to go!
However, the true beauty of their menu has to be their chive and pork «potstickers» which are really pan fried buns. The skin is delectable and chewy and hold the filling in very well. Speaking of filling, there are 2 choices, cabbage and pork or chives and pork. I prefer the chive ones due to fact that the chives offer a bit more flavor, a bit more in terms of aromatics and they just bring out a bit of «sexiness» in the dumpling. They’re made on the spot right in front of you, and pan fried to a crisp perfection on one side, and a pillowy soft nirvana on the other. The filling is perfectly cooked with flavors all melded and there’s oftentimes a juiciness that comes from the moisture built up inside during the cooking process.
And a $ 0.50 each or 2 for $ 1, its hard not to order 2 dozen to bring home to share with the family.

Went back to the Yan Rou Chuan stand this morning at the Stonestown market. This little stand is pretty good for N. Western (Islamic) Chinese snack items.
Lamb skewers (5 stars) — $ 2 for a small skewer or 3 for $ 5. They are very flavorful, seasoned with tons of cumin, which is common in the northwestern part of China. The pieces of lamb are very small but very tender and moist.
G. Onion pancakes (3.5 stars) — They’re pretty good, but this version has never been my favorite scallion pancake. It’s a doughier and denser version than the crêpe-​like version I prefer, but never-​the-​less, it’s not bad. $ 2 a piece.
Fried (pan fried) pork buns (4 stars) — These taste home made and if you get them right after they come out of the pan, they’re piping hot and not greasy. Last week, I bought some cold ones which tasted greasier. 2 for $ 1.

legit street food, new york style. lamb skewer was 2 dollars, which is more expensive than in midtown, but the taste is pretty much exactly the same. nothing more to say other than the treats were tasty and the prices were very fair, especially for a farmer’s market food stand

As a devoted foodie, I like to venture out to find what’s new. This new food vendor can be found at the Stonestown Farmers Market.
The menu is very short.
The main item is Yang Rou Chuan which means «lamb skewers» ($ 2 each, or 3 for $ 5), this is typical cheap streefood found in Beijing (about 25 cents in China, 2006 trip). It’s well seasoned and tasty. Originally from northern Chinese cuisine.
The next item in the menu are fish balls skewer ($ 1). This is fish meat that has been minced and blended until it becomes a spongy-​like meatball (aka. fish cake or kamaboko in Japanese). This is typical of southern Chinese cuisine. Nothing remarkable, I’ve had better.
The last item is a steamed yam bun ($ 1), this one was better than expected.
The sweet paste filling is not as strong as red bean paste, so it might appeal to the tastebuds of a wider group of people. This item is typical in Cantonese and other cuisines. The label on the bottom said Guanpoh (popular brand of frozen dim sum), so I guess that the business owners buy them frozen to resell.
Although the food is not new to me, I have to give them extra points for bringing this type of street food to SF.