Houston's Silk Road Cuisine

Asian food is thriving in the land of barbecue, thanks to a new generation of chefs

Like any food-loving city worth its hot sauce, Houston inspires some classic culinary arguments, mainly concerning who cooks the best barbecue or beef chimichangas. Lately, though, natives and frequent visitors alike are also debating which chef makes the lightest masala dosa; whose banh mi is, really, just like the ones in Saigon; and chicken feet: steamed or fried?

Without much fanfare, the Asian population in Houston has more than doubled over the past decade and now accounts for 7% of the city's 2 million residents. Its robust Chinese-American community was part of what attracted basketball star Yao Ming. And Houston's fine...

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