Eating South Asian and Middle Eastern Food in Beijing (Part 1)
Reposted from the web
Summary: This travel note introduces Eating South Asian and Middle Eastern Food in Beijing (Part 1). I have been to many Middle Eastern and South Asian restaurants in Beijing in the past few years, some of which have closed. It is useful for readers interested in Beijing Halal Food, Muslim Travel, Middle Eastern Food.
I have been to many Middle Eastern and South Asian restaurants in Beijing in the past few years, some of which have closed. I have been thinking about sorting it out in the past few days. Next, I will try all the restaurants I have not been to. Now I will share with you the restaurants I have been to.
First, let’s list the South Asian and Middle Eastern restaurants in Beijing that I know: Al Ameen (Lebanon), Al Safir (Jordan), BRBR (Syria), One Thousand and One Nights (Arabia), Taiba Guijie Store (Arabia), Turkish Mama (Turkey), Rumi's Secret (Turkey), Xiting Xiuse (Turkey), Dardaniel (Azerbaijan/Turkey) (It), Desert Rose (Azerbaijan/Turkey), Doner&Kebab (Azerbaijan/Turkey), Kavkaz (Azerbaijan), Iranian Food (the Iranian boss has returned to China and is currently run by Chinese), Khan Baba (Pakistan), Zam Zam (Pakistan), Lahore Restaurant (Pakistan), Benjabi (India), Indian Chef (India), Land of Masala (India), Sadhuli (India).
Newly opened in 2021: Zayton (Palestine), Istanbul (Türkiye), Qubbe (Türkiye), Taiba Sanlitun Store (Arabia).
One that was written in 2020 but closed in 2021: Meza (Tunisia).
I have eaten at restaurants that are closed: Camel Restaurant (Morocco), Nayir (Azerbaijan), Shashi Castle (Uzbekistan), Enchant (Turkey), and Bata Pancake (Israel).
1. Arabia
1. Jordanian restaurant Al Safir
On April 18, 2021, Ramadan Iftar had a buffet at the Jordanian restaurant Al Safir in Sanyuanqiao. It was a good opportunity to experience Levantine salads and various sauces! Now you can try all the things you wouldn’t normally order. The most classic ones are of course Hummus and Falafel. The most authentic way to eat them is to eat them with pita bread, sandwiching various sauces and falafel. The main courses include fish, lamb chops, chicken stewed rice, fried chicken, adzuki bean soup and various juices, including grape juice. Their lamb chops are so delicious, it feels like they were grilled first? The taste is particularly good.
It was Zainab’s birthday on May 20, 2020. Iftar and I went to Al Safir. Ever since Zainab ate with their family last year, we have fallen in love with Arabic food, especially Levantine food. We were originally going to divorce and go to the Middle East together this year, but now we have to eat at Arabic restaurants to satisfy our cravings.
They can order a la carte and eat Iftar's buffet, as well as Iftar's dates. We had a buffet with a variety of salads and cups of Arabic bean soup. I ordered Beirut Hummus with garlic flavor, Falafel with fried chickpeas, and a barbecue platter. Their barbecue is delicious!
The more distinctive one is the yogurt sauce Kibbeh, which is a small scone made by grinding wheat, onions, beef, lamb and various Middle Eastern spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc.). It has fried beef on the outside and lamb filling on the inside. The word kibbeh comes from the North Levantine Arabic word meaning ball, and the dish originated in the Levant region and is popular throughout the Middle East.
On July 17, 2019, I had adzuki bean soup, mutton Hummus, Falafel, thick yogurt, cucumber yogurt and grilled meat platter at Al Safir. I really enjoyed it.
Hummus and Falafel are both specialty delicacies of the Levant region on the east coast of the Mediterranean. Hummus is super delicious in various ways. I have also been a fan of adzuki bean soup since I ate it in the Palestinian restaurant on campus when I was in college, but it is a bit too hot to eat in the summer.
I love their roast lamb so much! It's very tender, and it's so satisfying to wrap it in Arabic pancakes dipped in tomato sauce. Their barbecue is so delicious that there was an incident where I ate several pieces of the barbecue before I even remembered to take a photo www
On January 10, 2019, we had adzuki bean soup, mutton hummus, grilled fish and mint tea at Al Safir, a Jordanian restaurant in Sanyuanqiao. I especially like their Pi Ya Zi sauce! Have to add another portion each time.
2. Lebanese restaurant Al Ameen
On September 24, 2020, when my mother-in-law came to Beijing for her first meal, we ate at Al Ameen, a Lebanese restaurant next to the German Embassy outside Dongzhimen. I have eaten there for many years. It was closed for renovation for a period of time, and it reopened last year. This year, I feel that their family is obviously not as big as before YQ, and the dishes have become less. I hope their family can survive this difficult time.
I ordered the more classic appetizer platter (Hummus hummus, carrot puree, yogurt, Mutebbel eggplant yogurt sauce)\cream of mushroom soup, lentil soup, vegetable soup, chicken soup, barbecue platter and grilled vegetable platter. What’s more special is the Mahashi, a rice dumpling with lamb bone and vegetables.
Mahashi is made of Lebanese zucchini (Kusa) and eggplant stuffed with meat and rice, and cooked with tomato sauce, cumin and broth. Mahashi is a classic Ottoman dish that can be found throughout the pre-Ottoman regions from the Balkans to the Levant (eastern coast of the Mediterranean) and Egypt, and is prepared differently in each region. Mahashi is a common dish served at banquets at weddings, family gatherings and Eid.
On September 26, 2019, I went to the Lebanese restaurant Alameen in Sanlitun. After the renovation, it became a lot bigger and some new dishes were added. I will try it when I have time in the future. This time I had a platter of chickpea hummus sauce, eggplant sauce, yogurt, adzuki bean soup, cream of mushroom soup, lamb naan, lamb chops, fried fish and lemongrass mint tea. One of the more distinctive ones is Kibbeh, a Levantine barbecue.
On May 26, 2019, I ate roasted lamb leg, lentil soup and hummus at the Lebanese restaurant Alameen outside Dongzhimen in the evening.
3. Meza, a Tunisian restaurant (closed)
On the evening of December 21, 2020, I went to the Tunisian restaurant Mesa, which was newly opened in November. After the Moroccan restaurant Camel Team Restaurant and Bar closed due to the epidemic (the owner ran away), there is a North African restaurant in Beijing. (Unfortunately it will be closed again in 2021).
I ordered Brik with Tuna, sizzling Shakshuka with eggs, grilled chicken skewers, Tunisian sausage (Merguez), Baba Ganoush, pickle platter, lentil soup, and also ordered Tajine Couscous with various grilled meats, which was not on the menu.
Brik pie is a North African Berber dish that was later brought to Israel by Tunisian Jews. The filling is usually filled with eggs, tuna, harissa, parsley, etc., and then wrapped in crispy noodles called Malsouka or Warka and fried.
Shakshuka is a stew of eggs, tomatoes and onions, usually with olive oil, chili, garlic, cumin, nutmeg and other spices. Shakshouka, which means "mixture" in Arabic, is widely distributed in the former Ottoman lands and Andalusia, and was brought to Israel by Tunisian Jews. The dish was originally just a stew of minced meat or liver. Tomatoes and peppers were later introduced from the Americas, and eggs are often added to the Tunisian version.
Merguez is a North African sausage made from lamb and beef, mixed with cumin, harissa, chili peppers and other spices, and is usually grilled. Merguez sausage was first seen in Andalusia in the 12th century, that is, southern Spain under Arab rule. At that time, it was pronounced as mirkās or merkās in Andalusian Arabic. Later it spread throughout North Africa and then to France and Germany.
Baba ghanoush is a Middle Eastern Levantine appetizer, which is made of cooked eggplant puree mixed with sesame sauce and olive oil, lemon juice and other seasonings. It is usually dipped in pita.
Tajine is a North African Berber specialty. Tajine in North African Arabic originates from ancient Greek, and its original meaning is pan. The tagine can be traced back to Harun al-Rashid, the fifth generation caliph of the Bassi Dynasty in the 8th-9th century, and appears in the 9th-century masterpiece "One Thousand and One Nights". Today's tagines are made of pottery, sometimes glazed, with a rounded flat bottom and a cone or dome on top. This design allows all evaporated water vapor to return to the bottom, and water can be added from the hole in the lid.
Couscous, a staple of Berber cuisine, is made from semolina rolled into millet-sized particles and then dried in the sun. Couscous was first seen in North Africa from the 11th to the 13th century. In the 13th century, Ibn Razin al-Tuyibi, a famous Andalusian scholar and gourmet, first recorded the recipe of couscous in his book "Andalusian Cookbook".
4. Arabic fast food restaurant Taiba
On January 17, 2021, Taiba, a new Arabic fast food restaurant, was recently opened on Guijie Street. I ate Arabic pizza Lahmacun, hummus, and chickpea croquettes Falafel, and drank Middle Eastern black tea with strong spices. Their little brother is from Sudan and speaks Chinese very well. In addition, they mainly serve takeout, and if you want to dine in, you can only eat at the noodle shop next to it.
Lahmacun comes from Arabic (لحم بعجين), which literally translates to "meat and dough". During the Ottoman era, Lahmacun spread from Arabia to pre-Ottoman regions such as Turkey and Armenia, so it was also called "Turkish pizza" or "Armenian pizza", but the basic method is to make thin pancakes with minced meat.
5. Syrian Restaurant BRBR
On March 7, 2021, we ate at BRBR, a Syrian restaurant in Wudaokou, at noon. I have heard about their restaurant for a long time, but I have never eaten there since I live too far away from the city. This is the first time I have eaten there. I feel deeply that their family is so popular! We went there after two o'clock and had to wait for a long time to be seated. All the young people came to eat.
Syrian cuisine is also a relatively standard Levantine cuisine. The most classic ones are hummus and falafel, but we didn’t order them this time. Ordered lentil soup, grilled meat platter (Shuqaf mutton skewers, traditional Kabab, chicken skewers and chicken wings), half grilled chicken, chickpea broad beans with tahini sauce, lemon mint.
What was special this time was the traditional Arab Mandi mutton rice. Mandi originated from Yemen and is popular in the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt and the Levant. Mandi is usually made of rice, meat (mutton, camel or chicken) and Hawaij spices. Hawaij is also a special spice originating from Yemen. It can be used for cooking, soup and coffee. The main ingredients are cumin, black pepper, turmeric and cardamom. The taste of Mandi is drier than ordinary curry rice.
2. Türkiye and Azerbaijan
1. Turkish Mom
On January 10, 2020, after getting married, I went to Sanlitun's Turkish mother with Zainab. I ordered lentil and wheat soup, "Sultan's favorite", barbecue platter and rice pudding, and then drank tea and smoked shisha to talk about things. Turkish Mama is much better than the Iranian food next door. The grilled lamb and toasted bread are especially delicious. The wheat rice we originally ordered was returned because the bread was so delicious.
The Sultan's Favorite (Hünkar Heğendi) is a snack that originated in the Ottoman court. It uses rich stewed lamb with creamy roasted eggplant puree. It is quite rare in Beijing.
On October 19, 2019, Turkish mothers smoked hookah, drank tea, and ate baklava and rice pudding in the west of Changhong Bridge.
2. Turkish Restaurant Dardanelle
On August 11, 2019, after the Eid al-Adha celebrations, I went out to eat at the Turkish restaurant Dardanir in the Temple of Heaven. I ordered lentil soup, cream of chicken soup, assorted salads (hummus, yellow pepper puree, chili puree), mint yogurt, roasted lamb liver, tomato lamb kebabs, Lahmachun pizza, yogurt Ayran and rice pudding.
On June 6, 2018, my friends and I went to Dardanelle on Shenlu Street to eat cream chicken soup, assorted barbecue, lamb cheese Pide, Mediterranean salad, rice pudding and Turkish black tea. I liked the lamb cheese Pide, it was really huge!
3. The secret of Rumi in Turkish restaurant
On February 18, 2021, have an Ottoman breakfast at Rumi’s Secret in the Temple of the Sun and pretend to be in Türkiye.
On September 25, 2020, in the evening, our family welcomed Zainab’s mother and had a secret dinner at Rumi’s, a Turkish restaurant on Ritan Street. Since its opening this summer, Rumi’s Secret has become a popular place to visit in Jindosti, especially among Uyghur friends. Because they don't sell alcohol, I think their environment is the most comfortable among the many halal restaurants on Ritan Street, and it's very suitable for family gatherings.
This time we ordered carrot puree and yogurt and eggplant puree as appetizers, lentil soup and cream of mushroom soup as soup, and then ordered grilled chicken, skewers and Pide. The boss also gave us black tea and dessert after the meal. Zainab's mother drank Middle Eastern lentil soup for the first time and found it delicious. Their grilled chicken and grilled skewers are also quite delicious, but the most recommended thing is the three-piece Pide pancake, which is a combination of cheese, meat and vegetables. I think it is even more delicious than the Pide in several restaurants I have eaten in Turkey.
On July 4, 2020, we ate at Rumi’s Secret, a Turkish restaurant on Ritan Street, at noon. Although their restaurant just opened in June, most of my dusty friends have tried it several times! The environment of their home is very good, suitable for chatting, and there are performances in the evening.
At their house, we had hummus hummus, carrot puree, cream of mushroom soup, lentil soup, black tea, yogurt aylan, rice pudding, grilled lamb roast beef, and minced meat pie Lahmacun.
4. The beautiful western courtyard of the Turkish restaurant
On May 6, 2021, Iftar ate the Ramadan set meal at Xiting Xiuse in Xinyuanli. There are two types of chicken and mutton, which are different every day. The lamb we caught yesterday was Karabakh Pilaf, and the chicken was grilled chicken wings.
Karabakh is an area on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Its name comes from the Turkic word "Kara (black)" and the Persian word "Bagh (garden)". Most of the people living here are Azerbaijanis. The Karabakh pilaf we ate was stewed lamb with apricots, and the rice was yellow because it was dyed with saffron juice. I had eaten this kind of apricot + saffron pilaf while listening to Azerbaijani Muqam when I was playing in Baku. It was very friendly this time.
In addition to the main course, the soup in the set menu is the classic red lentil soup. The side dishes are hummus with hummus, yogurt tomato sauce and carrot cheese sauce, as well as nut and pepper salad. The main dish is spinach Pide pancake, which is delicious with spinach and cheese. The drinks are Ayran and black tea. Their Ayran is not particularly sour. Finally there was rice pudding and Semolina for dessert.
In general, this package is quite cost-effective in the embassy area!
On June 24, 2020, I ate Lentil soup, cucumber yogurt, grape coconut meat roll Dolma, meat pie Kofte, beef cheese Pide pie, Ayran yogurt and pomegranate juice chicken at the Turkish restaurant Xiting Xiuse in Xinyuanli. Their store has been open for a year, and the store manager is a Turkmen from Turkmenistan. He stayed in Beijing after studying abroad at Communication University. The head chef is an Azerbaijani from Istanbul and works at five o'clock every day. The waiters in the store are also Kazakhs from Kazakhstan. I think theirs is really delicious. The Pide pancakes are very fragrant fresh out of the oven and the meat quality is also very good. The last photo is a beautiful photo of the chef sent to us by the store manager.
Summary: This travel note introduces Eating South Asian and Middle Eastern Food in Beijing (Part 1). I have been to many Middle Eastern and South Asian restaurants in Beijing in the past few years, some of which have closed. It is useful for readers interested in Beijing Halal Food, Muslim Travel, Middle Eastern Food.
I have been to many Middle Eastern and South Asian restaurants in Beijing in the past few years, some of which have closed. I have been thinking about sorting it out in the past few days. Next, I will try all the restaurants I have not been to. Now I will share with you the restaurants I have been to.
First, let’s list the South Asian and Middle Eastern restaurants in Beijing that I know: Al Ameen (Lebanon), Al Safir (Jordan), BRBR (Syria), One Thousand and One Nights (Arabia), Taiba Guijie Store (Arabia), Turkish Mama (Turkey), Rumi's Secret (Turkey), Xiting Xiuse (Turkey), Dardaniel (Azerbaijan/Turkey) (It), Desert Rose (Azerbaijan/Turkey), Doner&Kebab (Azerbaijan/Turkey), Kavkaz (Azerbaijan), Iranian Food (the Iranian boss has returned to China and is currently run by Chinese), Khan Baba (Pakistan), Zam Zam (Pakistan), Lahore Restaurant (Pakistan), Benjabi (India), Indian Chef (India), Land of Masala (India), Sadhuli (India).
Newly opened in 2021: Zayton (Palestine), Istanbul (Türkiye), Qubbe (Türkiye), Taiba Sanlitun Store (Arabia).
One that was written in 2020 but closed in 2021: Meza (Tunisia).
I have eaten at restaurants that are closed: Camel Restaurant (Morocco), Nayir (Azerbaijan), Shashi Castle (Uzbekistan), Enchant (Turkey), and Bata Pancake (Israel).
1. Arabia
1. Jordanian restaurant Al Safir
On April 18, 2021, Ramadan Iftar had a buffet at the Jordanian restaurant Al Safir in Sanyuanqiao. It was a good opportunity to experience Levantine salads and various sauces! Now you can try all the things you wouldn’t normally order. The most classic ones are of course Hummus and Falafel. The most authentic way to eat them is to eat them with pita bread, sandwiching various sauces and falafel. The main courses include fish, lamb chops, chicken stewed rice, fried chicken, adzuki bean soup and various juices, including grape juice. Their lamb chops are so delicious, it feels like they were grilled first? The taste is particularly good.
It was Zainab’s birthday on May 20, 2020. Iftar and I went to Al Safir. Ever since Zainab ate with their family last year, we have fallen in love with Arabic food, especially Levantine food. We were originally going to divorce and go to the Middle East together this year, but now we have to eat at Arabic restaurants to satisfy our cravings.
They can order a la carte and eat Iftar's buffet, as well as Iftar's dates. We had a buffet with a variety of salads and cups of Arabic bean soup. I ordered Beirut Hummus with garlic flavor, Falafel with fried chickpeas, and a barbecue platter. Their barbecue is delicious!
The more distinctive one is the yogurt sauce Kibbeh, which is a small scone made by grinding wheat, onions, beef, lamb and various Middle Eastern spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc.). It has fried beef on the outside and lamb filling on the inside. The word kibbeh comes from the North Levantine Arabic word meaning ball, and the dish originated in the Levant region and is popular throughout the Middle East.
On July 17, 2019, I had adzuki bean soup, mutton Hummus, Falafel, thick yogurt, cucumber yogurt and grilled meat platter at Al Safir. I really enjoyed it.
Hummus and Falafel are both specialty delicacies of the Levant region on the east coast of the Mediterranean. Hummus is super delicious in various ways. I have also been a fan of adzuki bean soup since I ate it in the Palestinian restaurant on campus when I was in college, but it is a bit too hot to eat in the summer.
I love their roast lamb so much! It's very tender, and it's so satisfying to wrap it in Arabic pancakes dipped in tomato sauce. Their barbecue is so delicious that there was an incident where I ate several pieces of the barbecue before I even remembered to take a photo www
On January 10, 2019, we had adzuki bean soup, mutton hummus, grilled fish and mint tea at Al Safir, a Jordanian restaurant in Sanyuanqiao. I especially like their Pi Ya Zi sauce! Have to add another portion each time.
2. Lebanese restaurant Al Ameen
On September 24, 2020, when my mother-in-law came to Beijing for her first meal, we ate at Al Ameen, a Lebanese restaurant next to the German Embassy outside Dongzhimen. I have eaten there for many years. It was closed for renovation for a period of time, and it reopened last year. This year, I feel that their family is obviously not as big as before YQ, and the dishes have become less. I hope their family can survive this difficult time.
I ordered the more classic appetizer platter (Hummus hummus, carrot puree, yogurt, Mutebbel eggplant yogurt sauce)\cream of mushroom soup, lentil soup, vegetable soup, chicken soup, barbecue platter and grilled vegetable platter. What’s more special is the Mahashi, a rice dumpling with lamb bone and vegetables.
Mahashi is made of Lebanese zucchini (Kusa) and eggplant stuffed with meat and rice, and cooked with tomato sauce, cumin and broth. Mahashi is a classic Ottoman dish that can be found throughout the pre-Ottoman regions from the Balkans to the Levant (eastern coast of the Mediterranean) and Egypt, and is prepared differently in each region. Mahashi is a common dish served at banquets at weddings, family gatherings and Eid.
On September 26, 2019, I went to the Lebanese restaurant Alameen in Sanlitun. After the renovation, it became a lot bigger and some new dishes were added. I will try it when I have time in the future. This time I had a platter of chickpea hummus sauce, eggplant sauce, yogurt, adzuki bean soup, cream of mushroom soup, lamb naan, lamb chops, fried fish and lemongrass mint tea. One of the more distinctive ones is Kibbeh, a Levantine barbecue.
On May 26, 2019, I ate roasted lamb leg, lentil soup and hummus at the Lebanese restaurant Alameen outside Dongzhimen in the evening.
3. Meza, a Tunisian restaurant (closed)
On the evening of December 21, 2020, I went to the Tunisian restaurant Mesa, which was newly opened in November. After the Moroccan restaurant Camel Team Restaurant and Bar closed due to the epidemic (the owner ran away), there is a North African restaurant in Beijing. (Unfortunately it will be closed again in 2021).
I ordered Brik with Tuna, sizzling Shakshuka with eggs, grilled chicken skewers, Tunisian sausage (Merguez), Baba Ganoush, pickle platter, lentil soup, and also ordered Tajine Couscous with various grilled meats, which was not on the menu.
Brik pie is a North African Berber dish that was later brought to Israel by Tunisian Jews. The filling is usually filled with eggs, tuna, harissa, parsley, etc., and then wrapped in crispy noodles called Malsouka or Warka and fried.
Shakshuka is a stew of eggs, tomatoes and onions, usually with olive oil, chili, garlic, cumin, nutmeg and other spices. Shakshouka, which means "mixture" in Arabic, is widely distributed in the former Ottoman lands and Andalusia, and was brought to Israel by Tunisian Jews. The dish was originally just a stew of minced meat or liver. Tomatoes and peppers were later introduced from the Americas, and eggs are often added to the Tunisian version.
Merguez is a North African sausage made from lamb and beef, mixed with cumin, harissa, chili peppers and other spices, and is usually grilled. Merguez sausage was first seen in Andalusia in the 12th century, that is, southern Spain under Arab rule. At that time, it was pronounced as mirkās or merkās in Andalusian Arabic. Later it spread throughout North Africa and then to France and Germany.
Baba ghanoush is a Middle Eastern Levantine appetizer, which is made of cooked eggplant puree mixed with sesame sauce and olive oil, lemon juice and other seasonings. It is usually dipped in pita.
Tajine is a North African Berber specialty. Tajine in North African Arabic originates from ancient Greek, and its original meaning is pan. The tagine can be traced back to Harun al-Rashid, the fifth generation caliph of the Bassi Dynasty in the 8th-9th century, and appears in the 9th-century masterpiece "One Thousand and One Nights". Today's tagines are made of pottery, sometimes glazed, with a rounded flat bottom and a cone or dome on top. This design allows all evaporated water vapor to return to the bottom, and water can be added from the hole in the lid.
Couscous, a staple of Berber cuisine, is made from semolina rolled into millet-sized particles and then dried in the sun. Couscous was first seen in North Africa from the 11th to the 13th century. In the 13th century, Ibn Razin al-Tuyibi, a famous Andalusian scholar and gourmet, first recorded the recipe of couscous in his book "Andalusian Cookbook".
4. Arabic fast food restaurant Taiba
On January 17, 2021, Taiba, a new Arabic fast food restaurant, was recently opened on Guijie Street. I ate Arabic pizza Lahmacun, hummus, and chickpea croquettes Falafel, and drank Middle Eastern black tea with strong spices. Their little brother is from Sudan and speaks Chinese very well. In addition, they mainly serve takeout, and if you want to dine in, you can only eat at the noodle shop next to it.
Lahmacun comes from Arabic (لحم بعجين), which literally translates to "meat and dough". During the Ottoman era, Lahmacun spread from Arabia to pre-Ottoman regions such as Turkey and Armenia, so it was also called "Turkish pizza" or "Armenian pizza", but the basic method is to make thin pancakes with minced meat.
5. Syrian Restaurant BRBR
On March 7, 2021, we ate at BRBR, a Syrian restaurant in Wudaokou, at noon. I have heard about their restaurant for a long time, but I have never eaten there since I live too far away from the city. This is the first time I have eaten there. I feel deeply that their family is so popular! We went there after two o'clock and had to wait for a long time to be seated. All the young people came to eat.
Syrian cuisine is also a relatively standard Levantine cuisine. The most classic ones are hummus and falafel, but we didn’t order them this time. Ordered lentil soup, grilled meat platter (Shuqaf mutton skewers, traditional Kabab, chicken skewers and chicken wings), half grilled chicken, chickpea broad beans with tahini sauce, lemon mint.
What was special this time was the traditional Arab Mandi mutton rice. Mandi originated from Yemen and is popular in the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt and the Levant. Mandi is usually made of rice, meat (mutton, camel or chicken) and Hawaij spices. Hawaij is also a special spice originating from Yemen. It can be used for cooking, soup and coffee. The main ingredients are cumin, black pepper, turmeric and cardamom. The taste of Mandi is drier than ordinary curry rice.
2. Türkiye and Azerbaijan
1. Turkish Mom
On January 10, 2020, after getting married, I went to Sanlitun's Turkish mother with Zainab. I ordered lentil and wheat soup, "Sultan's favorite", barbecue platter and rice pudding, and then drank tea and smoked shisha to talk about things. Turkish Mama is much better than the Iranian food next door. The grilled lamb and toasted bread are especially delicious. The wheat rice we originally ordered was returned because the bread was so delicious.
The Sultan's Favorite (Hünkar Heğendi) is a snack that originated in the Ottoman court. It uses rich stewed lamb with creamy roasted eggplant puree. It is quite rare in Beijing.
On October 19, 2019, Turkish mothers smoked hookah, drank tea, and ate baklava and rice pudding in the west of Changhong Bridge.
2. Turkish Restaurant Dardanelle
On August 11, 2019, after the Eid al-Adha celebrations, I went out to eat at the Turkish restaurant Dardanir in the Temple of Heaven. I ordered lentil soup, cream of chicken soup, assorted salads (hummus, yellow pepper puree, chili puree), mint yogurt, roasted lamb liver, tomato lamb kebabs, Lahmachun pizza, yogurt Ayran and rice pudding.
On June 6, 2018, my friends and I went to Dardanelle on Shenlu Street to eat cream chicken soup, assorted barbecue, lamb cheese Pide, Mediterranean salad, rice pudding and Turkish black tea. I liked the lamb cheese Pide, it was really huge!
3. The secret of Rumi in Turkish restaurant
On February 18, 2021, have an Ottoman breakfast at Rumi’s Secret in the Temple of the Sun and pretend to be in Türkiye.
On September 25, 2020, in the evening, our family welcomed Zainab’s mother and had a secret dinner at Rumi’s, a Turkish restaurant on Ritan Street. Since its opening this summer, Rumi’s Secret has become a popular place to visit in Jindosti, especially among Uyghur friends. Because they don't sell alcohol, I think their environment is the most comfortable among the many halal restaurants on Ritan Street, and it's very suitable for family gatherings.
This time we ordered carrot puree and yogurt and eggplant puree as appetizers, lentil soup and cream of mushroom soup as soup, and then ordered grilled chicken, skewers and Pide. The boss also gave us black tea and dessert after the meal. Zainab's mother drank Middle Eastern lentil soup for the first time and found it delicious. Their grilled chicken and grilled skewers are also quite delicious, but the most recommended thing is the three-piece Pide pancake, which is a combination of cheese, meat and vegetables. I think it is even more delicious than the Pide in several restaurants I have eaten in Turkey.
On July 4, 2020, we ate at Rumi’s Secret, a Turkish restaurant on Ritan Street, at noon. Although their restaurant just opened in June, most of my dusty friends have tried it several times! The environment of their home is very good, suitable for chatting, and there are performances in the evening.
At their house, we had hummus hummus, carrot puree, cream of mushroom soup, lentil soup, black tea, yogurt aylan, rice pudding, grilled lamb roast beef, and minced meat pie Lahmacun.
4. The beautiful western courtyard of the Turkish restaurant
On May 6, 2021, Iftar ate the Ramadan set meal at Xiting Xiuse in Xinyuanli. There are two types of chicken and mutton, which are different every day. The lamb we caught yesterday was Karabakh Pilaf, and the chicken was grilled chicken wings.
Karabakh is an area on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Its name comes from the Turkic word "Kara (black)" and the Persian word "Bagh (garden)". Most of the people living here are Azerbaijanis. The Karabakh pilaf we ate was stewed lamb with apricots, and the rice was yellow because it was dyed with saffron juice. I had eaten this kind of apricot + saffron pilaf while listening to Azerbaijani Muqam when I was playing in Baku. It was very friendly this time.
In addition to the main course, the soup in the set menu is the classic red lentil soup. The side dishes are hummus with hummus, yogurt tomato sauce and carrot cheese sauce, as well as nut and pepper salad. The main dish is spinach Pide pancake, which is delicious with spinach and cheese. The drinks are Ayran and black tea. Their Ayran is not particularly sour. Finally there was rice pudding and Semolina for dessert.
In general, this package is quite cost-effective in the embassy area!
On June 24, 2020, I ate Lentil soup, cucumber yogurt, grape coconut meat roll Dolma, meat pie Kofte, beef cheese Pide pie, Ayran yogurt and pomegranate juice chicken at the Turkish restaurant Xiting Xiuse in Xinyuanli. Their store has been open for a year, and the store manager is a Turkmen from Turkmenistan. He stayed in Beijing after studying abroad at Communication University. The head chef is an Azerbaijani from Istanbul and works at five o'clock every day. The waiters in the store are also Kazakhs from Kazakhstan. I think theirs is really delicious. The Pide pancakes are very fragrant fresh out of the oven and the meat quality is also very good. The last photo is a beautiful photo of the chef sent to us by the store manager.
