Beijing Halal Travel Diary in Spring 2022: Mosques, Muslim Food and City Walks (Part 1)
Reposted from the web
Summary: This travel note introduces Beijing Halal Travel Diary in Spring 2022: Mosques, Muslim Food and City Walks (Part 1). I have been recording my Beijing Halal diary since 2016, and it has been 6 years now. It is useful for readers interested in Beijing Halal Travel, Beijing Mosques, Halal Food.
I have been recording my Beijing Halal diary since 2016, and it has been 6 years now. The Halal life in the spring of 2022 was still quite rich and colorful. In March, my mother-in-law came to Beijing and made us 15 types of Urumqi Hui Muslim delicacies. See the diaries '15 Urumqi Hui Muslim Delicacies Made by My Mother-in-law (Part 1)' and '15 Urumqi Hui Muslim Delicacies Made by My Mother-in-law (Part 2)'. April marked the beginning of Ramadan. We had Iftar (the meal to break the fast) buffets at four restaurants—Turkish, Tunisian, Jordanian, and Pakistani—which turned into a culinary tour of the Middle East and South Asia. See the diary 'Eating Turkish, Tunisian, Jordanian, and Pakistani Buffets in Beijing during Ramadan'. In May, dine-in services were suspended, so we ordered some takeout and cooked some home-style dishes. Fortunately, we finally made it through.
March 6, Hailiye at Jingguang Bridge
We ate at Hailiye next to Jingguang Bridge at noon. We had oil-drizzled beef jerky, fried rushan (a type of firm cheese), Shiping tofu, Dajiujia (a stir-fried rice noodle dish made with erkuai), braised beef, stir-fried porcini mushrooms, and Thai lime soda. Their place is always packed on weekday lunchtimes, haha, but there are very few people on weekends. It was my first time eating their stir-fried porcini mushrooms, and it tasted very fragrant.
March 8, Hot pot at home
We had hot pot at home today, using a special dipping sauce bought at the Niujie Halal Supermarket, the only one without MSG.
March 9, Chidao Yakiniku lunch set
I set aside one day every week to go to Chidao Yakiniku for a different lunch set. Today I had the beef curry set.
March 18, Chidao Yakiniku lunch set
Chidao Yakiniku's beef and egg rice set served with General's Order sushi, which has grilled eel on the outside and roasted sweet potato inside; it's very interesting.
March 23, Ali at Ritan Shangjie
I took my mother-in-law to test Ali's pilaf, rice sausage, and lung slices at Ritan Shangjie. It received her approval, and she immediately tasted that their lamb for the pilaf was shipped from Xinjiang, not local. In the end, we all enjoyed it very much. Also, their diluted yogurt, Ayran, is very authentic; one sip and I was back at a weekend bazaar in a Southern Xinjiang county. As a restaurant that can satisfy even local Xinjiang people, Ali is great~
March 27, Lili Yangke outside Guangqumen
An old Hezhou-style restaurant outside Guangqumen has reopened as Lili Yangke, specializing in Dongxiang shouzhuo (hand-grabbed lamb), and the environment is excellent. We ordered Dongxiang shouzhuo, braised lamb, Lanzhou stir-fried lily bulbs, tianbeizi (fermented sweet wheat) yogurt, a mix of highland barley cakes and corn cakes, and a super luxurious eight-treasure tea. Unfortunately, the Dongxiang chicken was sold out, so we will try it next time.
The shouzhuo was quite good; as soon as you eat it, you get the taste of Dongxiang shouzhuo. The braised lamb was a bit salty, so we added a plate of white noodles, which was just right. I love drinking the tianbeizi yogurt. They also have tianbeizi milk tea and Sprite with tianbeizi, which I guess should be very popular with young people. The eight-treasure tea contained large slices of dried pineapple, dried peach, dried kiwi, and dried apricot. The dates used were also dense Hotan dates. It counts as the most luxurious eight-treasure tea I have ever had. The highland barley cakes were very fluffy and tasted good; our whole family loves them.
April 1, Chidao Yakiniku lunch set
Chidao Yakiniku's soy-braised beef set, baked potato with cod roe, and Hokkaido cheese; the cheese was especially delicious.
April 1, Hot pot chicken from Imam Ma's Cangzhou Muguang Eight Great Bowls
Thanks to a Dost (friend) for sending the hot pot chicken from Imam Ma's Cangzhou Muguang Eight Great Bowls; it was especially delicious! The braised flavor was slightly sweet, and I couldn't get enough of it.
April 3, Clear-stewed lamb with naan (flatbread)
April 4, Medina dates bought for Ramadan
On the left are Mabroom dates, which are slender and dark brown with a candy-like texture and moderate sweetness.
In the middle are Safawi dates, which are rectangular and dark black, and relatively soft. These are also the ones that Hajj pilgrims eat more often during their time in Hejaz.
On the right are Ajwa dates, which are round, dark black, chewy, and very sweet. This is also the most famous type of date, mentioned in the Hadith, and commonly known among Hui Muslims as 'Dua dates'. Because it is mentioned in the Hadith that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 'Whoever eats seven Ajwa dates every morning will not be harmed by poison or magic on that day.' ' [Sahih Bukhari] It is recorded that all Ajwa dates originally came from a date palm tree planted by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
April 5, Braised beef steak
April 7, Baizuan, a Kashgar restaurant in Shilihe
Iftar at Baizuan, a Kashgar restaurant in Shilihe. We ate lamb leg pilaf, mushrooms with wood ear fungus and meat, and freshly wrapped ququr (small dumplings). The ququr was served in lamb soup with pumpkin inside. As an authentic Xinjiang restaurant, their pilaf allows for unlimited refills. After adding more rice, pairing it with some grilled lamb and grilled lung is another kind of pleasure. Also, their pilaf side dish includes yellow carrots, which gets a thumbs up.
Before leaving, we bought Zaynab's favorite milk naan; the milky, slightly sweet, and soft naan is really too delicious.
April 16, Jinmaozhai Xilepu fried snacks
A new food court opened next to the Xianhui Supermarket on Dongsi Shitiao, and there is a Halal Jinmaozhai Xilepu fried snack shop inside, selling fried chicken, fried skewers, and so on. Yesterday I bought two skewers of fried lamb for Iftar. This shop was opened by the founder of Lao Jinji fried snacks after he was pushed out, and now it's closer to our home.
April 16, Uncle Hao's Iron Pot Stew at Changhong Bridge
Iftar at Uncle Hao's Iron Pot Stew at Changhong Bridge, eating Northeast-style iron pot stewed taimen (Hucho taimen/Siberian salmon). The owner of Qingxiangge opened three shops in this building; the first floor sells crayfish and beef banmian (pulled noodles), and the second floor is for iron pot stew.
Taimen, also known as Siberian salmon, is a large cold-water predatory fish distributed in cold regions from the Volga River to Siberia, and mainly in the Heilongjiang area in China. Taimen are huge, with a body length of over 1 meter, or even reaching 2 meters, and a weight that can reach 50 kilograms. Uncle Hao usually uses 30-kilogram taimen, cut into fish chunks, without pre-marinating.
The stew broth is made by boiling chicken bones without adding chicken essence. We also chose side dishes like golden beans, fresh tofu, and Chinese cabbage, as well as Northeast-style dipping sauce vegetables. Stew for 5 minutes first, then put half a portion of huajuan (steamed flower rolls) on the rack, and stew for another 10 minutes before eating.
Also, their service attitude is really great. The Northeast lady who is the head waitress asks every table how the taste is and how the saltiness is. She is super enthusiastic, which makes one feel warm inside.
April 18, Iftar latiaozi (hand-pulled noodles)
April 21, Braised lamb rice from Baodu Man at the east entrance of Dongsi Wutiao
Iftar, braised lamb rice from Baodu Man at the east entrance of Dongsi Wutiao, with extra meat soup and half a jin of braised lamb; it was so satisfying. Their braised lamb is tougher than the one at Gulou Chimiantang, and the different texture makes for a different experience.
April 22, Family dinner
I made braised beef ribs, and my mom made steamed flatfish.
April 26, Barbican drink
Ten years ago, when I was in college in Wuhan, the summer was stiflingly hot. Besides the 5-mao bowl of osmanthus plum juice in the cafeteria, I would occasionally splurge and buy two bottles of Dubai malt drink at the Halal imported supermarket next to the International Exchange College. Holding the chilled glass bottle in my hand felt like it was cooling me down. In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed. I saw them for sale online this time and bought a few bottles. Unfortunately, there was no original flavor, so I only bought lemon flavor. I miss this feeling so much~ However, I don't want to experience the summer in Wuhan again, haha. Every time I go back to Wuhan after graduation, I choose to go in spring or autumn.
April 30, Visiting Changying
Giving out Fitr Zakat, and buying lamb heads at Zhangji.
May 1, Dost invited us for Iftar
Invited by a Dost for Iftar. The Dost's two children were super well-behaved, which increased my and Zaynab's confidence in raising children~ Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah).
May 2, Eid al-Fitr
Eid al-Fitr Mubarak!
Freshly fried youxiang (fried dough) sent to Zaynab by a Dost from Niujie. Sharing the Barakah (blessing), it was very delicious!
May 3, Gulou Chimiantang takeout
Bought cold noodles and 'liver and intestines broken' (chicken liver and chicken sausage) from Gulou Chimiantang to take home, and also drank non-alcoholic wheat beverage. Summer is coming, it's time to eat their sesame paste noodles and scallion oil noodles.
May 6, Beimencang Jinmaozhai takeout
Fried chicken legs, chicken hearts, and chicken ankles from Beimencang Jinmaozhai, and also bought squid-filled samsa (pastry).
May 8, Home-cooked meal
May 8, Huashi Mosque Quanlaishun pancake
Pancake wrapped with beef from the backyard of Huashi Mosque, served with five-grain soy milk. You can't eat this fragrant beef pancake anywhere else.
May 8, Luzhuangzi Guishunzhai in Xihuashi
Bought caozigao (traditional sponge cake) and milk-skin pastries at Luzhuangzi Guishunzhai in Xihuashi to eat for breakfast.
May 8, Chongwenmen New World Maji Handmade Dumplings
I highly recommend Maji Handmade Dumplings in the supermarket on the basement floor of Chongwenmen New World. If I hadn't decided to go to the supermarket to buy something, I would never have discovered it!
Boss Ma is a Hui Muslim from Fushun, Liaoning. Besides selling handmade dumplings with various fillings, he also makes Northeast-style cold noodles and various hand-rolled noodles. What is most admirable is that Boss Ma rolls and cuts every bowl of noodles fresh, instead of preparing them in advance, because the texture of freshly rolled and boiled noodles is really better. I was a little worried about what Boss Ma would do if there were too many people, but because the supermarket is very deserted now, it is actually difficult to encounter a situation where he is too busy.
We bought a bowl of zhajiangmian (noodles with soybean paste), which is the traditional Northeast egg-based zhajiang. It wasn't made too salty, and it went very well with the hand-rolled noodles. We also packed some fennel dumplings to eat at home.
Because logistics are restricted and there are too few customers, many of their dishes have not been available these past few days. I am looking forward to their Northeast-style pancakes. These were brought by Northeast people who 'crossed the border' (migrated to the Northeast) from their hometown in Shandong. You can eat them plain, or take them home to roll with stir-fried potato shreds and bean sprouts, or roll them with dipping sauce vegetables. For dumplings, you can try the less common beef and sauerkraut filling and zucchini and egg filling. Besides zhajiang, the noodles also include braised beef, minced meat with eggplant, tomato sauce, and sesame paste cold noodles. I hope this wave of the epidemic ends soon, and Boss Ma can get everything started!
Summary: This travel note introduces Beijing Halal Travel Diary in Spring 2022: Mosques, Muslim Food and City Walks (Part 1). I have been recording my Beijing Halal diary since 2016, and it has been 6 years now. It is useful for readers interested in Beijing Halal Travel, Beijing Mosques, Halal Food.
I have been recording my Beijing Halal diary since 2016, and it has been 6 years now. The Halal life in the spring of 2022 was still quite rich and colorful. In March, my mother-in-law came to Beijing and made us 15 types of Urumqi Hui Muslim delicacies. See the diaries '15 Urumqi Hui Muslim Delicacies Made by My Mother-in-law (Part 1)' and '15 Urumqi Hui Muslim Delicacies Made by My Mother-in-law (Part 2)'. April marked the beginning of Ramadan. We had Iftar (the meal to break the fast) buffets at four restaurants—Turkish, Tunisian, Jordanian, and Pakistani—which turned into a culinary tour of the Middle East and South Asia. See the diary 'Eating Turkish, Tunisian, Jordanian, and Pakistani Buffets in Beijing during Ramadan'. In May, dine-in services were suspended, so we ordered some takeout and cooked some home-style dishes. Fortunately, we finally made it through.
March 6, Hailiye at Jingguang Bridge
We ate at Hailiye next to Jingguang Bridge at noon. We had oil-drizzled beef jerky, fried rushan (a type of firm cheese), Shiping tofu, Dajiujia (a stir-fried rice noodle dish made with erkuai), braised beef, stir-fried porcini mushrooms, and Thai lime soda. Their place is always packed on weekday lunchtimes, haha, but there are very few people on weekends. It was my first time eating their stir-fried porcini mushrooms, and it tasted very fragrant.
March 8, Hot pot at home
We had hot pot at home today, using a special dipping sauce bought at the Niujie Halal Supermarket, the only one without MSG.
March 9, Chidao Yakiniku lunch set
I set aside one day every week to go to Chidao Yakiniku for a different lunch set. Today I had the beef curry set.
March 18, Chidao Yakiniku lunch set
Chidao Yakiniku's beef and egg rice set served with General's Order sushi, which has grilled eel on the outside and roasted sweet potato inside; it's very interesting.
March 23, Ali at Ritan Shangjie
I took my mother-in-law to test Ali's pilaf, rice sausage, and lung slices at Ritan Shangjie. It received her approval, and she immediately tasted that their lamb for the pilaf was shipped from Xinjiang, not local. In the end, we all enjoyed it very much. Also, their diluted yogurt, Ayran, is very authentic; one sip and I was back at a weekend bazaar in a Southern Xinjiang county. As a restaurant that can satisfy even local Xinjiang people, Ali is great~
March 27, Lili Yangke outside Guangqumen
An old Hezhou-style restaurant outside Guangqumen has reopened as Lili Yangke, specializing in Dongxiang shouzhuo (hand-grabbed lamb), and the environment is excellent. We ordered Dongxiang shouzhuo, braised lamb, Lanzhou stir-fried lily bulbs, tianbeizi (fermented sweet wheat) yogurt, a mix of highland barley cakes and corn cakes, and a super luxurious eight-treasure tea. Unfortunately, the Dongxiang chicken was sold out, so we will try it next time.
The shouzhuo was quite good; as soon as you eat it, you get the taste of Dongxiang shouzhuo. The braised lamb was a bit salty, so we added a plate of white noodles, which was just right. I love drinking the tianbeizi yogurt. They also have tianbeizi milk tea and Sprite with tianbeizi, which I guess should be very popular with young people. The eight-treasure tea contained large slices of dried pineapple, dried peach, dried kiwi, and dried apricot. The dates used were also dense Hotan dates. It counts as the most luxurious eight-treasure tea I have ever had. The highland barley cakes were very fluffy and tasted good; our whole family loves them.
April 1, Chidao Yakiniku lunch set
Chidao Yakiniku's soy-braised beef set, baked potato with cod roe, and Hokkaido cheese; the cheese was especially delicious.
April 1, Hot pot chicken from Imam Ma's Cangzhou Muguang Eight Great Bowls
Thanks to a Dost (friend) for sending the hot pot chicken from Imam Ma's Cangzhou Muguang Eight Great Bowls; it was especially delicious! The braised flavor was slightly sweet, and I couldn't get enough of it.
April 3, Clear-stewed lamb with naan (flatbread)
April 4, Medina dates bought for Ramadan
On the left are Mabroom dates, which are slender and dark brown with a candy-like texture and moderate sweetness.
In the middle are Safawi dates, which are rectangular and dark black, and relatively soft. These are also the ones that Hajj pilgrims eat more often during their time in Hejaz.
On the right are Ajwa dates, which are round, dark black, chewy, and very sweet. This is also the most famous type of date, mentioned in the Hadith, and commonly known among Hui Muslims as 'Dua dates'. Because it is mentioned in the Hadith that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 'Whoever eats seven Ajwa dates every morning will not be harmed by poison or magic on that day.' ' [Sahih Bukhari] It is recorded that all Ajwa dates originally came from a date palm tree planted by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
April 5, Braised beef steak
April 7, Baizuan, a Kashgar restaurant in Shilihe
Iftar at Baizuan, a Kashgar restaurant in Shilihe. We ate lamb leg pilaf, mushrooms with wood ear fungus and meat, and freshly wrapped ququr (small dumplings). The ququr was served in lamb soup with pumpkin inside. As an authentic Xinjiang restaurant, their pilaf allows for unlimited refills. After adding more rice, pairing it with some grilled lamb and grilled lung is another kind of pleasure. Also, their pilaf side dish includes yellow carrots, which gets a thumbs up.
Before leaving, we bought Zaynab's favorite milk naan; the milky, slightly sweet, and soft naan is really too delicious.
April 16, Jinmaozhai Xilepu fried snacks
A new food court opened next to the Xianhui Supermarket on Dongsi Shitiao, and there is a Halal Jinmaozhai Xilepu fried snack shop inside, selling fried chicken, fried skewers, and so on. Yesterday I bought two skewers of fried lamb for Iftar. This shop was opened by the founder of Lao Jinji fried snacks after he was pushed out, and now it's closer to our home.
April 16, Uncle Hao's Iron Pot Stew at Changhong Bridge
Iftar at Uncle Hao's Iron Pot Stew at Changhong Bridge, eating Northeast-style iron pot stewed taimen (Hucho taimen/Siberian salmon). The owner of Qingxiangge opened three shops in this building; the first floor sells crayfish and beef banmian (pulled noodles), and the second floor is for iron pot stew.
Taimen, also known as Siberian salmon, is a large cold-water predatory fish distributed in cold regions from the Volga River to Siberia, and mainly in the Heilongjiang area in China. Taimen are huge, with a body length of over 1 meter, or even reaching 2 meters, and a weight that can reach 50 kilograms. Uncle Hao usually uses 30-kilogram taimen, cut into fish chunks, without pre-marinating.
The stew broth is made by boiling chicken bones without adding chicken essence. We also chose side dishes like golden beans, fresh tofu, and Chinese cabbage, as well as Northeast-style dipping sauce vegetables. Stew for 5 minutes first, then put half a portion of huajuan (steamed flower rolls) on the rack, and stew for another 10 minutes before eating.
Also, their service attitude is really great. The Northeast lady who is the head waitress asks every table how the taste is and how the saltiness is. She is super enthusiastic, which makes one feel warm inside.
April 18, Iftar latiaozi (hand-pulled noodles)
April 21, Braised lamb rice from Baodu Man at the east entrance of Dongsi Wutiao
Iftar, braised lamb rice from Baodu Man at the east entrance of Dongsi Wutiao, with extra meat soup and half a jin of braised lamb; it was so satisfying. Their braised lamb is tougher than the one at Gulou Chimiantang, and the different texture makes for a different experience.
April 22, Family dinner
I made braised beef ribs, and my mom made steamed flatfish.
April 26, Barbican drink
Ten years ago, when I was in college in Wuhan, the summer was stiflingly hot. Besides the 5-mao bowl of osmanthus plum juice in the cafeteria, I would occasionally splurge and buy two bottles of Dubai malt drink at the Halal imported supermarket next to the International Exchange College. Holding the chilled glass bottle in my hand felt like it was cooling me down. In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed. I saw them for sale online this time and bought a few bottles. Unfortunately, there was no original flavor, so I only bought lemon flavor. I miss this feeling so much~ However, I don't want to experience the summer in Wuhan again, haha. Every time I go back to Wuhan after graduation, I choose to go in spring or autumn.
April 30, Visiting Changying
Giving out Fitr Zakat, and buying lamb heads at Zhangji.
May 1, Dost invited us for Iftar
Invited by a Dost for Iftar. The Dost's two children were super well-behaved, which increased my and Zaynab's confidence in raising children~ Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah).
May 2, Eid al-Fitr
Eid al-Fitr Mubarak!
Freshly fried youxiang (fried dough) sent to Zaynab by a Dost from Niujie. Sharing the Barakah (blessing), it was very delicious!
May 3, Gulou Chimiantang takeout
Bought cold noodles and 'liver and intestines broken' (chicken liver and chicken sausage) from Gulou Chimiantang to take home, and also drank non-alcoholic wheat beverage. Summer is coming, it's time to eat their sesame paste noodles and scallion oil noodles.
May 6, Beimencang Jinmaozhai takeout
Fried chicken legs, chicken hearts, and chicken ankles from Beimencang Jinmaozhai, and also bought squid-filled samsa (pastry).
May 8, Home-cooked meal
May 8, Huashi Mosque Quanlaishun pancake
Pancake wrapped with beef from the backyard of Huashi Mosque, served with five-grain soy milk. You can't eat this fragrant beef pancake anywhere else.
May 8, Luzhuangzi Guishunzhai in Xihuashi
Bought caozigao (traditional sponge cake) and milk-skin pastries at Luzhuangzi Guishunzhai in Xihuashi to eat for breakfast.
May 8, Chongwenmen New World Maji Handmade Dumplings
I highly recommend Maji Handmade Dumplings in the supermarket on the basement floor of Chongwenmen New World. If I hadn't decided to go to the supermarket to buy something, I would never have discovered it!
Boss Ma is a Hui Muslim from Fushun, Liaoning. Besides selling handmade dumplings with various fillings, he also makes Northeast-style cold noodles and various hand-rolled noodles. What is most admirable is that Boss Ma rolls and cuts every bowl of noodles fresh, instead of preparing them in advance, because the texture of freshly rolled and boiled noodles is really better. I was a little worried about what Boss Ma would do if there were too many people, but because the supermarket is very deserted now, it is actually difficult to encounter a situation where he is too busy.
We bought a bowl of zhajiangmian (noodles with soybean paste), which is the traditional Northeast egg-based zhajiang. It wasn't made too salty, and it went very well with the hand-rolled noodles. We also packed some fennel dumplings to eat at home.
Because logistics are restricted and there are too few customers, many of their dishes have not been available these past few days. I am looking forward to their Northeast-style pancakes. These were brought by Northeast people who 'crossed the border' (migrated to the Northeast) from their hometown in Shandong. You can eat them plain, or take them home to roll with stir-fried potato shreds and bean sprouts, or roll them with dipping sauce vegetables. For dumplings, you can try the less common beef and sauerkraut filling and zucchini and egg filling. Besides zhajiang, the noodles also include braised beef, minced meat with eggplant, tomato sauce, and sesame paste cold noodles. I hope this wave of the epidemic ends soon, and Boss Ma can get everything started!
