Halal Travel Guide: Beijing Autumn Diary — Mosques, Halal Food and Muslim Heritage (Part 3)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Beijing Autumn Diary — Mosques, Halal Food and Muslim Heritage is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: I was craving lamb pita bread soup (yangrou paomo) in the evening! I had a small bowl of lamb pita bread soup with wide noodles, daylily buds, and extra meat at Jiasan, plus a steamer of beef soup-filled buns (guantang. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Halal Food, Beijing Mosques, Muslim Heritage while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
November 12, Baiyun Temple, Jiasan Steamed Buns (baozi).
I was craving lamb pita bread soup (yangrou paomo) in the evening! I had a small bowl of lamb pita bread soup with wide noodles, daylily buds, and extra meat at Jiasan, plus a steamer of beef soup-filled buns (guantang bao), lamb skewers, and colorful ginseng fruit. It was so satisfying.
November 13, Meatball Soup (wanzi tang).
We all made Xinjiang-style meatball soup (wanzi tang) together at noon.
November 13, Syrian restaurant BRBR in Wudaokou.
We had dinner at the Syrian restaurant BRBR in Wudaokou. They recently expanded the shop, but it is still packed during meal times, and you basically have to wait for a table if you do not have a reservation. We ordered lentil soup, a grilled meat platter (Shuqaf lamb skewers, traditional Kabab, chicken skewers, and chicken wings), half a roasted chicken, Mandi lamb rice, Shawarma meat wraps, Tabbouleh salad, chickpea dip (Hummus), and roasted eggplant dip (Baba Ghanooge). Their roasted chicken is truly delicious!
Mandi originated in Yemen and is popular in the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, and the Levant. Mandi is usually made with rice, meat (lamb, camel, or chicken), and Hawaij spice. Hawaij is also a specialty spice from Yemen used for cooking, soups, and coffee. Its main ingredients are cumin, black pepper, turmeric, and cardamom. The texture of Mandi is drier than regular curry rice.
November 14, Weekend buffet at the Tunisian restaurant La Medina.
The Tunisian restaurant La Medina outside Dongzhimen now has a buffet on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. I went to try it yesterday at noon after watching Abbas. Since they started the buffet, business has been booming. It is basically full at noon, though it is mostly foreigners and very few Chinese people.
They have a very complete selection of appetizers, including Tabbouleh salad, Baba gannush (sesame eggplant dip), Hummus (chickpea dip), Mutebbel (eggplant yogurt dip), mashed carrots, and more. The appetizer soup is the North African specialty Harira bean soup. For stews, they have lamb and chicken, plus North African sausage (Merguez). These go very well with North African semolina (Couscous). Snacks include fried chickpea balls (Falafel) and fried triangular pastries (Samosa). For dessert, my friend had baklava yesterday, and we had rice pudding today.
November 18, Northeast-style Uncle Oyster Iron Pot Stew (tieguo dun) at Jiandemen.
We ate iron pot stewed goose at Uncle Oyster Iron Pot Stew, located at the Jiandemen subway station exit. The owner is from Harbin. Five of us ordered five jin of goose, served with potatoes, pickled cabbage (suancai), frozen tofu, shiitake mushrooms, chicken gizzards, chicken feet, and tofu skin. We also added golden hook green beans, and steamed cornmeal flatbreads (tiebingzi) and flower rolls (huajuan) on top, along with various dipping sauces. Eating iron pot stew in winter is so comfortable. The cornmeal flatbreads and flower rolls dipped in the broth are just addictive! Next time there are two of us, we plan to try the small free-range chicken (xiaobenji). A final reminder: their food might be a bit salty for people not used to Shandong cuisine, so be careful if you cannot handle salt.
November 20, Longxianghui, a Pingliang restaurant on Dongsi North Street.
A new restaurant from Pingliang, Gansu, called Longxianghui, just opened on Dongsi North Street, and they are offering a 12% discount for the opening. Pingliang-style lamb pita bread soup (yangrou paomo) is different from the version in Xi'an; it is a clear soup with lamb and vermicelli, and you break the bread into the bowl yourself right before eating. We also ordered their hand-grabbed lamb (shouzhuarou), but it felt a bit heavier and not as refreshing as the one at Yanlanlou.
November 21, Yangle Spicy Chicken.
I bought my favorite Urumqi Hui Muslim specialty, Yangle Spicy Chicken (laji).
November 25, Hailiye Yunnan Restaurant.
I ate beef hot pot (niupahu) and oil-drenched dried beef (youlin niuganba) at Hailiye Yunnan Restaurant in the Global Financial Center on the East Third Ring Road; beef hot pot is perfect for winter! I think the most important part of beef hot pot is that the beef broth must be simmered well, as that aroma makes you feel very warm. First, eat some beef and vegetables with the dipping sauce, then scoop a few spoonfuls over rice; I felt very satisfied after finishing.
Summary: Beijing Autumn Diary — Mosques, Halal Food and Muslim Heritage is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: I was craving lamb pita bread soup (yangrou paomo) in the evening! I had a small bowl of lamb pita bread soup with wide noodles, daylily buds, and extra meat at Jiasan, plus a steamer of beef soup-filled buns (guantang. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Halal Food, Beijing Mosques, Muslim Heritage while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
November 12, Baiyun Temple, Jiasan Steamed Buns (baozi).
I was craving lamb pita bread soup (yangrou paomo) in the evening! I had a small bowl of lamb pita bread soup with wide noodles, daylily buds, and extra meat at Jiasan, plus a steamer of beef soup-filled buns (guantang bao), lamb skewers, and colorful ginseng fruit. It was so satisfying.
November 13, Meatball Soup (wanzi tang).
We all made Xinjiang-style meatball soup (wanzi tang) together at noon.
November 13, Syrian restaurant BRBR in Wudaokou.
We had dinner at the Syrian restaurant BRBR in Wudaokou. They recently expanded the shop, but it is still packed during meal times, and you basically have to wait for a table if you do not have a reservation. We ordered lentil soup, a grilled meat platter (Shuqaf lamb skewers, traditional Kabab, chicken skewers, and chicken wings), half a roasted chicken, Mandi lamb rice, Shawarma meat wraps, Tabbouleh salad, chickpea dip (Hummus), and roasted eggplant dip (Baba Ghanooge). Their roasted chicken is truly delicious!
Mandi originated in Yemen and is popular in the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, and the Levant. Mandi is usually made with rice, meat (lamb, camel, or chicken), and Hawaij spice. Hawaij is also a specialty spice from Yemen used for cooking, soups, and coffee. Its main ingredients are cumin, black pepper, turmeric, and cardamom. The texture of Mandi is drier than regular curry rice.
November 14, Weekend buffet at the Tunisian restaurant La Medina.
The Tunisian restaurant La Medina outside Dongzhimen now has a buffet on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. I went to try it yesterday at noon after watching Abbas. Since they started the buffet, business has been booming. It is basically full at noon, though it is mostly foreigners and very few Chinese people.
They have a very complete selection of appetizers, including Tabbouleh salad, Baba gannush (sesame eggplant dip), Hummus (chickpea dip), Mutebbel (eggplant yogurt dip), mashed carrots, and more. The appetizer soup is the North African specialty Harira bean soup. For stews, they have lamb and chicken, plus North African sausage (Merguez). These go very well with North African semolina (Couscous). Snacks include fried chickpea balls (Falafel) and fried triangular pastries (Samosa). For dessert, my friend had baklava yesterday, and we had rice pudding today.
November 18, Northeast-style Uncle Oyster Iron Pot Stew (tieguo dun) at Jiandemen.
We ate iron pot stewed goose at Uncle Oyster Iron Pot Stew, located at the Jiandemen subway station exit. The owner is from Harbin. Five of us ordered five jin of goose, served with potatoes, pickled cabbage (suancai), frozen tofu, shiitake mushrooms, chicken gizzards, chicken feet, and tofu skin. We also added golden hook green beans, and steamed cornmeal flatbreads (tiebingzi) and flower rolls (huajuan) on top, along with various dipping sauces. Eating iron pot stew in winter is so comfortable. The cornmeal flatbreads and flower rolls dipped in the broth are just addictive! Next time there are two of us, we plan to try the small free-range chicken (xiaobenji). A final reminder: their food might be a bit salty for people not used to Shandong cuisine, so be careful if you cannot handle salt.
November 20, Longxianghui, a Pingliang restaurant on Dongsi North Street.
A new restaurant from Pingliang, Gansu, called Longxianghui, just opened on Dongsi North Street, and they are offering a 12% discount for the opening. Pingliang-style lamb pita bread soup (yangrou paomo) is different from the version in Xi'an; it is a clear soup with lamb and vermicelli, and you break the bread into the bowl yourself right before eating. We also ordered their hand-grabbed lamb (shouzhuarou), but it felt a bit heavier and not as refreshing as the one at Yanlanlou.
November 21, Yangle Spicy Chicken.
I bought my favorite Urumqi Hui Muslim specialty, Yangle Spicy Chicken (laji).
November 25, Hailiye Yunnan Restaurant.
I ate beef hot pot (niupahu) and oil-drenched dried beef (youlin niuganba) at Hailiye Yunnan Restaurant in the Global Financial Center on the East Third Ring Road; beef hot pot is perfect for winter! I think the most important part of beef hot pot is that the beef broth must be simmered well, as that aroma makes you feel very warm. First, eat some beef and vegetables with the dipping sauce, then scoop a few spoonfuls over rice; I felt very satisfied after finishing.
