Halal Travel Guide: Tianjin Northwest Corner — Muslim Food and Street Changes (Part 2)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Tianjin Northwest Corner — Muslim Food and Street Changes is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Next, I went to Zhimeizhai, which Xiaolin recommended, to have water caltrop soup (lingjiao tang) and old-style tofu (lao doufu). Their beef sesame flatbread (shaobing) is really good. The account keeps its focus on Tianjin Halal Food, Northwest Corner, Muslim Streets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Next, I went to Zhimeizhai, which Xiaolin recommended, to have water caltrop soup (lingjiao tang) and old-style tofu (lao doufu). Their beef sesame flatbread (shaobing) is really good.
The alleys near Lingdang Pavilion that were waiting to be torn down have now completely disappeared.
I returned to the busy Xiguan Street.
This was my second time at Ye's Rice Noodle Rolls (changfen), and I finally saw the owner. The owner is a girl from Guangzhou. They say she met a guy from Tianjin while traveling in Thailand. They fell in love, got married, and eventually came back to the Northwest Corner to open this rice noodle roll and beef offal shop.
Then I went to eat the shrimp-in-egg (xia che dan) and octopus balls (takoyaki) next door. Shrimp-in-egg is just a shrimp wrapped inside a quail egg, topped with mayonnaise and mustard, and finished with a generous sprinkle of bonito flakes. It is especially delicious!
When I went the night before, the candied hawthorn skewers (tangduier) were sold out, so I made a special trip this time to buy one to eat. I also bought their apricot jam, which is sweet and tastes great.
I met a little kid who really wanted some steamed pear cake (shuligao). The way he looked at it, he was practically diving into the cake. I believe this shop will be a wonderful memory for him when he grows up, just like the Longfu Mosque snack shop is in my heart.
June 2018
In 2018, I suddenly heard that the once-busy Xiguan Beili Market in the Northwest Corner had been cleared out. So, on June 10, I went to see what Xiguan Beili looked like after the clearance.
I had heard many people praise the crispy rice pancake (guobacai) at Zhengweizhai next to the South Mosque (Qingzhen Nansi) in the Northwest Corner. People say it is the best beef-sauce crispy rice pancake nearby. I headed straight to Zhengweizhai early in the morning, but when I arrived at nine o'clock, they had just sold the last bowl. I was very disappointed to miss it.
I strolled back from Zhengweizhai to the gate of the South Mosque and bought two fried cakes (zhagao) at Longyuezhai. You have to eat fried cakes while they are hot! Longyuezhai closed down in September 2018. This might have been the last summer everyone could eat fried cakes at the gate of the South Mosque.
Across from Longyuezhai is Enqingcheng Guobacai. Their shop is very busy, so I waited in line to buy millet porridge (miancha) and crispy rice pancake. Tianjin's millet porridge is thicker than Beijing's. You have to sprinkle two layers of spiced salt on it, and it is very satisfying to eat. Their crispy rice pancake is also very delicious.
Another big breakfast area in the Northwest Corner is on the south side of Jieyuan Road at the Northwest Corner intersection. I bought a Tianjin-style vegetable roll (sujuanquan) here to eat.
This fried dough stick (guoz) stall is right in front of Yangyi Restaurant on Jieyuan Road. People say their egg-filled fried dough stick (jidan guozi) is the best in the Northwest Corner.
A flatbread (dabing) filled with everything!
I really like the steam rising from the steamer; it creates such a great atmosphere.
This shop sells various kinds of rice cakes and donkey roll cakes (lvdagun).
A savory crepe (jianbing guozi) stall is a must-have.
Sesame flatbread (shaobing) and steamed buns (baozi).
Keep walking south from the South Mosque (Nan Si), and you will see that the shops in the northern part of Xiguan Beili are still there.
Keep heading south until you reach Xiguan Street, where most of the shops have been cleared out.
Luckily, my favorite Hailan black beans (wudou) are still there!
Eating hot black beans while walking is so delicious.
Compared to the morning, the night at Northwest Corner (Xibeijiao) is also very interesting. Although the night market at the intersection was cleared out two years ago, some stalls still appear there, like this Old Ma pancake (jianbing) stand.
Two eggs and two fried dough sticks (guozhi) make for a very satisfying meal.
Then I bought some sour plum drink (suanmeitang), which is homemade with rock sugar and plum pulp to help with digestion and boost the appetite.
Summer nights definitely need barbecue.
October 2018.
I went to Tianjin for a food tour on Sunday, October 14, 2018. Ten o'clock is an awkward time for the Northwest Corner. I went straight to the meat porridge (rouzhou) at the entrance of the South Mosque, but it had just sold out, and the millet flour tea (miancha) next door had also just sold out. I planned to have the meat porridge next time, but the shop was cleared out shortly after.
I ate a warm red bean paste rice cake (gaogan) from Wenergu Gaogan at the entrance of the Great Southern Mosque (Nandasi).
The Longyuezhai Zhangji fried cake (zhagao) I ate in the summer has actually closed down.
This Yishuncheng branch on Huanqing West Alley opened recently, so I had a bowl of scorched rice soup (guobacai) there.
The freshly brewed sour plum drink (suanmeitang) on Xima Road is really delicious.
I had a beef pancake (niuroubing) with rice porridge next to the Muslim supermarket.
I bought a pear cake (ligao) from Daiji Candy Shop at the archway of the Great Southern Mosque (Nandasi).
May 2019
I visited Tianjin again in May 2019 and took a walk around the Northwest Corner (Xibeijiao).
The various snacks at Daiji Candy Shop under the Great Southern Mosque (Nandasi) archway are perfect for tea. I bought beef jerky and potato chips, and I especially like their beef jerky.
You can buy the ingredients for making traditional sour plum drink (suanmeitang) at Daiji Candy Shop under the Great Southern Mosque (Nandasi) archway in the Northwest Corner (Xibeijiao) nearby.
I also bought Tianjin-style steamed pear cake (shuligao) on Xiguan Street, and every flavor was different.
June 2019
On June 30, 2019, I made a special trip to the Northwest Corner of Tianjin for a snack tour.
I got up early and headed straight to Zhengweizhai next to the South Mosque in the Northwest Corner to eat savory crepe strips in gravy (guobacai). They are open from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. I had been there several times before and it was always sold out, but this time I finally got to eat it.
Zhengweizhai is known as the best place for guobacai in Tianjin, and the line there every morning is the longest in the Northwest Corner. Mu Sangu runs Zhengweizhai, making sure the gravy is hot, the toppings are plentiful, and the crepe strips are made in-house. The spoonful of black sauce that Mu Sangu ladles onto the crepe strips is their secret recipe, and that one spoonful puts them miles ahead of everyone else.
Also, mung bean crepe strips spoil easily in the summer, so guobacai shops traditionally used to close for the summer or switch to selling mung bean starch soup (fentang). Now that we have refrigerators, most breakfast shops keep the crepe strips in the fridge during the hottest days, but this ruins the flavor and texture. Zhengweizhai is the only one that still insists on closing for the summer, shutting down from mid-July to mid-August every year.
Zhengweizhai still keeps the tradition of serving guobacai with steamed corn buns (wotou), but this time we chose to buy hot-water dough red bean paste fried cakes (zhagao) from across the street. The hot-water dough fried cakes are red, which is different from the traditional yellow glutinous rice fried cakes, but they are also very delicious.
After finishing the crispy rice pancake (guobacai), I turned the corner and went to Chenmeizhai nearby for vermicelli soup (fentang) and millet porridge with sesame paste (miancha). Vermicelli soup is a traditional Tianjin breakfast, but it is getting harder to find these days, and this was my first time trying it. It is made by pouring a savory sauce over vermicelli noodles, topped with dried shrimp and chive leaves, which makes it taste incredibly fresh. I have been drinking millet porridge with sesame paste since I was a kid, but the version in Tianjin is truly better than the one in Beijing. Tianjin's version uses two layers of sesame paste and seasoned salt, making it much richer and more fragrant than the Beijing style.
Across from Chenmeizhai is a shop selling steamed rice cakes (gaogan), so I bought some fresh ones filled with red bean paste. I have loved these steamed rice cakes since I was little, but the ones sold in supermarkets dry out and lose their texture. They have to be freshly made and hot to taste good.
I walked north from the South Mosque in the Northwest Corner to Jieyuan Road to eat fried bean skin rolls (juanquan). Fried bean skin rolls are a Tianjin specialty snack. They are made by wrapping bean sprouts, starch noodles, and fermented bean curd paste in bean skin and deep-frying them until they are hot, crispy, and fragrant.
November 2019
On November 2, 2019, during late autumn, I went to Tianjin to explore and eat, heading straight to the Northwest Corner first thing in the morning. Over the past few years, I have watched the Northwest Corner go from bustling to quiet, seeing one renovation after another and shop after shop closing down. This time when I visited the Northwest Corner, it felt even quieter than before. The only good news is that a few new shops have opened in the Northwest Corner, and I tried two of them this time.
I started with a savory crepe (jianbing guozi) from the shop under the South Mosque archway. It is run by the nephew of Auntie Mu from Zhengweizhai, and it tastes just like the old days and is cheap.
I had lamb porridge at the halal porridge house by the entrance of the South Mosque. The porridge house has only been open for half a month, and after the renovations in the Northwest Corner, it is finally possible to get lamb porridge again. The lamb porridge of the Hui Muslims in Tianjin is made by boiling down the bone fat and marrow from lamb leg bones, making it very flavorful. It is a bit like the Kazakh Nauryz meat porridge I had before, made by Master Rouhua.
I also bought some stir-fried shrimp paste (chao xiajiang) at the South Mosque archway.
Summary: Tianjin Northwest Corner — Muslim Food and Street Changes is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Next, I went to Zhimeizhai, which Xiaolin recommended, to have water caltrop soup (lingjiao tang) and old-style tofu (lao doufu). Their beef sesame flatbread (shaobing) is really good. The account keeps its focus on Tianjin Halal Food, Northwest Corner, Muslim Streets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Next, I went to Zhimeizhai, which Xiaolin recommended, to have water caltrop soup (lingjiao tang) and old-style tofu (lao doufu). Their beef sesame flatbread (shaobing) is really good.
The alleys near Lingdang Pavilion that were waiting to be torn down have now completely disappeared.
I returned to the busy Xiguan Street.
This was my second time at Ye's Rice Noodle Rolls (changfen), and I finally saw the owner. The owner is a girl from Guangzhou. They say she met a guy from Tianjin while traveling in Thailand. They fell in love, got married, and eventually came back to the Northwest Corner to open this rice noodle roll and beef offal shop.
Then I went to eat the shrimp-in-egg (xia che dan) and octopus balls (takoyaki) next door. Shrimp-in-egg is just a shrimp wrapped inside a quail egg, topped with mayonnaise and mustard, and finished with a generous sprinkle of bonito flakes. It is especially delicious!
When I went the night before, the candied hawthorn skewers (tangduier) were sold out, so I made a special trip this time to buy one to eat. I also bought their apricot jam, which is sweet and tastes great.
I met a little kid who really wanted some steamed pear cake (shuligao). The way he looked at it, he was practically diving into the cake. I believe this shop will be a wonderful memory for him when he grows up, just like the Longfu Mosque snack shop is in my heart.
June 2018
In 2018, I suddenly heard that the once-busy Xiguan Beili Market in the Northwest Corner had been cleared out. So, on June 10, I went to see what Xiguan Beili looked like after the clearance.
I had heard many people praise the crispy rice pancake (guobacai) at Zhengweizhai next to the South Mosque (Qingzhen Nansi) in the Northwest Corner. People say it is the best beef-sauce crispy rice pancake nearby. I headed straight to Zhengweizhai early in the morning, but when I arrived at nine o'clock, they had just sold the last bowl. I was very disappointed to miss it.
I strolled back from Zhengweizhai to the gate of the South Mosque and bought two fried cakes (zhagao) at Longyuezhai. You have to eat fried cakes while they are hot! Longyuezhai closed down in September 2018. This might have been the last summer everyone could eat fried cakes at the gate of the South Mosque.
Across from Longyuezhai is Enqingcheng Guobacai. Their shop is very busy, so I waited in line to buy millet porridge (miancha) and crispy rice pancake. Tianjin's millet porridge is thicker than Beijing's. You have to sprinkle two layers of spiced salt on it, and it is very satisfying to eat. Their crispy rice pancake is also very delicious.
Another big breakfast area in the Northwest Corner is on the south side of Jieyuan Road at the Northwest Corner intersection. I bought a Tianjin-style vegetable roll (sujuanquan) here to eat.
This fried dough stick (guoz) stall is right in front of Yangyi Restaurant on Jieyuan Road. People say their egg-filled fried dough stick (jidan guozi) is the best in the Northwest Corner.
A flatbread (dabing) filled with everything!
I really like the steam rising from the steamer; it creates such a great atmosphere.
This shop sells various kinds of rice cakes and donkey roll cakes (lvdagun).
A savory crepe (jianbing guozi) stall is a must-have.
Sesame flatbread (shaobing) and steamed buns (baozi).
Keep walking south from the South Mosque (Nan Si), and you will see that the shops in the northern part of Xiguan Beili are still there.
Keep heading south until you reach Xiguan Street, where most of the shops have been cleared out.
Luckily, my favorite Hailan black beans (wudou) are still there!
Eating hot black beans while walking is so delicious.
Compared to the morning, the night at Northwest Corner (Xibeijiao) is also very interesting. Although the night market at the intersection was cleared out two years ago, some stalls still appear there, like this Old Ma pancake (jianbing) stand.
Two eggs and two fried dough sticks (guozhi) make for a very satisfying meal.
Then I bought some sour plum drink (suanmeitang), which is homemade with rock sugar and plum pulp to help with digestion and boost the appetite.
Summer nights definitely need barbecue.
October 2018.
I went to Tianjin for a food tour on Sunday, October 14, 2018. Ten o'clock is an awkward time for the Northwest Corner. I went straight to the meat porridge (rouzhou) at the entrance of the South Mosque, but it had just sold out, and the millet flour tea (miancha) next door had also just sold out. I planned to have the meat porridge next time, but the shop was cleared out shortly after.
I ate a warm red bean paste rice cake (gaogan) from Wenergu Gaogan at the entrance of the Great Southern Mosque (Nandasi).
The Longyuezhai Zhangji fried cake (zhagao) I ate in the summer has actually closed down.
This Yishuncheng branch on Huanqing West Alley opened recently, so I had a bowl of scorched rice soup (guobacai) there.
The freshly brewed sour plum drink (suanmeitang) on Xima Road is really delicious.
I had a beef pancake (niuroubing) with rice porridge next to the Muslim supermarket.
I bought a pear cake (ligao) from Daiji Candy Shop at the archway of the Great Southern Mosque (Nandasi).
May 2019
I visited Tianjin again in May 2019 and took a walk around the Northwest Corner (Xibeijiao).
The various snacks at Daiji Candy Shop under the Great Southern Mosque (Nandasi) archway are perfect for tea. I bought beef jerky and potato chips, and I especially like their beef jerky.
You can buy the ingredients for making traditional sour plum drink (suanmeitang) at Daiji Candy Shop under the Great Southern Mosque (Nandasi) archway in the Northwest Corner (Xibeijiao) nearby.
I also bought Tianjin-style steamed pear cake (shuligao) on Xiguan Street, and every flavor was different.
June 2019
On June 30, 2019, I made a special trip to the Northwest Corner of Tianjin for a snack tour.
I got up early and headed straight to Zhengweizhai next to the South Mosque in the Northwest Corner to eat savory crepe strips in gravy (guobacai). They are open from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. I had been there several times before and it was always sold out, but this time I finally got to eat it.
Zhengweizhai is known as the best place for guobacai in Tianjin, and the line there every morning is the longest in the Northwest Corner. Mu Sangu runs Zhengweizhai, making sure the gravy is hot, the toppings are plentiful, and the crepe strips are made in-house. The spoonful of black sauce that Mu Sangu ladles onto the crepe strips is their secret recipe, and that one spoonful puts them miles ahead of everyone else.
Also, mung bean crepe strips spoil easily in the summer, so guobacai shops traditionally used to close for the summer or switch to selling mung bean starch soup (fentang). Now that we have refrigerators, most breakfast shops keep the crepe strips in the fridge during the hottest days, but this ruins the flavor and texture. Zhengweizhai is the only one that still insists on closing for the summer, shutting down from mid-July to mid-August every year.
Zhengweizhai still keeps the tradition of serving guobacai with steamed corn buns (wotou), but this time we chose to buy hot-water dough red bean paste fried cakes (zhagao) from across the street. The hot-water dough fried cakes are red, which is different from the traditional yellow glutinous rice fried cakes, but they are also very delicious.
After finishing the crispy rice pancake (guobacai), I turned the corner and went to Chenmeizhai nearby for vermicelli soup (fentang) and millet porridge with sesame paste (miancha). Vermicelli soup is a traditional Tianjin breakfast, but it is getting harder to find these days, and this was my first time trying it. It is made by pouring a savory sauce over vermicelli noodles, topped with dried shrimp and chive leaves, which makes it taste incredibly fresh. I have been drinking millet porridge with sesame paste since I was a kid, but the version in Tianjin is truly better than the one in Beijing. Tianjin's version uses two layers of sesame paste and seasoned salt, making it much richer and more fragrant than the Beijing style.
Across from Chenmeizhai is a shop selling steamed rice cakes (gaogan), so I bought some fresh ones filled with red bean paste. I have loved these steamed rice cakes since I was little, but the ones sold in supermarkets dry out and lose their texture. They have to be freshly made and hot to taste good.
I walked north from the South Mosque in the Northwest Corner to Jieyuan Road to eat fried bean skin rolls (juanquan). Fried bean skin rolls are a Tianjin specialty snack. They are made by wrapping bean sprouts, starch noodles, and fermented bean curd paste in bean skin and deep-frying them until they are hot, crispy, and fragrant.
November 2019
On November 2, 2019, during late autumn, I went to Tianjin to explore and eat, heading straight to the Northwest Corner first thing in the morning. Over the past few years, I have watched the Northwest Corner go from bustling to quiet, seeing one renovation after another and shop after shop closing down. This time when I visited the Northwest Corner, it felt even quieter than before. The only good news is that a few new shops have opened in the Northwest Corner, and I tried two of them this time.
I started with a savory crepe (jianbing guozi) from the shop under the South Mosque archway. It is run by the nephew of Auntie Mu from Zhengweizhai, and it tastes just like the old days and is cheap.
I had lamb porridge at the halal porridge house by the entrance of the South Mosque. The porridge house has only been open for half a month, and after the renovations in the Northwest Corner, it is finally possible to get lamb porridge again. The lamb porridge of the Hui Muslims in Tianjin is made by boiling down the bone fat and marrow from lamb leg bones, making it very flavorful. It is a bit like the Kazakh Nauryz meat porridge I had before, made by Master Rouhua.
I also bought some stir-fried shrimp paste (chao xiajiang) at the South Mosque archway.
