Beijing Muslim History: Old Halal Notes from the Southern City (Part 2 of 5) — Section 2 of 2
Reposted from the web
Summary: Beijing Muslim History: Old Halal Notes from the Southern City is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Chongwen:. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Muslim History, Southern Beijing, Hui Muslims while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source. This retry section is 2 of 2.
Section 2 of 2
In my childhood memories, the snacks sold at Haji Sesame Flatbread Shop, located at the northeast corner of the east entrance of West Liulichang, were the most authentic.
This was a halal sesame flatbread shop opened by five brothers with the surname Ha. Compared to other nearby shops, it had a small storefront but the busiest business. Besides selling soy milk, sesame flatbreads (shaobing), and fried dough cakes (youbing), they also had snacks like top-grade sesame flatbreads (yipin shaobing), thick buns (dun bobo), and fried egg pockets (zha hebao). At that time, my favorite things to eat were thick buns and fried egg pockets.
Thick buns are small and made from leavened dough. They are mixed with lye, white sugar, and sweet osmanthus, then pinched into small pieces, pressed into thick, flat circles, and cooked over low heat on a griddle. After both sides turn yellow, they are baked in an oven until hard, without any burnt bits. After baking, a square or round red dot is stamped on them. The yellow and white colors with the red look beautiful, and they taste sweet, soft, and springy, with a bit of toughness that makes them great to chew. After chewing repeatedly, you can taste the faint wheat aroma from the leavened dough of the thick bun itself. The flavor is unique and makes my mouth water.
When mentioning fried egg pockets, some people might think it is just fried eggs, but that is not the case. Haji's fried egg pockets have a special flavor. They use dough for fried dough cakes, roll out two pieces of similar size, put them together, and pinch three sides shut to form a pocket, or what you could call a pouch shape. They crack an egg, pour it into the pocket, sprinkle a little salt, and then pinch the opening tight. They put it into a pan of oil and control the heat carefully. The fried pockets come out crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, suitable for both the old and the young.
"Our Old Beijing" by Li Weiji
Haji Kite Shop, Haji Restaurant
The location of "Haji Kite Shop" was at the north side of the east entrance of West Liulichang in the southern part of Beijing, which is the northwest corner of the intersection, today on the east side of Hongbaotang. It started as two sheds, then changed into two small storefront rooms. At that time, my grandfather and his fifth brother were local volunteer firefighters. If a fire broke out nearby, someone from the family had to go help put it out. In return, the fire brigade gave the two brothers two small rooms to stay in, and that is where they lived.
Although it was called the Haji Kite Shop, they did not sell kites all the time. Kite flying in Beijing was very seasonal, so they only sold kites from the Spring Festival until the third lunar month. During the other three seasons, they ran a Hui Muslim snack shop called the Haji Eatery. Later, they added a shed outside the rooms to block the wind and rain. It was bigger than the two rooms and served as a place for neighbors near Liulichang and passersby to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This was their main business.
The Haji Eatery sold sesame flatbread (shaobing) and fried dough twists (mahua) in the morning, and beef noodles and other meals at noon and night to support a family of several dozen people. Many neighbors nearby would buy on credit and settle their bills once a month. During the Spring Festival and the months of early spring, the eatery switched to selling kites to support the family.
Haji Kites by Ha Yiqi (Note by Wang Dongsi: The author is the fourth-generation successor of the Haji Kite tradition).
12. Nanlaishun snack shop at Caishikou outside Xuanwumen
Nanlaishun Snack Shop was a spacious hall. Aside from the door, there were snacks all around the perimeter, with rows of dining tables in the middle and square stools for customers to sit on. Let's start from the east door: to the left, from south to north, were all desserts. They mainly sold layered sticky rice cake (qiegao) here. I have loved eating this since I was a child. These cakes were placed on a large wooden board, about 60 centimeters wide, 80 centimeters long, and 10 centimeters thick, with four or five layers of bean paste and glutinous rice. The top of the layered sticky rice cake was decorated with large red dates, which looked very beautiful. Buying two liang (100 grams) of cake cost 8 cents per liang, so 16 cents total, plus two liang of food ration coupons. Even though it was only two liang, the master cutting the cake would use a long knife to slice it in one go, weigh it on a scale, and put it on a plate. The layers were clearly visible, and with white sugar sprinkled on top, it was incredibly tempting. One bite was full of fragrance and sweetness; it was delicious. Besides layered sticky rice cake, they sold various old Beijing sweet snacks, including steamed rice cakes (aiwowo), rolled glutinous rice rolls (lvdagun), honey fried dough twists (mi mahua, also called tang'erduo), sugar-filled baked cakes (tanghuoshao), steamed buns (dun'er bobo), and pea flour cakes (wandouhuang). If you love sweets, you will be satisfied here!
Let's talk about the long counter from east to west. They sold savory snacks here, such as tofu pudding (doufunao), soy milk, fried dough cakes (youbing), fried dough sticks (youtiao), ring-shaped fried dough (jiequan), crispy crackers (baocui), sesame flatbread (shaobing), baked cakes (huoshao), and twisted rolls (luosizhuan). The tofu pudding was authentic; the gravy was a masterpiece, made with minced meat, daylily buds, wood ear mushrooms, and eggs, with a layer of Sichuan peppercorn oil floating on top. It cost one liang of food ration coupons and 8 cents a bowl. When the server scooped up the tender white tofu and poured the gravy over it, then sprinkled a pinch of cilantro on top, a tempting bowl of tofu pudding was handed to you. If you like it spicy, there were chili oil, minced garlic, and vinegar on the table for you to add yourself. If you bought two freshly baked sesame flatbreads and a fried dough cake, hey, you had a complete, delicious breakfast.
After finishing the east-to-west section, let's turn to the counter from north to south. They mainly sold meat pies here, with beef and green onion filling (I don't remember if they had meat-filled pancakes). The meat pies here were another specialty. You could smell the aroma from far away. As you got closer, you could not only smell them but also hear the tempting sizzling sound as they were being pan-fried. You could not only hear it but see it too. The master chef worked right behind the counter, so every customer could watch the whole process of making the meat pie (roubing). When you saw those golden-brown meat pies sizzling with oil and smelling so good, how could you not want to try one?
They also sold red bean porridge (xiaodouzhou) and sticky rice porridge (jiangmizhou). If you came for lunch, you could order two meat pies and a bowl of red bean porridge. With sliced salted vegetables on the table, tell me, doesn't that sound wonderful?
Memories of Niujie by Chen Chunxi
13. Zhengxingde tea house at Caishikou outside Xuanwumen
In the 1950s and 60s, my mother always walked from Niujie to Caishikou to buy tea at the old shop Zhengxingde. It was a halal tea shop, and most Niujie residents went there. She usually bought the tea that cost 40 cents per liang, which smelled quite fragrant when brewed. I often went with my mother to buy tea. As soon as we stepped into the shop, we smelled the jasmine tea. That scent has stayed in my memory ever since.
Back then, they did not use plastic bags. Everything was wrapped by hand in paper. The clerk would wrap it however the customer wanted, like buying four liang and splitting it into two two-liang packages. If you bought one jin, they would make two half-jin packages. Of course, some people just bought one package. The clerk's wrapping technique was amazing. They folded the paper into a perfect square that looked very solid. Then they stacked the two packages together, tied them with a paper string in a cross pattern, and made a handle on top so the customer could just hook a finger through and carry it away. That tea package was quite stylish at the time. During holidays when visiting relatives and friends, you would place the tea package on the table, and it looked both grand and traditional.
Memories of Niujie by Chen Chunxi
14. Scalded dough fried cake (tangmian zhagao) at the Hui Muslim breakfast shop a short distance left from the east entrance of Xiangluying Sitiao Hutong outside Xuanwumen
When I think of the hot-water dough fried cake (tangmian zhagao), I don't know why this simple old Beijing snack has disappeared from the streets and restaurants. Actually, in the 1950s and 60s, almost every snack shop run by Hui Muslims sold them. they were an essential snack at temple fairs in the capital back then.
Summary: Beijing Muslim History: Old Halal Notes from the Southern City is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Chongwen:. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Muslim History, Southern Beijing, Hui Muslims while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source. This retry section is 2 of 2.
Section 2 of 2
In my childhood memories, the snacks sold at Haji Sesame Flatbread Shop, located at the northeast corner of the east entrance of West Liulichang, were the most authentic.
This was a halal sesame flatbread shop opened by five brothers with the surname Ha. Compared to other nearby shops, it had a small storefront but the busiest business. Besides selling soy milk, sesame flatbreads (shaobing), and fried dough cakes (youbing), they also had snacks like top-grade sesame flatbreads (yipin shaobing), thick buns (dun bobo), and fried egg pockets (zha hebao). At that time, my favorite things to eat were thick buns and fried egg pockets.
Thick buns are small and made from leavened dough. They are mixed with lye, white sugar, and sweet osmanthus, then pinched into small pieces, pressed into thick, flat circles, and cooked over low heat on a griddle. After both sides turn yellow, they are baked in an oven until hard, without any burnt bits. After baking, a square or round red dot is stamped on them. The yellow and white colors with the red look beautiful, and they taste sweet, soft, and springy, with a bit of toughness that makes them great to chew. After chewing repeatedly, you can taste the faint wheat aroma from the leavened dough of the thick bun itself. The flavor is unique and makes my mouth water.
When mentioning fried egg pockets, some people might think it is just fried eggs, but that is not the case. Haji's fried egg pockets have a special flavor. They use dough for fried dough cakes, roll out two pieces of similar size, put them together, and pinch three sides shut to form a pocket, or what you could call a pouch shape. They crack an egg, pour it into the pocket, sprinkle a little salt, and then pinch the opening tight. They put it into a pan of oil and control the heat carefully. The fried pockets come out crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, suitable for both the old and the young.
"Our Old Beijing" by Li Weiji
Haji Kite Shop, Haji Restaurant
The location of "Haji Kite Shop" was at the north side of the east entrance of West Liulichang in the southern part of Beijing, which is the northwest corner of the intersection, today on the east side of Hongbaotang. It started as two sheds, then changed into two small storefront rooms. At that time, my grandfather and his fifth brother were local volunteer firefighters. If a fire broke out nearby, someone from the family had to go help put it out. In return, the fire brigade gave the two brothers two small rooms to stay in, and that is where they lived.
Although it was called the Haji Kite Shop, they did not sell kites all the time. Kite flying in Beijing was very seasonal, so they only sold kites from the Spring Festival until the third lunar month. During the other three seasons, they ran a Hui Muslim snack shop called the Haji Eatery. Later, they added a shed outside the rooms to block the wind and rain. It was bigger than the two rooms and served as a place for neighbors near Liulichang and passersby to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This was their main business.
The Haji Eatery sold sesame flatbread (shaobing) and fried dough twists (mahua) in the morning, and beef noodles and other meals at noon and night to support a family of several dozen people. Many neighbors nearby would buy on credit and settle their bills once a month. During the Spring Festival and the months of early spring, the eatery switched to selling kites to support the family.
Haji Kites by Ha Yiqi (Note by Wang Dongsi: The author is the fourth-generation successor of the Haji Kite tradition).
12. Nanlaishun snack shop at Caishikou outside Xuanwumen
Nanlaishun Snack Shop was a spacious hall. Aside from the door, there were snacks all around the perimeter, with rows of dining tables in the middle and square stools for customers to sit on. Let's start from the east door: to the left, from south to north, were all desserts. They mainly sold layered sticky rice cake (qiegao) here. I have loved eating this since I was a child. These cakes were placed on a large wooden board, about 60 centimeters wide, 80 centimeters long, and 10 centimeters thick, with four or five layers of bean paste and glutinous rice. The top of the layered sticky rice cake was decorated with large red dates, which looked very beautiful. Buying two liang (100 grams) of cake cost 8 cents per liang, so 16 cents total, plus two liang of food ration coupons. Even though it was only two liang, the master cutting the cake would use a long knife to slice it in one go, weigh it on a scale, and put it on a plate. The layers were clearly visible, and with white sugar sprinkled on top, it was incredibly tempting. One bite was full of fragrance and sweetness; it was delicious. Besides layered sticky rice cake, they sold various old Beijing sweet snacks, including steamed rice cakes (aiwowo), rolled glutinous rice rolls (lvdagun), honey fried dough twists (mi mahua, also called tang'erduo), sugar-filled baked cakes (tanghuoshao), steamed buns (dun'er bobo), and pea flour cakes (wandouhuang). If you love sweets, you will be satisfied here!
Let's talk about the long counter from east to west. They sold savory snacks here, such as tofu pudding (doufunao), soy milk, fried dough cakes (youbing), fried dough sticks (youtiao), ring-shaped fried dough (jiequan), crispy crackers (baocui), sesame flatbread (shaobing), baked cakes (huoshao), and twisted rolls (luosizhuan). The tofu pudding was authentic; the gravy was a masterpiece, made with minced meat, daylily buds, wood ear mushrooms, and eggs, with a layer of Sichuan peppercorn oil floating on top. It cost one liang of food ration coupons and 8 cents a bowl. When the server scooped up the tender white tofu and poured the gravy over it, then sprinkled a pinch of cilantro on top, a tempting bowl of tofu pudding was handed to you. If you like it spicy, there were chili oil, minced garlic, and vinegar on the table for you to add yourself. If you bought two freshly baked sesame flatbreads and a fried dough cake, hey, you had a complete, delicious breakfast.
After finishing the east-to-west section, let's turn to the counter from north to south. They mainly sold meat pies here, with beef and green onion filling (I don't remember if they had meat-filled pancakes). The meat pies here were another specialty. You could smell the aroma from far away. As you got closer, you could not only smell them but also hear the tempting sizzling sound as they were being pan-fried. You could not only hear it but see it too. The master chef worked right behind the counter, so every customer could watch the whole process of making the meat pie (roubing). When you saw those golden-brown meat pies sizzling with oil and smelling so good, how could you not want to try one?
They also sold red bean porridge (xiaodouzhou) and sticky rice porridge (jiangmizhou). If you came for lunch, you could order two meat pies and a bowl of red bean porridge. With sliced salted vegetables on the table, tell me, doesn't that sound wonderful?
Memories of Niujie by Chen Chunxi
13. Zhengxingde tea house at Caishikou outside Xuanwumen
In the 1950s and 60s, my mother always walked from Niujie to Caishikou to buy tea at the old shop Zhengxingde. It was a halal tea shop, and most Niujie residents went there. She usually bought the tea that cost 40 cents per liang, which smelled quite fragrant when brewed. I often went with my mother to buy tea. As soon as we stepped into the shop, we smelled the jasmine tea. That scent has stayed in my memory ever since.
Back then, they did not use plastic bags. Everything was wrapped by hand in paper. The clerk would wrap it however the customer wanted, like buying four liang and splitting it into two two-liang packages. If you bought one jin, they would make two half-jin packages. Of course, some people just bought one package. The clerk's wrapping technique was amazing. They folded the paper into a perfect square that looked very solid. Then they stacked the two packages together, tied them with a paper string in a cross pattern, and made a handle on top so the customer could just hook a finger through and carry it away. That tea package was quite stylish at the time. During holidays when visiting relatives and friends, you would place the tea package on the table, and it looked both grand and traditional.
Memories of Niujie by Chen Chunxi
14. Scalded dough fried cake (tangmian zhagao) at the Hui Muslim breakfast shop a short distance left from the east entrance of Xiangluying Sitiao Hutong outside Xuanwumen
When I think of the hot-water dough fried cake (tangmian zhagao), I don't know why this simple old Beijing snack has disappeared from the streets and restaurants. Actually, in the 1950s and 60s, almost every snack shop run by Hui Muslims sold them. they were an essential snack at temple fairs in the capital back then.
