Beijing Southern Muslim Notes — Part 4
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 final block is 2 of 2.
Block 2 of 2
In the old days, Beijing did not seem to have slaughterhouses, because sheep were slaughtered right at the door of the mutton stall. At a large mutton stall, early every morning, five or six large sheep would be tied up with a wooden blood basin placed nearby, waiting for the head imam (ahong) to come and recite prayers.
The Muslim imam, wearing a grey cotton robe and a black mandarin jacket (magua), would arrive by rickshaw—since he had to visit many mutton stalls each morning, he traveled by rickshaw to make his rounds—carrying a cloth bag containing the knives for slaughtering the sheep. When he reached the counter, he would take out his knife, mutter a prayer, and with one swift stroke across the sheep's neck held down by two young men, the blood would pour out; the sheep would stretch its legs, twitch a few times, and then go still.
Afterward, they would peel off the skin, cut off the head, chop off the hooves, remove the offal, wash everything clean with water, and hang the meat on a pole using copper meat hooks. Look at how fatty it is!
When it comes to northern sheep, few can compare to them, except for those from the Northwest. In the summer, they graze on green grass, becoming round and plump with thick wool, and their large tails drag behind them like a big pot lid.
If you go to a large mutton stall in the winter to buy meat for hot pot (shuan guozi), they will always take good care of you. There are cuts of meat like the neck (shangnao'er), the leg muscle (huangguatiao), the flank (yaowo), and the brisket (sancha'er); they cut exactly what you point to, and they have everything you could want. Once you leave Beijing, you can find mutton hot pot everywhere, but it is just mutton!
I remember before the war, in the old capital, one silver dollar could buy four jin of good mutton delivered to your door. Add some cabbage and glass noodles (fentiao), and one dollar's worth of meat was enough to feed three or four people. It was warm and satisfying; it was wonderful.
In the summer, every mutton stall sells fried mutton (shao yangrou). The meat, just out of the fryer, is placed on a large copper tray, and the aroma is so strong you can smell it from a mile away.
For an afternoon snack, if you have a few coins, you can buy a pair of sheep hooves or a piece of shank (jianzi), and eat it with two sesame flatbreads (shaobing); it is incredibly delicious. If you bring home a large sheep head, your family can make some pancakes, boil a pot of rice porridge (shui fan), and on a hot day, it is neither greasy nor too heavy, and it really satisfies your cravings. The sheep neck has a bit more meat and is even better to eat than the head.
If your family is small, dinner is easy to put together. Just take a pot to the mutton stall, buy seven or eight mao worth of fried mutton, and tell the shopkeeper, 'Boss, add some extra broth!' Once you get home, bring the pot of meat and broth to a boil, add a few coins' worth of noodles, and you have fried mutton noodles. Forget about leaving Beiping.
Most lamb stalls (yangrou chuangzi) have a separate area to sell lamb buns (yangrou baozi) to go. They squeeze the dough into shape with their hands. In winter, they are filled with lamb and cabbage, and in summer, lamb and chives. Every time a steamer is ready, the apprentice shouts: 'Lamb buns are here!' Fresh from the steamer, get them while they're hot!
Some lamb stalls also sell medicine. They hang a sign nearby that says 'Lamb Liver Eye-Brightening Pills' (yanggan mingmu wan), and they are all tested and approved with a license from the health bureau. Some also sell sesame paste flatbread (zhima jiang shaobing) and brown sugar cakes (tang huoshao), which are made with flour and brown sugar. They are yellowish and stamped with a red mark on top. They also carry honey-glazed fried dough twists (mi mahua), which are extremely sweet. That is the full range of side businesses found at a lamb stall.
Some lamb stalls also sell pickled cabbage (suancai). Whatever amount you buy, they tie it up with a piece of iris grass (malian cao) and hand it to you. If you buy some lamb to go with it, you can make a pot of hot lamb and pickled cabbage noodle soup. It is warm, refreshing, and delicious!
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 final block is 2 of 2.
Block 2 of 2
In the old days, Beijing did not seem to have slaughterhouses, because sheep were slaughtered right at the door of the mutton stall. At a large mutton stall, early every morning, five or six large sheep would be tied up with a wooden blood basin placed nearby, waiting for the head imam (ahong) to come and recite prayers.
The Muslim imam, wearing a grey cotton robe and a black mandarin jacket (magua), would arrive by rickshaw—since he had to visit many mutton stalls each morning, he traveled by rickshaw to make his rounds—carrying a cloth bag containing the knives for slaughtering the sheep. When he reached the counter, he would take out his knife, mutter a prayer, and with one swift stroke across the sheep's neck held down by two young men, the blood would pour out; the sheep would stretch its legs, twitch a few times, and then go still.
Afterward, they would peel off the skin, cut off the head, chop off the hooves, remove the offal, wash everything clean with water, and hang the meat on a pole using copper meat hooks. Look at how fatty it is!
When it comes to northern sheep, few can compare to them, except for those from the Northwest. In the summer, they graze on green grass, becoming round and plump with thick wool, and their large tails drag behind them like a big pot lid.
If you go to a large mutton stall in the winter to buy meat for hot pot (shuan guozi), they will always take good care of you. There are cuts of meat like the neck (shangnao'er), the leg muscle (huangguatiao), the flank (yaowo), and the brisket (sancha'er); they cut exactly what you point to, and they have everything you could want. Once you leave Beijing, you can find mutton hot pot everywhere, but it is just mutton!
I remember before the war, in the old capital, one silver dollar could buy four jin of good mutton delivered to your door. Add some cabbage and glass noodles (fentiao), and one dollar's worth of meat was enough to feed three or four people. It was warm and satisfying; it was wonderful.
In the summer, every mutton stall sells fried mutton (shao yangrou). The meat, just out of the fryer, is placed on a large copper tray, and the aroma is so strong you can smell it from a mile away.
For an afternoon snack, if you have a few coins, you can buy a pair of sheep hooves or a piece of shank (jianzi), and eat it with two sesame flatbreads (shaobing); it is incredibly delicious. If you bring home a large sheep head, your family can make some pancakes, boil a pot of rice porridge (shui fan), and on a hot day, it is neither greasy nor too heavy, and it really satisfies your cravings. The sheep neck has a bit more meat and is even better to eat than the head.
If your family is small, dinner is easy to put together. Just take a pot to the mutton stall, buy seven or eight mao worth of fried mutton, and tell the shopkeeper, 'Boss, add some extra broth!' Once you get home, bring the pot of meat and broth to a boil, add a few coins' worth of noodles, and you have fried mutton noodles. Forget about leaving Beiping.
Most lamb stalls (yangrou chuangzi) have a separate area to sell lamb buns (yangrou baozi) to go. They squeeze the dough into shape with their hands. In winter, they are filled with lamb and cabbage, and in summer, lamb and chives. Every time a steamer is ready, the apprentice shouts: 'Lamb buns are here!' Fresh from the steamer, get them while they're hot!
Some lamb stalls also sell medicine. They hang a sign nearby that says 'Lamb Liver Eye-Brightening Pills' (yanggan mingmu wan), and they are all tested and approved with a license from the health bureau. Some also sell sesame paste flatbread (zhima jiang shaobing) and brown sugar cakes (tang huoshao), which are made with flour and brown sugar. They are yellowish and stamped with a red mark on top. They also carry honey-glazed fried dough twists (mi mahua), which are extremely sweet. That is the full range of side businesses found at a lamb stall.
Some lamb stalls also sell pickled cabbage (suancai). Whatever amount you buy, they tie it up with a piece of iris grass (malian cao) and hand it to you. If you buy some lamb to go with it, you can make a pot of hot lamb and pickled cabbage noodle soup. It is warm, refreshing, and delicious!
