Halal Food Guide: Taipei - Tianjin and Baoding Halal Restaurants
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Taipei - Tianjin and Baoding Halal Restaurants is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear, natural English. The account focuses on Taipei, Halal Food, Muslim Travel while preserving the names, places, food, photos, and historical details from the Chinese source.
I am sharing an article from the 300th issue of Chinese Islam magazine titled "In Memory of Our Muslim Brother Mu Huaijia—Reflections on the History of Halal Restaurants in Taiwan." Today, I will transcribe the first part, which recalls the Taipei Tianjin halal restaurant Endeyuan and the Baoding halal restaurant Baoding Guan.
Our Muslim brother Mu Huaijia passed away on April 14, 2006 (may Allah grant him a high place in Paradise). After the Friday prayer (Jumu'ah) at the Taipei Mosque, we held his funeral prayer (janazah), and he was buried at the Liuzhangli Muslim Cemetery. We miss him dearly.
Mr. Mu was from Tianjin and was born in 1923. After moving to Taiwan, he spent his whole life running halal food businesses and was very well-regarded. His wife, surnamed Zhang, passed away several years ago (may Allah grant her a high place in Paradise). (I personally accompanied her to the mountain for burial.) They had two sons, Deyuan and Decai, and three daughters, Meiqin, Meiyu, and Meihua. According to the Mu family genealogy in Tianjin, the seven generations are ranked by the characters: Wen, Cheng, Xiang, Rui, Huai, De, and En (Sheng). My wife belongs to the third generation, the Xiang generation. Whenever we saw Huaijia, people would joke, "Huaijia, your great-aunt is here."
When we first arrived in Taiwan, halal restaurants were not yet established. Many Muslims ran small businesses, mostly in the form of noodle stalls (mian tanzi). Early Hui Muslim families like the Aiminda family on Bo'ai Road became famous for their beef noodles, which they originally sold from a hallway. They later rented a shop, and because business was good, they bought a building on Section 4 of Zhongxiao East Road, where they still operate today.
Other Hui Muslims like Wang Shaomin, Hai Laobiao, Wang Peijie, and Ai Pengju (may Allah grant him a high place in Paradise) all started out selling food from street carts. Before Zhonghua Road was widened, there were two popular halal restaurants in wooden shacks by the railway: one was Endeyuan, which was run by Huaijia's uncle-in-law, where a young Huaijia learned his cooking skills in the kitchen. Later, Huaijia ran his own Endeyuan restaurant for several years at the end of Section 1 of Changsha Street, across from the military police station, before moving it to a spot across from the Audit Office on Section 2 of Zhongxiao East Road. He later moved it to an alley next to the Ambassador Hotel on Zhongshan North Road for a while, and finally opened for a few years on Dexing East Road in Shilin, but he had to close down because neighbors complained about kitchen smoke.
Huaijia once asked me to help him find a place to rent near the Taipei Mosque to start his business again, but he needed the rent to be under 50,000. I kept an eye out, and in 1998, I found a shop for rent near the mosque for over 60,000, but Huaijia thought the space was too small and did not rent it. For several years after that, the project never succeeded because a suitable location could not be found. Later, the second son of Imam Wang Chunshan (may Allah grant him a high place in Paradise), Haji Menglong, rented this house and ran a halal restaurant called 'Bayi Girl' for many years.
Huai Jia's halal restaurant had its own special features. First was the Tianjin meat pie (tianjin roubing), which was unique: a rectangular pie filled with pure beef and green onions. It was cooked over a high flame until the outside was crispy and the inside was fragrant. It was so delicious that people kept praising it.
Next was the steamed beef dumpling (niurou zhengjiao), another tasty flour-based dish that was just as good as the steamed dumplings at the Baoding Restaurant on Zhonghua Road. He could stir-fry excellent dishes with an authentic Tianjin flavor, and everyone who ate them had nothing but praise. Now that Huai Jia has returned to Allah, we can no longer taste his special cooking. What a pity! His two sons both learned his true skills and are experts in both red and white meat preparation, but running a halal restaurant is not as easy as it sounds. It is a pity that the family business could not be passed down.
The Baoding Halal Restaurant (Baoding Qingzhen Guan) on Zhonghua Road started in a wooden shack by the railway. It was next door to Endeyuan, and both had their own ways of doing business. Endeyuan was famous for its beef pies and stir-fried dishes. The Baoding Restaurant was famous for its steamed dumplings (zhengjiao) and seasonal stir-fries. In its later years, the Baoding Restaurant moved to the ground floor of the sixth building in the Zhonghua Mall. The space was large. Back then, there was no gas, so they used coke as fuel. They turned large gasoline drums into stoves to steam the dumplings and used a powerful blower to help the fire burn. When there were many customers, they could steam the dumplings and serve them in three minutes. The steamed dumplings at the Baoding Restaurant were fragrant and delicious, making them a favorite for people from all walks of life. At that time, everyone had just arrived in Taiwan and lacked fat in their diets. After eating the steamed dumplings, there would be leftover oil on the plates, but people ate them with great relish and found the taste unforgettable. The Baoding Restaurant could serve various stir-fried dishes and host banquets. Its food had a unique northern flavor and is a type of meal that people still miss today. There is a snack few people know about called noodle soup slices (pian'ertang). It is made by first stir-frying high-quality beef, then adding pure beef broth, and finally cooking the dough slices in the soup. It is very delicious. Every winter, the shop serves stir-fried flour tea with beef bone marrow (niugusuichao miancha). It is a nutritious and nourishing food that is truly unique.
In the final period, the owner of Baoding Restaurant, Old Xie, fell ill and returned to Allah (may Allah grant him a place in Paradise). This caused difficulties for the restaurant. He once met with me and hoped I would take over, but I declined because I had never worked in the food industry. The Baoding Restaurant, famous for its steamed dumplings (zhengjiao), closed down, which is a great pity.
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Taipei - Tianjin and Baoding Halal Restaurants is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear, natural English. The account focuses on Taipei, Halal Food, Muslim Travel while preserving the names, places, food, photos, and historical details from the Chinese source.
I am sharing an article from the 300th issue of Chinese Islam magazine titled "In Memory of Our Muslim Brother Mu Huaijia—Reflections on the History of Halal Restaurants in Taiwan." Today, I will transcribe the first part, which recalls the Taipei Tianjin halal restaurant Endeyuan and the Baoding halal restaurant Baoding Guan.
Our Muslim brother Mu Huaijia passed away on April 14, 2006 (may Allah grant him a high place in Paradise). After the Friday prayer (Jumu'ah) at the Taipei Mosque, we held his funeral prayer (janazah), and he was buried at the Liuzhangli Muslim Cemetery. We miss him dearly.
Mr. Mu was from Tianjin and was born in 1923. After moving to Taiwan, he spent his whole life running halal food businesses and was very well-regarded. His wife, surnamed Zhang, passed away several years ago (may Allah grant her a high place in Paradise). (I personally accompanied her to the mountain for burial.) They had two sons, Deyuan and Decai, and three daughters, Meiqin, Meiyu, and Meihua. According to the Mu family genealogy in Tianjin, the seven generations are ranked by the characters: Wen, Cheng, Xiang, Rui, Huai, De, and En (Sheng). My wife belongs to the third generation, the Xiang generation. Whenever we saw Huaijia, people would joke, "Huaijia, your great-aunt is here."
When we first arrived in Taiwan, halal restaurants were not yet established. Many Muslims ran small businesses, mostly in the form of noodle stalls (mian tanzi). Early Hui Muslim families like the Aiminda family on Bo'ai Road became famous for their beef noodles, which they originally sold from a hallway. They later rented a shop, and because business was good, they bought a building on Section 4 of Zhongxiao East Road, where they still operate today.
Other Hui Muslims like Wang Shaomin, Hai Laobiao, Wang Peijie, and Ai Pengju (may Allah grant him a high place in Paradise) all started out selling food from street carts. Before Zhonghua Road was widened, there were two popular halal restaurants in wooden shacks by the railway: one was Endeyuan, which was run by Huaijia's uncle-in-law, where a young Huaijia learned his cooking skills in the kitchen. Later, Huaijia ran his own Endeyuan restaurant for several years at the end of Section 1 of Changsha Street, across from the military police station, before moving it to a spot across from the Audit Office on Section 2 of Zhongxiao East Road. He later moved it to an alley next to the Ambassador Hotel on Zhongshan North Road for a while, and finally opened for a few years on Dexing East Road in Shilin, but he had to close down because neighbors complained about kitchen smoke.
Huaijia once asked me to help him find a place to rent near the Taipei Mosque to start his business again, but he needed the rent to be under 50,000. I kept an eye out, and in 1998, I found a shop for rent near the mosque for over 60,000, but Huaijia thought the space was too small and did not rent it. For several years after that, the project never succeeded because a suitable location could not be found. Later, the second son of Imam Wang Chunshan (may Allah grant him a high place in Paradise), Haji Menglong, rented this house and ran a halal restaurant called 'Bayi Girl' for many years.
Huai Jia's halal restaurant had its own special features. First was the Tianjin meat pie (tianjin roubing), which was unique: a rectangular pie filled with pure beef and green onions. It was cooked over a high flame until the outside was crispy and the inside was fragrant. It was so delicious that people kept praising it.
Next was the steamed beef dumpling (niurou zhengjiao), another tasty flour-based dish that was just as good as the steamed dumplings at the Baoding Restaurant on Zhonghua Road. He could stir-fry excellent dishes with an authentic Tianjin flavor, and everyone who ate them had nothing but praise. Now that Huai Jia has returned to Allah, we can no longer taste his special cooking. What a pity! His two sons both learned his true skills and are experts in both red and white meat preparation, but running a halal restaurant is not as easy as it sounds. It is a pity that the family business could not be passed down.
The Baoding Halal Restaurant (Baoding Qingzhen Guan) on Zhonghua Road started in a wooden shack by the railway. It was next door to Endeyuan, and both had their own ways of doing business. Endeyuan was famous for its beef pies and stir-fried dishes. The Baoding Restaurant was famous for its steamed dumplings (zhengjiao) and seasonal stir-fries. In its later years, the Baoding Restaurant moved to the ground floor of the sixth building in the Zhonghua Mall. The space was large. Back then, there was no gas, so they used coke as fuel. They turned large gasoline drums into stoves to steam the dumplings and used a powerful blower to help the fire burn. When there were many customers, they could steam the dumplings and serve them in three minutes. The steamed dumplings at the Baoding Restaurant were fragrant and delicious, making them a favorite for people from all walks of life. At that time, everyone had just arrived in Taiwan and lacked fat in their diets. After eating the steamed dumplings, there would be leftover oil on the plates, but people ate them with great relish and found the taste unforgettable. The Baoding Restaurant could serve various stir-fried dishes and host banquets. Its food had a unique northern flavor and is a type of meal that people still miss today. There is a snack few people know about called noodle soup slices (pian'ertang). It is made by first stir-frying high-quality beef, then adding pure beef broth, and finally cooking the dough slices in the soup. It is very delicious. Every winter, the shop serves stir-fried flour tea with beef bone marrow (niugusuichao miancha). It is a nutritious and nourishing food that is truly unique.
In the final period, the owner of Baoding Restaurant, Old Xie, fell ill and returned to Allah (may Allah grant him a place in Paradise). This caused difficulties for the restaurant. He once met with me and hoped I would take over, but I declined because I had never worked in the food industry. The Baoding Restaurant, famous for its steamed dumplings (zhengjiao), closed down, which is a great pity.
