Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year (Part 2D of 4)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Bengali New Year, Halal Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
For the main course, there was Kolkata potato rice (Kolkata aloo biryani). This is the only type of biryani in South Asia that uses potatoes as an ingredient. Kolkata, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, is the second-largest Bengali-speaking city after Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.
In 1856, after Wajid Ali Shah, the ruler of the Awadh region in northern India, was deposed by the British, he moved to Kolkata. The potato biryani was invented by his accompanying court chefs. Potatoes were a foreign food and were not brought to India by the Dutch until the 1830s. When Wajid Ali Shah's court chefs were cooking biryani with saffron, various spices, and meat, they once tried adding fried baby potatoes. It was unexpectedly delicious, became a favorite of Wajid Ali Shah, and quickly spread throughout Kolkata.
The second dish is yellow pilaf (basanti pulao), a special rice dish for the Bengali New Year, colored with turmeric and topped with fried cashews and raisins.
Collapse Read »
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Bengali New Year, Halal Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
For the main course, there was Kolkata potato rice (Kolkata aloo biryani). This is the only type of biryani in South Asia that uses potatoes as an ingredient. Kolkata, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, is the second-largest Bengali-speaking city after Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.
In 1856, after Wajid Ali Shah, the ruler of the Awadh region in northern India, was deposed by the British, he moved to Kolkata. The potato biryani was invented by his accompanying court chefs. Potatoes were a foreign food and were not brought to India by the Dutch until the 1830s. When Wajid Ali Shah's court chefs were cooking biryani with saffron, various spices, and meat, they once tried adding fried baby potatoes. It was unexpectedly delicious, became a favorite of Wajid Ali Shah, and quickly spread throughout Kolkata.
The second dish is yellow pilaf (basanti pulao), a special rice dish for the Bengali New Year, colored with turmeric and topped with fried cashews and raisins.
Collapse Read »
Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets (Part 5C of 7)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
First, there were eight meze appetizers, including hummus, baba ghanoush, and tabbouleh, which can be found in every Arab restaurant. The most worth trying is the Tunisian-style mechouia salad, which you can only find at their place in Beijing. Mechouia means "grilled" in Arabic. It is made by roasting onions, green peppers, tomatoes, and garlic in an oven, seasoning them with caraway, salt, and black pepper, adding olive oil, and finally garnishing with olives, tuna, and boiled eggs.
The main course is the classic North African Berber dish, couscous, served with tajine (stew cooked in a clay pot). Couscous is a staple food for the Berbers. It is made by rubbing semolina flour into millet-sized grains, which are then dried. A clay pot (tajine) is a cooking vessel with a round, flat bottom and a conical or domed top. This design lets evaporated steam return to the bottom, and you can add water through the hole in the lid. Collapse Read »
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
First, there were eight meze appetizers, including hummus, baba ghanoush, and tabbouleh, which can be found in every Arab restaurant. The most worth trying is the Tunisian-style mechouia salad, which you can only find at their place in Beijing. Mechouia means "grilled" in Arabic. It is made by roasting onions, green peppers, tomatoes, and garlic in an oven, seasoning them with caraway, salt, and black pepper, adding olive oil, and finally garnishing with olives, tuna, and boiled eggs.
The main course is the classic North African Berber dish, couscous, served with tajine (stew cooked in a clay pot). Couscous is a staple food for the Berbers. It is made by rubbing semolina flour into millet-sized grains, which are then dried. A clay pot (tajine) is a cooking vessel with a round, flat bottom and a conical or domed top. This design lets evaporated steam return to the bottom, and you can add water through the hole in the lid. Collapse Read »
Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year (Part 2 of 4)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Bengali New Year, Halal Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
The classic Bengali side dish vegetable mash (bhurta) is made by mashing various vegetables or fish with mustard oil, onion, garlic, and red chili. The ingredients can be boiled, roasted, or fried before mashing.
There are many types of bhurta depending on the ingredients. The most popular is potato mash (aloo bharta), made by boiling potatoes and mixing them with fried onions, chili, and mustard oil. The rich taste of mustard oil in the potato mash really boosts your appetite. Another common one is eggplant mash (baingan bharta), made by roasting the eggplant, chopping it up, and mixing it with onion, chili, and mustard oil.
Fried dishes made by Bengalis using mustard oil are called bhaja, and there are many different kinds. The most classic is crispy fried potato strips (jhure-jhure aloo bhaja). The potatoes are fried until golden and very crispy, and it is a classic snack for the Bengali New Year. Also, fried eggplant slices (muchmuche beguni) and fried potato patties (aloo chop) are both part of the bhaja fried dish family.
For the main course, there was Kolkata potato rice (Kolkata aloo biryani). This is the only type of biryani in South Asia that uses potatoes as an ingredient. Kolkata, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, is the second-largest Bengali-speaking city after Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.
In 1856, after Wajid Ali Shah, the ruler of the Awadh region in northern India, was deposed by the British, he moved to Kolkata. The potato biryani was invented by his accompanying court chefs. Potatoes were a foreign food and were not brought to India by the Dutch until the 1830s. When Wajid Ali Shah's court chefs were cooking biryani with saffron, various spices, and meat, they once tried adding fried baby potatoes. It was unexpectedly delicious, became a favorite of Wajid Ali Shah, and quickly spread throughout Kolkata.
The second dish is yellow pilaf (basanti pulao), a special rice dish for the Bengali New Year, colored with turmeric and topped with fried cashews and raisins.
Main dishes include yogurt and cilantro roasted chicken, pan-fried spicy tilapia, mixed nut and vegetable patties, and roasted cauliflower with five-spice blend (panch phoron). Panch phoron consists of five spice seeds: radhuni seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, and nigella seeds. They are not roasted or ground, but mixed and added directly to food. Radhuni is a close relative of ajwain, but it is rarely used in South Asia outside of Bengal. It tastes a bit like celery, but is very strong. Collapse Read »
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Bengali New Year, Halal Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
The classic Bengali side dish vegetable mash (bhurta) is made by mashing various vegetables or fish with mustard oil, onion, garlic, and red chili. The ingredients can be boiled, roasted, or fried before mashing.
There are many types of bhurta depending on the ingredients. The most popular is potato mash (aloo bharta), made by boiling potatoes and mixing them with fried onions, chili, and mustard oil. The rich taste of mustard oil in the potato mash really boosts your appetite. Another common one is eggplant mash (baingan bharta), made by roasting the eggplant, chopping it up, and mixing it with onion, chili, and mustard oil.
Fried dishes made by Bengalis using mustard oil are called bhaja, and there are many different kinds. The most classic is crispy fried potato strips (jhure-jhure aloo bhaja). The potatoes are fried until golden and very crispy, and it is a classic snack for the Bengali New Year. Also, fried eggplant slices (muchmuche beguni) and fried potato patties (aloo chop) are both part of the bhaja fried dish family.
For the main course, there was Kolkata potato rice (Kolkata aloo biryani). This is the only type of biryani in South Asia that uses potatoes as an ingredient. Kolkata, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, is the second-largest Bengali-speaking city after Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.
In 1856, after Wajid Ali Shah, the ruler of the Awadh region in northern India, was deposed by the British, he moved to Kolkata. The potato biryani was invented by his accompanying court chefs. Potatoes were a foreign food and were not brought to India by the Dutch until the 1830s. When Wajid Ali Shah's court chefs were cooking biryani with saffron, various spices, and meat, they once tried adding fried baby potatoes. It was unexpectedly delicious, became a favorite of Wajid Ali Shah, and quickly spread throughout Kolkata.
The second dish is yellow pilaf (basanti pulao), a special rice dish for the Bengali New Year, colored with turmeric and topped with fried cashews and raisins.
Main dishes include yogurt and cilantro roasted chicken, pan-fried spicy tilapia, mixed nut and vegetable patties, and roasted cauliflower with five-spice blend (panch phoron). Panch phoron consists of five spice seeds: radhuni seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, and nigella seeds. They are not roasted or ground, but mixed and added directly to food. Radhuni is a close relative of ajwain, but it is rarely used in South Asia outside of Bengal. It tastes a bit like celery, but is very strong. Collapse Read »
Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets (Part 5 of 7)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
4. Tunisian restaurant La Medina
I had the Ramadan iftar buffet at the Tunisian restaurant La Medina by the Liangma River. It is super crowded on weekends, which is likely the case for all iftar buffets in Beijing, so friends, it is better to choose a weekday.
First, let me introduce their restaurant name. Medina means "city" in Arabic. In North Africa, a medina usually refers to an old town built with city walls and many narrow, maze-like alleys. The Medina of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. It is one of the most famous medinas, containing 700 historical buildings including palaces, mosques, mausoleums, madrasas, and fountains.
Compared to last year, the variety at La Medina has decreased, which is truly a pity. Last year at the buffet, I had Tunisian harissa soup, merguez (North African sausage), and kibbeh, but I didn't get to eat them this time. I am not sure if it was just bad timing.
First, there were eight meze appetizers, including hummus, baba ghanoush, and tabbouleh, which can be found in every Arab restaurant. The most worth trying is the Tunisian-style mechouia salad, which you can only find at their place in Beijing. Mechouia means "grilled" in Arabic. It is made by roasting onions, green peppers, tomatoes, and garlic in an oven, seasoning them with caraway, salt, and black pepper, adding olive oil, and finally garnishing with olives, tuna, and boiled eggs.
The main course is the classic North African Berber dish, couscous, served with tajine (stew cooked in a clay pot). Couscous is a staple food for the Berbers. It is made by rubbing semolina flour into millet-sized grains, which are then dried. A clay pot (tajine) is a cooking vessel with a round, flat bottom and a conical or domed top. This design lets evaporated steam return to the bottom, and you can add water through the hole in the lid.
They also serve fried triangular pastries (sambousek) and chickpea fritters (falafel). Sambousek is a classic snack for Arabs during Ramadan. It originated from the Iranian sanbosag and later spread to various places with the spread of Persian culture. It entered Arab cuisine after the 10th century, reached South Asia with the Delhi Sultanate after the 13th century, and later spread to China, Indonesia, and across Africa. In some Hui Muslim communities in China, this snack is still called sanmosan.
For dessert after the meal, there is basbousa, which originated in Egypt. Basbousa is a semolina cake soaked in syrup. It is first baked in a pan and then soaked with orange blossom water, rose water, or syrup. Collapse Read »
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
4. Tunisian restaurant La Medina
I had the Ramadan iftar buffet at the Tunisian restaurant La Medina by the Liangma River. It is super crowded on weekends, which is likely the case for all iftar buffets in Beijing, so friends, it is better to choose a weekday.
First, let me introduce their restaurant name. Medina means "city" in Arabic. In North Africa, a medina usually refers to an old town built with city walls and many narrow, maze-like alleys. The Medina of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. It is one of the most famous medinas, containing 700 historical buildings including palaces, mosques, mausoleums, madrasas, and fountains.
Compared to last year, the variety at La Medina has decreased, which is truly a pity. Last year at the buffet, I had Tunisian harissa soup, merguez (North African sausage), and kibbeh, but I didn't get to eat them this time. I am not sure if it was just bad timing.
First, there were eight meze appetizers, including hummus, baba ghanoush, and tabbouleh, which can be found in every Arab restaurant. The most worth trying is the Tunisian-style mechouia salad, which you can only find at their place in Beijing. Mechouia means "grilled" in Arabic. It is made by roasting onions, green peppers, tomatoes, and garlic in an oven, seasoning them with caraway, salt, and black pepper, adding olive oil, and finally garnishing with olives, tuna, and boiled eggs.
The main course is the classic North African Berber dish, couscous, served with tajine (stew cooked in a clay pot). Couscous is a staple food for the Berbers. It is made by rubbing semolina flour into millet-sized grains, which are then dried. A clay pot (tajine) is a cooking vessel with a round, flat bottom and a conical or domed top. This design lets evaporated steam return to the bottom, and you can add water through the hole in the lid.
They also serve fried triangular pastries (sambousek) and chickpea fritters (falafel). Sambousek is a classic snack for Arabs during Ramadan. It originated from the Iranian sanbosag and later spread to various places with the spread of Persian culture. It entered Arab cuisine after the 10th century, reached South Asia with the Delhi Sultanate after the 13th century, and later spread to China, Indonesia, and across Africa. In some Hui Muslim communities in China, this snack is still called sanmosan.
For dessert after the meal, there is basbousa, which originated in Egypt. Basbousa is a semolina cake soaked in syrup. It is first baked in a pan and then soaked with orange blossom water, rose water, or syrup. Collapse Read »
Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Bengali New Year, Halal Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. I ate various Bengali and Kolkata delicacies I don't usually get to try and watched some wonderful dancing. Even though some of the snacks took a little getting used to, it was a fantastic opportunity.
The Bengali New Year is called Pohela Boishakh, and on this day, Bengali people everywhere hold celebrations and offer dua. One theory is that the Bengali calendar was finalized during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The Mughal Empire originally used the Islamic calendar to collect land taxes from the Bengali people. Because the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, its cycle did not match the rhythm of farming work. Emperor Akbar asked his court astronomers to combine the Islamic calendar with the local Indian solar calendar to create a new one, which eventually became the Bengali calendar. To make it easier to collect taxes after the spring harvest each year, the Bengali New Year was set in April.
Bengali food is strongly influenced by the Mughal Empire. Between 1576 and 1765, the Bengal Subah under Mughal rule included what is now Bangladesh and eastern India. It was one of the wealthiest regions in South Asia at the time, known as the 'Nation of Nations,' with world-leading textile and shipbuilding industries. Many merchants, immigrants, and travelers entered the Bengal Subah, influencing Bengali eating habits in different ways, including the use of beef, mutton, yogurt, and various spice blends.
After the 18th century, the British East India Company built a trading post in the Bengal Subah, which later grew into Kolkata, the capital of British India. Kolkata is the second-largest Bengali-speaking city after Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, and Kolkata cuisine is an important part of Bengali food culture.
I will share the delicious food I ate at the buffet.
First is the street snack puffed rice (jhalmuri), popular in Bangladesh and eastern India. It is made by mixing puffed rice (muri) with various spices, chopped vegetables like cucumber, lemon, onion, chili, tomato, and potato, and mustard oil. In Bangladesh and eastern India, puffed rice is an ancient and important staple food. People boil and dry the rice, then heat it in a pan with salt. They add the rice and stir, and it starts to puff up immediately, taking less than a minute to make.
Two Bengali summer drinks, the lime yogurt drink (gondhoraj ghol) and the roasted sour mango drink (aam pora sharbat), are the best ways for Bengalis to cool down in the 40-degree summer heat. Gondhoraj lebu is a type of lime from Bangladesh with a very unique taste that might take some getting used to for first-timers. Aam Pora Sharbat is made by roasting unripe sour mangoes over charcoal. Once the mangoes soften, the pulp is scooped out and blended with sugar, salt, cumin, and fresh mint. It has a light, smoky flavor when you drink it.
The classic Bengali side dish vegetable mash (bhurta) is made by mashing various vegetables or fish with mustard oil, onion, garlic, and red chili. The ingredients can be boiled, roasted, or fried before mashing.
There are many types of bhurta depending on the ingredients. The most popular is potato mash (aloo bharta), made by boiling potatoes and mixing them with fried onions, chili, and mustard oil. The rich taste of mustard oil in the potato mash really boosts your appetite. Another common one is eggplant mash (baingan bharta), made by roasting the eggplant, chopping it up, and mixing it with onion, chili, and mustard oil.
Fried dishes made by Bengalis using mustard oil are called bhaja, and there are many different kinds. The most classic is crispy fried potato strips (jhure-jhure aloo bhaja). The potatoes are fried until golden and very crispy, and it is a classic snack for the Bengali New Year. Also, fried eggplant slices (muchmuche beguni) and fried potato patties (aloo chop) are both part of the bhaja fried dish family.
For the main course, there was Kolkata potato rice (Kolkata aloo biryani). This is the only type of biryani in South Asia that uses potatoes as an ingredient. Kolkata, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, is the second-largest Bengali-speaking city after Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.
In 1856, after Wajid Ali Shah, the ruler of the Awadh region in northern India, was deposed by the British, he moved to Kolkata. The potato biryani was invented by his accompanying court chefs. Potatoes were a foreign food and were not brought to India by the Dutch until the 1830s. When Wajid Ali Shah's court chefs were cooking biryani with saffron, various spices, and meat, they once tried adding fried baby potatoes. It was unexpectedly delicious, became a favorite of Wajid Ali Shah, and quickly spread throughout Kolkata.
The second dish is yellow pilaf (basanti pulao), a special rice dish for the Bengali New Year, colored with turmeric and topped with fried cashews and raisins.
Main dishes include yogurt and cilantro roasted chicken, pan-fried spicy tilapia, mixed nut and vegetable patties, and roasted cauliflower with five-spice blend (panch phoron). Panch phoron consists of five spice seeds: radhuni seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, and nigella seeds. They are not roasted or ground, but mixed and added directly to food. Radhuni is a close relative of ajwain, but it is rarely used in South Asia outside of Bengal. It tastes a bit like celery, but is very strong.
Here are a few types of Bengali curry.
Doi shorshe katla is a Bengali yogurt fish curry. In this name, 'doi' means yogurt, 'shorshe' means mustard seeds, and 'katla' means carp. Mustard seeds and mustard oil are the basic elements of Bengali fish curry. Besides these, many spices are added, and the yellow color in the curry mainly comes from turmeric.
Mutton chaap is a lamb chop curry special to Kolkata. It is slow-cooked with various spices like masala. This cooking method comes from the Mughal Empire and is a classic curry for holidays like Eid al-Fitr.
Chicken rezala is a Bengali white sauce chicken curry. It also comes from the Mughal Empire and is slow-cooked with yogurt and nuts. The spices include cloves, black pepper, cinnamon, black cardamom, dried red chili, and green cardamom.
To go with the curry, you must have Bengali flatbread (ruti), which is the same as Indian roti. The word comes from the Sanskrit 'roṭikā', which means bread. In Bengal, ruti is made with whole wheat flour. If finer wheat flour is used, it is called 'porota'.
Finally, here are a few Bengali snacks and desserts.
Aloo kabli is a special street snack in Kolkata. It is made with boiled potatoes, chopped onions, green chilies, cilantro, tamarind, lime, and masala spices. Aloo kabli stalls are most popular at the gates of schools in Kolkata. Students surround the stalls as soon as school ends, waiting for the vendor to wrap the aloo kabli in old newspapers to sell to them.
Malpua is a deep-fried dessert soaked in syrup that Bengalis eat during holidays. It is crispy on the outside and fluffy and juicy on the inside, with a fragrance from fennel and green cardamom powder.
Chaler payesh is a rice pudding that Bengalis eat during holidays, similar to kheer in North India. Besides milk and basmati rice, it also contains ghee, sugar, cardamom powder, and nuts.
Narkel naru is a Bengali coconut ball dessert and an essential part of holidays. The ingredients for making narkel naru are very simple: just fresh coconut, sugar, and cardamom powder.
Rosogolla is a Bengali cheese dessert made by soaking soft, juicy cheese in syrup.
Collapse Read »
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Bengali New Year, Halal Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. I ate various Bengali and Kolkata delicacies I don't usually get to try and watched some wonderful dancing. Even though some of the snacks took a little getting used to, it was a fantastic opportunity.
The Bengali New Year is called Pohela Boishakh, and on this day, Bengali people everywhere hold celebrations and offer dua. One theory is that the Bengali calendar was finalized during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The Mughal Empire originally used the Islamic calendar to collect land taxes from the Bengali people. Because the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, its cycle did not match the rhythm of farming work. Emperor Akbar asked his court astronomers to combine the Islamic calendar with the local Indian solar calendar to create a new one, which eventually became the Bengali calendar. To make it easier to collect taxes after the spring harvest each year, the Bengali New Year was set in April.
Bengali food is strongly influenced by the Mughal Empire. Between 1576 and 1765, the Bengal Subah under Mughal rule included what is now Bangladesh and eastern India. It was one of the wealthiest regions in South Asia at the time, known as the 'Nation of Nations,' with world-leading textile and shipbuilding industries. Many merchants, immigrants, and travelers entered the Bengal Subah, influencing Bengali eating habits in different ways, including the use of beef, mutton, yogurt, and various spice blends.
After the 18th century, the British East India Company built a trading post in the Bengal Subah, which later grew into Kolkata, the capital of British India. Kolkata is the second-largest Bengali-speaking city after Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, and Kolkata cuisine is an important part of Bengali food culture.
I will share the delicious food I ate at the buffet.
First is the street snack puffed rice (jhalmuri), popular in Bangladesh and eastern India. It is made by mixing puffed rice (muri) with various spices, chopped vegetables like cucumber, lemon, onion, chili, tomato, and potato, and mustard oil. In Bangladesh and eastern India, puffed rice is an ancient and important staple food. People boil and dry the rice, then heat it in a pan with salt. They add the rice and stir, and it starts to puff up immediately, taking less than a minute to make.
Two Bengali summer drinks, the lime yogurt drink (gondhoraj ghol) and the roasted sour mango drink (aam pora sharbat), are the best ways for Bengalis to cool down in the 40-degree summer heat. Gondhoraj lebu is a type of lime from Bangladesh with a very unique taste that might take some getting used to for first-timers. Aam Pora Sharbat is made by roasting unripe sour mangoes over charcoal. Once the mangoes soften, the pulp is scooped out and blended with sugar, salt, cumin, and fresh mint. It has a light, smoky flavor when you drink it.
The classic Bengali side dish vegetable mash (bhurta) is made by mashing various vegetables or fish with mustard oil, onion, garlic, and red chili. The ingredients can be boiled, roasted, or fried before mashing.
There are many types of bhurta depending on the ingredients. The most popular is potato mash (aloo bharta), made by boiling potatoes and mixing them with fried onions, chili, and mustard oil. The rich taste of mustard oil in the potato mash really boosts your appetite. Another common one is eggplant mash (baingan bharta), made by roasting the eggplant, chopping it up, and mixing it with onion, chili, and mustard oil.
Fried dishes made by Bengalis using mustard oil are called bhaja, and there are many different kinds. The most classic is crispy fried potato strips (jhure-jhure aloo bhaja). The potatoes are fried until golden and very crispy, and it is a classic snack for the Bengali New Year. Also, fried eggplant slices (muchmuche beguni) and fried potato patties (aloo chop) are both part of the bhaja fried dish family.
For the main course, there was Kolkata potato rice (Kolkata aloo biryani). This is the only type of biryani in South Asia that uses potatoes as an ingredient. Kolkata, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, is the second-largest Bengali-speaking city after Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.
In 1856, after Wajid Ali Shah, the ruler of the Awadh region in northern India, was deposed by the British, he moved to Kolkata. The potato biryani was invented by his accompanying court chefs. Potatoes were a foreign food and were not brought to India by the Dutch until the 1830s. When Wajid Ali Shah's court chefs were cooking biryani with saffron, various spices, and meat, they once tried adding fried baby potatoes. It was unexpectedly delicious, became a favorite of Wajid Ali Shah, and quickly spread throughout Kolkata.
The second dish is yellow pilaf (basanti pulao), a special rice dish for the Bengali New Year, colored with turmeric and topped with fried cashews and raisins.
Main dishes include yogurt and cilantro roasted chicken, pan-fried spicy tilapia, mixed nut and vegetable patties, and roasted cauliflower with five-spice blend (panch phoron). Panch phoron consists of five spice seeds: radhuni seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, and nigella seeds. They are not roasted or ground, but mixed and added directly to food. Radhuni is a close relative of ajwain, but it is rarely used in South Asia outside of Bengal. It tastes a bit like celery, but is very strong.
Here are a few types of Bengali curry.
Doi shorshe katla is a Bengali yogurt fish curry. In this name, 'doi' means yogurt, 'shorshe' means mustard seeds, and 'katla' means carp. Mustard seeds and mustard oil are the basic elements of Bengali fish curry. Besides these, many spices are added, and the yellow color in the curry mainly comes from turmeric.
Mutton chaap is a lamb chop curry special to Kolkata. It is slow-cooked with various spices like masala. This cooking method comes from the Mughal Empire and is a classic curry for holidays like Eid al-Fitr.
Chicken rezala is a Bengali white sauce chicken curry. It also comes from the Mughal Empire and is slow-cooked with yogurt and nuts. The spices include cloves, black pepper, cinnamon, black cardamom, dried red chili, and green cardamom.
To go with the curry, you must have Bengali flatbread (ruti), which is the same as Indian roti. The word comes from the Sanskrit 'roṭikā', which means bread. In Bengal, ruti is made with whole wheat flour. If finer wheat flour is used, it is called 'porota'.
Finally, here are a few Bengali snacks and desserts.
Aloo kabli is a special street snack in Kolkata. It is made with boiled potatoes, chopped onions, green chilies, cilantro, tamarind, lime, and masala spices. Aloo kabli stalls are most popular at the gates of schools in Kolkata. Students surround the stalls as soon as school ends, waiting for the vendor to wrap the aloo kabli in old newspapers to sell to them.
Malpua is a deep-fried dessert soaked in syrup that Bengalis eat during holidays. It is crispy on the outside and fluffy and juicy on the inside, with a fragrance from fennel and green cardamom powder.
Chaler payesh is a rice pudding that Bengalis eat during holidays, similar to kheer in North India. Besides milk and basmati rice, it also contains ghee, sugar, cardamom powder, and nuts.
Narkel naru is a Bengali coconut ball dessert and an essential part of holidays. The ingredients for making narkel naru are very simple: just fresh coconut, sugar, and cardamom powder.
Rosogolla is a Bengali cheese dessert made by soaking soft, juicy cheese in syrup.
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Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. Compared to last year, there are two main changes. First, the Iraqi restaurant Taiba in Sanlitun expanded its space and now offers an Iftar buffet. Their lamb Mandi rice is delicious and comes highly recommended. The second change is that the Azerbaijani/Turkish restaurant Dardanelles on Ritan Shangjie has raised its prices and upgraded its menu. They added many hearty dishes, and the stewed lamb leg is so big and tender that it leaves you completely full.
Let me briefly explain two terms here.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and the month when the Quran was revealed. All eligible Muslims (excluding the elderly, young, sick, pregnant, or those traveling) must fast from food and drink between dawn and nightfall, avoid backbiting, and refrain from arguing. This is one of the five pillars of the faith.
Iftar is the meal eaten after sunset every day during Ramadan.
1. Azerbaijani/Turkish restaurant Dardanelles
Yabaolu, located outside Chaoyangmen in Beijing, used to be a major hub for China-Russia trade. Back when China-Russia trade was at its peak, the tricycle drivers in Yabaolu spoke fluent Russian. Because of this, Azerbaijani friends (dosti) who spoke fluent Russian started opening restaurants on the Ritan Shangjie food street near Yabaolu. Due to their neighboring locations and similar cultural customs, some Azerbaijani owners chose to open Turkish restaurants, and Dardanelles is one of them.
As a long-standing Turkish restaurant, I have been eating the Iftar buffet at Dardanelles for many years. They are always very popular every year, so I went early this year to avoid the crowds that come later in the month.
Compared to last year, there are even more hearty dishes this year. It is truly the heartiest Iftar buffet in Beijing. I think the best dish is the lamb leg. It is stewed until soft, and the meat falls off the bone with just a touch of a knife. The meat is very fresh, and you can tell it is high quality. The braised lamb spine (yangxiezi) is also very good. The meat is tender, and the flavor is even richer.
The classic kebab platter remains the same as in previous years, featuring a variety of grilled meats, including both minced meat and chunks. They also added Doner rotisserie meat this year, with both beef and chicken options. Personally, I think the thinly sliced meat isn't as satisfying as the grilled skewers.
There are various Ottoman appetizers (meze) from the Levant region, including chickpea dip (hummus), vegetable yogurt (haydari), spicy tomato paste (acili ezme), and strained thick yogurt (suzme), which are great for dipping bread. I especially recommend their thick yogurt, which has no added sugar and a very rich milky flavor.
For bread, you can have various Turkish pizzas (pide) with meat or cheese fillings. Since they are prepared in advance, they aren't as good as when they come straight out of the oven, but I still think they taste great.
Besides that, the stews are very rich. I highly recommend the Ottoman specialty vegetable rolls (sarma), which can be wrapped in grape leaves or cabbage. This is a classic Iftar food from the former Ottoman region. Sarma means 'wrapped' in Turkish, and this method is a type of traditional Ottoman stuffed dish (dolma). In winter, cabbage was the main vegetable for Ottoman farmers. People would wrap meat filling and rice in cabbage to eat, which is very delicious.
There are several different flavors of Ottoman pastry dessert (baklava). Baklava originated in the Ottoman imperial kitchens of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. Every year during Ramadan, the Ottoman Sultan would gift baklava on trays to the Janissaries, a ceremony known as the Baklava Procession (Baklava Alayı). Baklava in the Azerbaijan region usually contains almonds or walnuts and is cut into diamond shapes. It is a classic dessert for Iftar.
2. Pakistani restaurant Khan Baba
After tasting Ottoman-style food at the first stop, Dardanelles, the second stop is to try some Mughal specialties. Khan Baba is the first Pakistani restaurant I ever visited, and it has been over ten years now. They have a very good atmosphere, and every meal there is comforting. Having an Iftar buffet at Khan Baba is also a must-do every Ramadan.
Let me share a few dishes from their buffet. First is the grilled chicken chunks (tikka). Tikka comes from the Turkic word tikkü, which means "piece." The Mughal Empire brought this style of grilling spice-marinated boneless meat to South Asia, and chicken is the most common version.
Second is the bean curry (masala), a common way to prepare curry in northern South Asia. Masala is a spice blend. The ingredients vary by region, but it usually includes black and white pepper, cloves, bay leaves, nutmeg, cumin, cinnamon, coriander seeds, fennel, and chili powder.
Third is the minced beef curry, and fourth is the chicken clay pot (handi). Handi is a popular way to eat curry in northern South Asia. You slow-cook meat in a copper pot or clay pot, sealing the lid so the steam stays inside and keeps all the aroma in the food.
Fifth is the fried vegetable fritters (pakora). This is a classic South Asian street snack made by coating onions, eggplant, potatoes, or spinach in chickpea flour and frying them. It is often served as an appetizer with masala tea at South Asian weddings.
The main dish is the classic biryani rice. Biryani is a Persian loanword in Urdu. It likely started in the Mughal royal kitchens, where chefs supposedly combined spicy Indian rice with Persian pilaf. Mughal documents mention both biryanis and pulao (pilaf), and the terms were interchangeable back then. People generally think biryani has more spices and a stronger curry flavor than pilaf.
For dessert, there is milk pudding (kheer). Kheer comes from the Sanskrit word for milk, "kshira," and it has a history of over two thousand years. Kheer is made by boiling milk, sugar, and rice together. You can add toppings like shredded coconut, raisins, saffron, cashews, or pistachios.
The buffet features a classic South Asian Ramadan Iftar drink called Rooh Afza, a concentrated syrup made with various herbs and fruits. Rooh Afza was perfected in 1906 by a Delhi Muslim herbalist named Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed. Majeed’s ancestors moved from Kashgar, Xinjiang, to the Mughal Empire in the late 18th century and worked in the herbal medicine trade.
Majeed wanted to create a herbal blend to help the people of Delhi cool down during the summer. He chose various herbs and fruit syrups from traditional South Asian Muslim Unani medicine to make a drink that effectively prevents heatstroke and dehydration during Ramadan. After 1906, Majeed opened a herbal shop in Delhi, which became a factory with a full production line after 1920. He named the factory Hamdard, a Persian loanword in Urdu meaning "companion in pain."
After the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, Majeed’s eldest son, Hakim Abdul Hameed, stayed in India. His younger son, Hakeem Muhammad Saeed, moved to Karachi, Pakistan, in 1948 and later opened branches in East Pakistan (Bangladesh), making Rooh Afza popular across South Asia.
3. Iraqi Restaurant Taiba
At Taiba in Sanlitun SOHO, you can have an Iftar buffet. The owners are a couple from China and Iraq who serve authentic Arabic food.
Besides grilled chicken and various kebabs, their main dish is lamb and chicken mandi rice. Mandi is a classic Arabic staple. The most traditional way to eat it is to dig a pit in the ground to cook the rice, then spread out a mat, sit on the floor, and eat with your hands. Mandi originated in the Hadhramaut region on the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula (there is a Yemeni restaurant in Xiaobei, Guangzhou, with this name). It later spread to Egypt, the Levant, and other Arab regions, where it became very popular.
To make traditional mandi, you burn dry wood in a clay oven until it turns into charcoal, then hang meat (mostly lamb, camel, or chicken) rubbed with Hawaij spice inside the oven. The main ingredients of Hawaij spice are cumin, black pepper, turmeric, and cardamom. Once the meat is tender, you pour spiced broth into basmati rice, place the pot at the bottom of the oven, seal the oven with clay, and slow-cook it for up to 8 hours. The finished mandi meat is soft and tender, and the rice is full of the aroma of the meat and spices. It is delicious.
They also have Middle Eastern stuffed vegetables (dolma), which are green peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants stuffed with meat and rice and then stewed. The name dolma comes from the Ottoman era, and you can find recipes for stuffed eggplant in some medieval Arabic cookbooks. Beyond the Middle East, stuffed vegetables (dolma) are found across the Balkans, the South Caucasus, and North Africa under Ottoman rule, with different preparation methods in each place. For example, the Arab region prefers stuffed eggplant, Bosnia and Herzegovina prefers stuffed onions, and the Ottoman court also had a tradition of stuffing melons and fruits.
Another Middle Eastern snack they serve is kibbeh meatballs. These are made by wrapping minced meat, chopped onions, and Middle Eastern spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice in cracked wheat, and are usually deep-fried. Lebanon and Syria both consider kibbeh a national dish, but it is actually found in other Arab countries like Egypt and Iraq, as well as in Iran and Armenia.
They have a rich variety of desserts, and the most worth trying is the classic Arab Ramadan dessert, knafeh. According to a famous Arab legend, a physician in the court of the Fatimid or Umayyad Caliphate invented knafeh to satisfy the Caliph's hunger during Ramadan. Knafeh later became a classic Arab iftar dessert and even appeared in One Thousand and One Nights.
Knafeh is made of buttery pastry, stretchy cheese, and crushed pistachios, and is drizzled with a syrup called attar when eaten. Although it has a history of over a thousand years, the current fried, stretchy style formed in the mid-15th century during the Ottoman period and gradually spread throughout the Ottoman-ruled Middle East.
They also serve the classic Arab appetizer mezza, which is perfect for dipping with flatbread. The term mezza for an appetizer is borrowed from the Persian word "mazzeh," meaning "taste," which later entered the Middle East under Ottoman rule via Persian. When I visited, they served six appetizers, including two dips: hummus (chickpea puree) and baba ghanoush (roasted eggplant puree). Tabbouleh salad is made by mixing parsley, tomatoes, mint, onions, and soaked cracked wheat with olive oil and lemon juice. Fattoush salad is made by mixing toasted or fried pieces of khubz (Arab flatbread) with various vegetables.
4. Tunisian restaurant La Medina
I had the Ramadan iftar buffet at the Tunisian restaurant La Medina by the Liangma River. It is super crowded on weekends, which is likely the case for all iftar buffets in Beijing, so friends, it is better to choose a weekday.
First, let me introduce their restaurant name. Medina means "city" in Arabic. In North Africa, a medina usually refers to an old town built with city walls and many narrow, maze-like alleys. The Medina of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. It is one of the most famous medinas, containing 700 historical buildings including palaces, mosques, mausoleums, madrasas, and fountains.
Compared to last year, the variety at La Medina has decreased, which is truly a pity. Last year at the buffet, I had Tunisian harissa soup, merguez (North African sausage), and kibbeh, but I didn't get to eat them this time. I am not sure if it was just bad timing.
First, there were eight meze appetizers, including hummus, baba ghanoush, and tabbouleh, which can be found in every Arab restaurant. The most worth trying is the Tunisian-style mechouia salad, which you can only find at their place in Beijing. Mechouia means "grilled" in Arabic. It is made by roasting onions, green peppers, tomatoes, and garlic in an oven, seasoning them with caraway, salt, and black pepper, adding olive oil, and finally garnishing with olives, tuna, and boiled eggs.
The main course is the classic North African Berber dish, couscous, served with tajine (stew cooked in a clay pot). Couscous is a staple food for the Berbers. It is made by rubbing semolina flour into millet-sized grains, which are then dried. A clay pot (tajine) is a cooking vessel with a round, flat bottom and a conical or domed top. This design lets evaporated steam return to the bottom, and you can add water through the hole in the lid.
They also serve fried triangular pastries (sambousek) and chickpea fritters (falafel). Sambousek is a classic snack for Arabs during Ramadan. It originated from the Iranian sanbosag and later spread to various places with the spread of Persian culture. It entered Arab cuisine after the 10th century, reached South Asia with the Delhi Sultanate after the 13th century, and later spread to China, Indonesia, and across Africa. In some Hui Muslim communities in China, this snack is still called sanmosan.
For dessert after the meal, there is basbousa, which originated in Egypt. Basbousa is a semolina cake soaked in syrup. It is first baked in a pan and then soaked with orange blossom water, rose water, or syrup.
5. Palestinian restaurant Al Safir
I had the Ramadan iftar buffet at the Palestinian restaurant Al Safir in Sanyuanqiao. This is the fifth iftar buffet I have tried, following La Medina, Taiba, Dardanelles, and Khan Baba.
I make sure to eat at Al Safir's iftar buffet every year. Their 15 types of Levantine appetizers, known as meze, are their biggest highlight. The owner is also a very kind, hospitable person with strong faith, which makes dining there feel very comfortable. They have plenty of outdoor seating. It would be great to eat outside once the weather warms up next week, but we were worried about the crowds, so we specifically chose today because it was windy and less busy, which made the meal feel more relaxed.
For a traditional Arab iftar, you should follow the Sunnah by eating dates first, then having soup. They usually serve lentil soup or chicken soup. This year they added broccoli soup, which I am not quite used to, but you can give it a try. After the prayer, the main meal begins. Here you can eat sambousek, the classic lamb-filled fried pastry that Arabs enjoy during Ramadan.
The classic Levantine way to eat is to stuff falafel and various sauces into pita bread, or simply dip the pita bread into the sauces. Among all the meze, my favorite is the red qalayet bandora. Al Safir might be the only place in Beijing that serves it. This dish is made with tomatoes, onions, chili peppers, and olive oil. It is said to have originated in the villages near the Dead Sea, where the hot climate of the Jordan Valley is perfect for growing tomatoes. They also have muhammara, made with walnuts, red bell peppers, pomegranate molasses, and breadcrumbs. This meze is said to have originated in Aleppo, Syria.
Their main dishes are stewed lamb and roasted chicken. The lamb is tender and fragrant, and it tastes great with long-grain rice. I could not stop eating it. The roasted chicken is a bit tougher than the stewed lamb, but the flavor is still good.
I will take this opportunity to explain the different categories of Arab cuisine. First, the Arab world can be divided into two main parts: east and west. The North African region, excluding Egypt, is called the Maghreb, which means the land of the sunset. The food here is strongly influenced by the Berbers. The staple food is couscous, and specialties include North African sausages and tagine. The Tunisian restaurant La Medina on Liangma River is a representative of this style.
The eastern part of the Arab world is called the Mashriq, which means the land of the sunrise. The Arab regions east of Egypt belong to this area. The staple food here is long-grain rice rather than couscous. All Arab restaurants in Beijing except for La Medina belong to this region.
The Mashriq region can be further divided into several areas. First is the Arabian Peninsula. This region loves camel meat and various types of rice pilaf, with Yemeni cuisine being the most famous. There are several Yemeni restaurants in Guangzhou.
Cuisine in the Mesopotamia region, dominated by Iraq, is also very rich. This was once the court of the Abbasid Caliphate, and the earliest Arab cookbooks came from here. The owner of Taiba in Sanlitun is Iraqi. If you are interested, you can go and have a taste.
Among all Arab cuisines, Levantine cuisine has the most far-reaching influence. The Levant refers to the eastern Mediterranean coast, including Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and surrounding areas. Levantine cuisine is most famous for its meze, which has influenced the eating habits of the entire Middle East. Syrian restaurants like 1001 Nights and BRBR in Beijing, the Lebanese restaurant Al Ameen, and Palestinian restaurants like Al Safir and Zayton all belong to Levantine cuisine.
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Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. Compared to last year, there are two main changes. First, the Iraqi restaurant Taiba in Sanlitun expanded its space and now offers an Iftar buffet. Their lamb Mandi rice is delicious and comes highly recommended. The second change is that the Azerbaijani/Turkish restaurant Dardanelles on Ritan Shangjie has raised its prices and upgraded its menu. They added many hearty dishes, and the stewed lamb leg is so big and tender that it leaves you completely full.
Let me briefly explain two terms here.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and the month when the Quran was revealed. All eligible Muslims (excluding the elderly, young, sick, pregnant, or those traveling) must fast from food and drink between dawn and nightfall, avoid backbiting, and refrain from arguing. This is one of the five pillars of the faith.
Iftar is the meal eaten after sunset every day during Ramadan.
1. Azerbaijani/Turkish restaurant Dardanelles
Yabaolu, located outside Chaoyangmen in Beijing, used to be a major hub for China-Russia trade. Back when China-Russia trade was at its peak, the tricycle drivers in Yabaolu spoke fluent Russian. Because of this, Azerbaijani friends (dosti) who spoke fluent Russian started opening restaurants on the Ritan Shangjie food street near Yabaolu. Due to their neighboring locations and similar cultural customs, some Azerbaijani owners chose to open Turkish restaurants, and Dardanelles is one of them.
As a long-standing Turkish restaurant, I have been eating the Iftar buffet at Dardanelles for many years. They are always very popular every year, so I went early this year to avoid the crowds that come later in the month.
Compared to last year, there are even more hearty dishes this year. It is truly the heartiest Iftar buffet in Beijing. I think the best dish is the lamb leg. It is stewed until soft, and the meat falls off the bone with just a touch of a knife. The meat is very fresh, and you can tell it is high quality. The braised lamb spine (yangxiezi) is also very good. The meat is tender, and the flavor is even richer.
The classic kebab platter remains the same as in previous years, featuring a variety of grilled meats, including both minced meat and chunks. They also added Doner rotisserie meat this year, with both beef and chicken options. Personally, I think the thinly sliced meat isn't as satisfying as the grilled skewers.
There are various Ottoman appetizers (meze) from the Levant region, including chickpea dip (hummus), vegetable yogurt (haydari), spicy tomato paste (acili ezme), and strained thick yogurt (suzme), which are great for dipping bread. I especially recommend their thick yogurt, which has no added sugar and a very rich milky flavor.
For bread, you can have various Turkish pizzas (pide) with meat or cheese fillings. Since they are prepared in advance, they aren't as good as when they come straight out of the oven, but I still think they taste great.
Besides that, the stews are very rich. I highly recommend the Ottoman specialty vegetable rolls (sarma), which can be wrapped in grape leaves or cabbage. This is a classic Iftar food from the former Ottoman region. Sarma means 'wrapped' in Turkish, and this method is a type of traditional Ottoman stuffed dish (dolma). In winter, cabbage was the main vegetable for Ottoman farmers. People would wrap meat filling and rice in cabbage to eat, which is very delicious.
There are several different flavors of Ottoman pastry dessert (baklava). Baklava originated in the Ottoman imperial kitchens of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. Every year during Ramadan, the Ottoman Sultan would gift baklava on trays to the Janissaries, a ceremony known as the Baklava Procession (Baklava Alayı). Baklava in the Azerbaijan region usually contains almonds or walnuts and is cut into diamond shapes. It is a classic dessert for Iftar.
2. Pakistani restaurant Khan Baba
After tasting Ottoman-style food at the first stop, Dardanelles, the second stop is to try some Mughal specialties. Khan Baba is the first Pakistani restaurant I ever visited, and it has been over ten years now. They have a very good atmosphere, and every meal there is comforting. Having an Iftar buffet at Khan Baba is also a must-do every Ramadan.
Let me share a few dishes from their buffet. First is the grilled chicken chunks (tikka). Tikka comes from the Turkic word tikkü, which means "piece." The Mughal Empire brought this style of grilling spice-marinated boneless meat to South Asia, and chicken is the most common version.
Second is the bean curry (masala), a common way to prepare curry in northern South Asia. Masala is a spice blend. The ingredients vary by region, but it usually includes black and white pepper, cloves, bay leaves, nutmeg, cumin, cinnamon, coriander seeds, fennel, and chili powder.
Third is the minced beef curry, and fourth is the chicken clay pot (handi). Handi is a popular way to eat curry in northern South Asia. You slow-cook meat in a copper pot or clay pot, sealing the lid so the steam stays inside and keeps all the aroma in the food.
Fifth is the fried vegetable fritters (pakora). This is a classic South Asian street snack made by coating onions, eggplant, potatoes, or spinach in chickpea flour and frying them. It is often served as an appetizer with masala tea at South Asian weddings.
The main dish is the classic biryani rice. Biryani is a Persian loanword in Urdu. It likely started in the Mughal royal kitchens, where chefs supposedly combined spicy Indian rice with Persian pilaf. Mughal documents mention both biryanis and pulao (pilaf), and the terms were interchangeable back then. People generally think biryani has more spices and a stronger curry flavor than pilaf.
For dessert, there is milk pudding (kheer). Kheer comes from the Sanskrit word for milk, "kshira," and it has a history of over two thousand years. Kheer is made by boiling milk, sugar, and rice together. You can add toppings like shredded coconut, raisins, saffron, cashews, or pistachios.
The buffet features a classic South Asian Ramadan Iftar drink called Rooh Afza, a concentrated syrup made with various herbs and fruits. Rooh Afza was perfected in 1906 by a Delhi Muslim herbalist named Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed. Majeed’s ancestors moved from Kashgar, Xinjiang, to the Mughal Empire in the late 18th century and worked in the herbal medicine trade.
Majeed wanted to create a herbal blend to help the people of Delhi cool down during the summer. He chose various herbs and fruit syrups from traditional South Asian Muslim Unani medicine to make a drink that effectively prevents heatstroke and dehydration during Ramadan. After 1906, Majeed opened a herbal shop in Delhi, which became a factory with a full production line after 1920. He named the factory Hamdard, a Persian loanword in Urdu meaning "companion in pain."
After the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, Majeed’s eldest son, Hakim Abdul Hameed, stayed in India. His younger son, Hakeem Muhammad Saeed, moved to Karachi, Pakistan, in 1948 and later opened branches in East Pakistan (Bangladesh), making Rooh Afza popular across South Asia.
3. Iraqi Restaurant Taiba
At Taiba in Sanlitun SOHO, you can have an Iftar buffet. The owners are a couple from China and Iraq who serve authentic Arabic food.
Besides grilled chicken and various kebabs, their main dish is lamb and chicken mandi rice. Mandi is a classic Arabic staple. The most traditional way to eat it is to dig a pit in the ground to cook the rice, then spread out a mat, sit on the floor, and eat with your hands. Mandi originated in the Hadhramaut region on the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula (there is a Yemeni restaurant in Xiaobei, Guangzhou, with this name). It later spread to Egypt, the Levant, and other Arab regions, where it became very popular.
To make traditional mandi, you burn dry wood in a clay oven until it turns into charcoal, then hang meat (mostly lamb, camel, or chicken) rubbed with Hawaij spice inside the oven. The main ingredients of Hawaij spice are cumin, black pepper, turmeric, and cardamom. Once the meat is tender, you pour spiced broth into basmati rice, place the pot at the bottom of the oven, seal the oven with clay, and slow-cook it for up to 8 hours. The finished mandi meat is soft and tender, and the rice is full of the aroma of the meat and spices. It is delicious.
They also have Middle Eastern stuffed vegetables (dolma), which are green peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants stuffed with meat and rice and then stewed. The name dolma comes from the Ottoman era, and you can find recipes for stuffed eggplant in some medieval Arabic cookbooks. Beyond the Middle East, stuffed vegetables (dolma) are found across the Balkans, the South Caucasus, and North Africa under Ottoman rule, with different preparation methods in each place. For example, the Arab region prefers stuffed eggplant, Bosnia and Herzegovina prefers stuffed onions, and the Ottoman court also had a tradition of stuffing melons and fruits.
Another Middle Eastern snack they serve is kibbeh meatballs. These are made by wrapping minced meat, chopped onions, and Middle Eastern spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice in cracked wheat, and are usually deep-fried. Lebanon and Syria both consider kibbeh a national dish, but it is actually found in other Arab countries like Egypt and Iraq, as well as in Iran and Armenia.
They have a rich variety of desserts, and the most worth trying is the classic Arab Ramadan dessert, knafeh. According to a famous Arab legend, a physician in the court of the Fatimid or Umayyad Caliphate invented knafeh to satisfy the Caliph's hunger during Ramadan. Knafeh later became a classic Arab iftar dessert and even appeared in One Thousand and One Nights.
Knafeh is made of buttery pastry, stretchy cheese, and crushed pistachios, and is drizzled with a syrup called attar when eaten. Although it has a history of over a thousand years, the current fried, stretchy style formed in the mid-15th century during the Ottoman period and gradually spread throughout the Ottoman-ruled Middle East.
They also serve the classic Arab appetizer mezza, which is perfect for dipping with flatbread. The term mezza for an appetizer is borrowed from the Persian word "mazzeh," meaning "taste," which later entered the Middle East under Ottoman rule via Persian. When I visited, they served six appetizers, including two dips: hummus (chickpea puree) and baba ghanoush (roasted eggplant puree). Tabbouleh salad is made by mixing parsley, tomatoes, mint, onions, and soaked cracked wheat with olive oil and lemon juice. Fattoush salad is made by mixing toasted or fried pieces of khubz (Arab flatbread) with various vegetables.
4. Tunisian restaurant La Medina
I had the Ramadan iftar buffet at the Tunisian restaurant La Medina by the Liangma River. It is super crowded on weekends, which is likely the case for all iftar buffets in Beijing, so friends, it is better to choose a weekday.
First, let me introduce their restaurant name. Medina means "city" in Arabic. In North Africa, a medina usually refers to an old town built with city walls and many narrow, maze-like alleys. The Medina of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. It is one of the most famous medinas, containing 700 historical buildings including palaces, mosques, mausoleums, madrasas, and fountains.
Compared to last year, the variety at La Medina has decreased, which is truly a pity. Last year at the buffet, I had Tunisian harissa soup, merguez (North African sausage), and kibbeh, but I didn't get to eat them this time. I am not sure if it was just bad timing.
First, there were eight meze appetizers, including hummus, baba ghanoush, and tabbouleh, which can be found in every Arab restaurant. The most worth trying is the Tunisian-style mechouia salad, which you can only find at their place in Beijing. Mechouia means "grilled" in Arabic. It is made by roasting onions, green peppers, tomatoes, and garlic in an oven, seasoning them with caraway, salt, and black pepper, adding olive oil, and finally garnishing with olives, tuna, and boiled eggs.
The main course is the classic North African Berber dish, couscous, served with tajine (stew cooked in a clay pot). Couscous is a staple food for the Berbers. It is made by rubbing semolina flour into millet-sized grains, which are then dried. A clay pot (tajine) is a cooking vessel with a round, flat bottom and a conical or domed top. This design lets evaporated steam return to the bottom, and you can add water through the hole in the lid.
They also serve fried triangular pastries (sambousek) and chickpea fritters (falafel). Sambousek is a classic snack for Arabs during Ramadan. It originated from the Iranian sanbosag and later spread to various places with the spread of Persian culture. It entered Arab cuisine after the 10th century, reached South Asia with the Delhi Sultanate after the 13th century, and later spread to China, Indonesia, and across Africa. In some Hui Muslim communities in China, this snack is still called sanmosan.
For dessert after the meal, there is basbousa, which originated in Egypt. Basbousa is a semolina cake soaked in syrup. It is first baked in a pan and then soaked with orange blossom water, rose water, or syrup.
5. Palestinian restaurant Al Safir
I had the Ramadan iftar buffet at the Palestinian restaurant Al Safir in Sanyuanqiao. This is the fifth iftar buffet I have tried, following La Medina, Taiba, Dardanelles, and Khan Baba.
I make sure to eat at Al Safir's iftar buffet every year. Their 15 types of Levantine appetizers, known as meze, are their biggest highlight. The owner is also a very kind, hospitable person with strong faith, which makes dining there feel very comfortable. They have plenty of outdoor seating. It would be great to eat outside once the weather warms up next week, but we were worried about the crowds, so we specifically chose today because it was windy and less busy, which made the meal feel more relaxed.
For a traditional Arab iftar, you should follow the Sunnah by eating dates first, then having soup. They usually serve lentil soup or chicken soup. This year they added broccoli soup, which I am not quite used to, but you can give it a try. After the prayer, the main meal begins. Here you can eat sambousek, the classic lamb-filled fried pastry that Arabs enjoy during Ramadan.
The classic Levantine way to eat is to stuff falafel and various sauces into pita bread, or simply dip the pita bread into the sauces. Among all the meze, my favorite is the red qalayet bandora. Al Safir might be the only place in Beijing that serves it. This dish is made with tomatoes, onions, chili peppers, and olive oil. It is said to have originated in the villages near the Dead Sea, where the hot climate of the Jordan Valley is perfect for growing tomatoes. They also have muhammara, made with walnuts, red bell peppers, pomegranate molasses, and breadcrumbs. This meze is said to have originated in Aleppo, Syria.
Their main dishes are stewed lamb and roasted chicken. The lamb is tender and fragrant, and it tastes great with long-grain rice. I could not stop eating it. The roasted chicken is a bit tougher than the stewed lamb, but the flavor is still good.
I will take this opportunity to explain the different categories of Arab cuisine. First, the Arab world can be divided into two main parts: east and west. The North African region, excluding Egypt, is called the Maghreb, which means the land of the sunset. The food here is strongly influenced by the Berbers. The staple food is couscous, and specialties include North African sausages and tagine. The Tunisian restaurant La Medina on Liangma River is a representative of this style.
The eastern part of the Arab world is called the Mashriq, which means the land of the sunrise. The Arab regions east of Egypt belong to this area. The staple food here is long-grain rice rather than couscous. All Arab restaurants in Beijing except for La Medina belong to this region.
The Mashriq region can be further divided into several areas. First is the Arabian Peninsula. This region loves camel meat and various types of rice pilaf, with Yemeni cuisine being the most famous. There are several Yemeni restaurants in Guangzhou.
Cuisine in the Mesopotamia region, dominated by Iraq, is also very rich. This was once the court of the Abbasid Caliphate, and the earliest Arab cookbooks came from here. The owner of Taiba in Sanlitun is Iraqi. If you are interested, you can go and have a taste.
Among all Arab cuisines, Levantine cuisine has the most far-reaching influence. The Levant refers to the eastern Mediterranean coast, including Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and surrounding areas. Levantine cuisine is most famous for its meze, which has influenced the eating habits of the entire Middle East. Syrian restaurants like 1001 Nights and BRBR in Beijing, the Lebanese restaurant Al Ameen, and Palestinian restaurants like Al Safir and Zayton all belong to Levantine cuisine.
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Halal Travel Guide: Macau — Moorish Barracks, Indonesian Food and Muslim History (Part 8)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Macau — Moorish Barracks, Indonesian Food and Muslim History is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: During the 2023 Spring Festival holiday, I finally hit the road again, restarting my plan to visit and eat in Muslim communities after a two-year break. The account keeps its focus on Macau Muslim History, Indonesian Food, Halal Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
For the main course, I ordered pandan rice (nasi pandan), and my friend Dosti next to me ordered yellow turmeric rice (nasi kuning). Both are classic types of Indonesian coconut rice. Pandan is also called fragrant orchid or seven-leaf orchid. Wild pandan originally came from the Maluku Islands (Spice Islands) in Indonesia. Modern cultivated plants are usually grown from cuttings or young shoots, and they are very common in Southeast and South Asia.
The word for Javanese fermented soybean cake (tempeh) is said to come from the Old Javanese word 'tumpi'. This soybean cake, made by pressing fermented soybeans, originated in central and eastern Java. It is fermented with a natural mold culture that grows on teak and hibiscus leaves. The relationship between tempeh and Chinese tofu is still unclear, as tempeh is rarely mentioned in ancient Javanese texts. This food has always been a staple for ordinary people.
Collapse Read »
Summary: Macau — Moorish Barracks, Indonesian Food and Muslim History is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: During the 2023 Spring Festival holiday, I finally hit the road again, restarting my plan to visit and eat in Muslim communities after a two-year break. The account keeps its focus on Macau Muslim History, Indonesian Food, Halal Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
For the main course, I ordered pandan rice (nasi pandan), and my friend Dosti next to me ordered yellow turmeric rice (nasi kuning). Both are classic types of Indonesian coconut rice. Pandan is also called fragrant orchid or seven-leaf orchid. Wild pandan originally came from the Maluku Islands (Spice Islands) in Indonesia. Modern cultivated plants are usually grown from cuttings or young shoots, and they are very common in Southeast and South Asia.
The word for Javanese fermented soybean cake (tempeh) is said to come from the Old Javanese word 'tumpi'. This soybean cake, made by pressing fermented soybeans, originated in central and eastern Java. It is fermented with a natural mold culture that grows on teak and hibiscus leaves. The relationship between tempeh and Chinese tofu is still unclear, as tempeh is rarely mentioned in ancient Javanese texts. This food has always been a staple for ordinary people.
Collapse Read »
Halal Travel Guide: Macau — Moorish Barracks, Indonesian Food and Muslim History (Part 5)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Macau — Moorish Barracks, Indonesian Food and Muslim History is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: During the 2023 Spring Festival holiday, I finally hit the road again, restarting my plan to visit and eat in Muslim communities after a two-year break. The account keeps its focus on Macau Muslim History, Indonesian Food, Halal Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
In the afternoon, I went to Macau's most famous Indonesian restaurant, Loly Indonesian Food. It is always packed with people, mostly Indonesian friends (dosti), as well as local Macau residents who come for the reputation.
The owner of Loly is Indah Handayani Sunardi, the sister standing in the red shirt in the picture below. She was born in 1984 to a farming family in Banyuwangi, at the easternmost tip of Java. Because her family had little money, she left school at 14 and took a job at a restaurant in Surabaya, the capital of East Java. In 2000, Sunardi went to Hong Kong at 16 to work as a household helper. She moved to Macau in 2003 and met her current husband. In 2013, Sunardi quit her job to focus on making Indonesian food. She started by selling online and finally opened Loly restaurant in 2016. Because it is authentic and delicious, it became the most famous Indonesian restaurant in Macau within a few years. In 2021, it was recognized as a specialty shop by the Macau Economic and Technological Development Bureau.
Since it was the first day of work after the holiday, some of their ingredients had not arrived yet. I didn't get to eat the Javanese specialty I wanted most, but I still ordered a few dishes I was happy with. First, I ordered the deluxe version of the Javanese coconut milk iced drink, which has avocado, grass jelly, red beans, syrup, and more. The black grass jelly is called cincau hitam in Java, and it is a classic combination when served with coconut milk, syrup, and ice cubes.
Then I ordered the large Indonesian meatball (bakso besar). The word bakso comes from the Hokkien word for "meat crisp" (rousu). It is a classic Indonesian street food made from beef, fish paste, and a small amount of tapioca flour, making it very firm. Finished meatballs are usually placed in beef broth, served with tofu, glass noodles, and various side dishes.
For side dishes, I ordered Terong penyet ikan asin. In this dish, 'terong' means eggplant, and 'penyet ikan asin' is Javanese fried small salted fish, where 'penyet' is the Javanese word for 'pressed'. It also came with Javanese-style fermented soybean cake (tempeh), fried tofu (tahu goreng) brought by Indonesian Chinese, and spicy stink bean paste (sambal petai). Stink beans are a common bean in Southeast Asia. They have a unique smell that might be hard for first-timers to get used to.
For the main course, I ordered pandan rice (nasi pandan), and my friend Dosti next to me ordered yellow turmeric rice (nasi kuning). Both are classic types of Indonesian coconut rice. Pandan is also called fragrant orchid or seven-leaf orchid. Wild pandan originally came from the Maluku Islands (Spice Islands) in Indonesia. Modern cultivated crops can only be propagated through cuttings or suckers, and they are very common in Southeast and South Asia.
The word for Javanese fermented soybean cake (tempeh) is said to come from the Old Javanese word 'tumpi'. This soybean cake, made by pressing fermented soybeans, originated in central and eastern Java. It is fermented using a type of mycelium that grows on teak and hibiscus leaves. The relationship between tempeh and Chinese tofu is still unclear, as tempeh is rarely mentioned in ancient Javanese texts. This food has always been a staple for ordinary people.
Collapse Read »
Summary: Macau — Moorish Barracks, Indonesian Food and Muslim History is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: During the 2023 Spring Festival holiday, I finally hit the road again, restarting my plan to visit and eat in Muslim communities after a two-year break. The account keeps its focus on Macau Muslim History, Indonesian Food, Halal Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
In the afternoon, I went to Macau's most famous Indonesian restaurant, Loly Indonesian Food. It is always packed with people, mostly Indonesian friends (dosti), as well as local Macau residents who come for the reputation.
The owner of Loly is Indah Handayani Sunardi, the sister standing in the red shirt in the picture below. She was born in 1984 to a farming family in Banyuwangi, at the easternmost tip of Java. Because her family had little money, she left school at 14 and took a job at a restaurant in Surabaya, the capital of East Java. In 2000, Sunardi went to Hong Kong at 16 to work as a household helper. She moved to Macau in 2003 and met her current husband. In 2013, Sunardi quit her job to focus on making Indonesian food. She started by selling online and finally opened Loly restaurant in 2016. Because it is authentic and delicious, it became the most famous Indonesian restaurant in Macau within a few years. In 2021, it was recognized as a specialty shop by the Macau Economic and Technological Development Bureau.
Since it was the first day of work after the holiday, some of their ingredients had not arrived yet. I didn't get to eat the Javanese specialty I wanted most, but I still ordered a few dishes I was happy with. First, I ordered the deluxe version of the Javanese coconut milk iced drink, which has avocado, grass jelly, red beans, syrup, and more. The black grass jelly is called cincau hitam in Java, and it is a classic combination when served with coconut milk, syrup, and ice cubes.
Then I ordered the large Indonesian meatball (bakso besar). The word bakso comes from the Hokkien word for "meat crisp" (rousu). It is a classic Indonesian street food made from beef, fish paste, and a small amount of tapioca flour, making it very firm. Finished meatballs are usually placed in beef broth, served with tofu, glass noodles, and various side dishes.
For side dishes, I ordered Terong penyet ikan asin. In this dish, 'terong' means eggplant, and 'penyet ikan asin' is Javanese fried small salted fish, where 'penyet' is the Javanese word for 'pressed'. It also came with Javanese-style fermented soybean cake (tempeh), fried tofu (tahu goreng) brought by Indonesian Chinese, and spicy stink bean paste (sambal petai). Stink beans are a common bean in Southeast Asia. They have a unique smell that might be hard for first-timers to get used to.
For the main course, I ordered pandan rice (nasi pandan), and my friend Dosti next to me ordered yellow turmeric rice (nasi kuning). Both are classic types of Indonesian coconut rice. Pandan is also called fragrant orchid or seven-leaf orchid. Wild pandan originally came from the Maluku Islands (Spice Islands) in Indonesia. Modern cultivated crops can only be propagated through cuttings or suckers, and they are very common in Southeast and South Asia.
The word for Javanese fermented soybean cake (tempeh) is said to come from the Old Javanese word 'tumpi'. This soybean cake, made by pressing fermented soybeans, originated in central and eastern Java. It is fermented using a type of mycelium that grows on teak and hibiscus leaves. The relationship between tempeh and Chinese tofu is still unclear, as tempeh is rarely mentioned in ancient Javanese texts. This food has always been a staple for ordinary people.
Collapse Read »
Halal Travel Guide: Macau — Moorish Barracks, Indonesian Food and Muslim History (Part 2)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Macau — Moorish Barracks, Indonesian Food and Muslim History is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: During the 2023 Spring Festival holiday, I finally hit the road again, restarting my plan to visit and eat in Muslim communities after a two-year break. The account keeps its focus on Macau Muslim History, Indonesian Food, Halal Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
After 1945, the Macau Mosque returned to peace, maintained only by a few elderly Pakistani community members. The mosque was rebuilt in 1973, reaching its current size. After Macau's handover in 1999, many Muslims from countries like Pakistan and Indonesia came to Macau for work, and the number of Muslims in Macau gradually increased.
In the early 21st century, the Macau Mosque's religious affairs were maintained by Imam Yunus, a Pakistani born in East Timor. After Yunus passed away due to illness in 2013, the Friday prayer (Jumu'ah) at the Macau Mosque could only be led by imams invited temporarily from Hong Kong. It was not until 2018 that Imam Ding Shaojie, originally from Inner Mongolia, was hired as the imam of the Macau Mosque, and the mosque's religious affairs finally got back on track. Imam Ding graduated from the China Islamic Institute and the International Islamic University in Pakistan. He is fluent in Arabic and English, allowing him to communicate smoothly with local Pakistani elders and organize various activities. Every Friday, Imam Ding delivers the sermon (khutbah) in both Arabic and English.
Thanks to Imam Ding's efforts, on February 25, 2023, the Moro Garden will participate in the 'Thousand Miles of Shared Customs: Macau Six Religions Culture and Relics Exhibition' to introduce the history of Islam in Macau to fellow citizens.
Additionally, every Sunday, the Macau Mosque becomes a home for Indonesian female migrant workers. Everyone cleans the courtyard, prepares meals, and sets up the space here. Many bring homemade hometown delicacies to share with others. After lunch, everyone recites the Quran together. At this time, the Macau Mosque truly becomes a spiritual home for these friends (dostani) who are far from home and working abroad.
In 1874, Portugal transferred a regiment from Portuguese India, Goa, to Macau to reinforce the local police force, leading to the construction of a Moorish Barracks (Quartel dos Mouros) near Macau's A-Ma Temple. People say a mosque was also built around the barracks, which was not demolished until the 1940s.
The Moorish Barracks was designed by the Italian Cassuto and features many Islamic-style arches. In the late 19th century, a trend emerged across Europe to use Islamic elements in modern architecture, known as Moorish Revival architecture. In Spain and Portugal, people applied the horseshoe arches and arabesque tiles found in Andalusian Islamic architecture to modern building facades, a style known as Neo-Mudéjar architecture. The term Mudéjar was originally used to refer to Muslims who remained on the Iberian Peninsula after the Reconquista of Andalusia.
In 1905, the Moorish Barracks became the headquarters for the Port Authority and the Marine Police, and it is now the Port Authority Building.
In the afternoon, I went to an Indonesian restaurant called Warung Indonesia near the Ruins of St. Paul's. They are from Semarang, the capital of East Java. In Indonesian, 'Warung' refers to a small convenience store or restaurant, usually converted from the front room of a house. The environment there is very nice, with many young Indonesian men and women coming to eat. Indonesian love songs play on the TV, making it feel a bit like I had traveled to Semarang.
I ordered sticky rice cake (kue lupis ketan), chicken satay skewers (sate ayam), beef rendang rice (nasi rendang), and iced cendol (es cendol).
Sticky rice cake (kue lupis ketan) is a local Javanese snack. It is popular in central and eastern Java, but you can find it in other parts of Indonesia too. The word "kue" comes from the Hokkien word for "cake" (kueh), which means rice cake. To make sticky rice cake (lupis), you first soak sticky rice in water with salt and lime juice. After draining it, you wrap it in banana leaves and fold it into triangles, similar to making rice dumplings (zongzi). Once cooked, the sticky rice cake is served in palm sugar syrup and topped with shredded coconut.
Chicken satay skewers (sate ayam) also started on Java island. People say Javanese street vendors in the 18th century developed it by combining local food with Indian grilled skewers brought by Tamil Muslim merchants. The meat skewers are usually marinated in turmeric, sweet soy sauce, or coconut oil before grilling, then dipped in satay sauce when eaten. Satay sauce is mainly made of roasted peanuts, plus coconut milk, turmeric, soy sauce, galangal, garlic, chili, and various spices. After the 19th century, Chinese workers in Southeast Asia brought satay sauce back to Fujian, where it combined with local food to become satay sauce (shacha jiang).
Beef rendang is a curry that originated with the Minangkabau people of Sumatra. It likely started as a curry brought by Indian merchants who came to Sumatra to trade before the 15th century, which then blended with the local Minangkabau diet. After the 16th century, Minangkabau merchants began traveling to Malacca, and rendang spread to other parts of Indonesia. The main ingredients for rendang are meat, coconut milk, chili, and various spices, including ginger, galangal, turmeric, lemongrass, garlic, and shallots. To suit the needs of Minangkabau merchants on long sea voyages, rendang is slow-cooked until it becomes thick and dry, allowing it to be stored for several weeks.
Iced cendol (es cendol) is made by putting sticky rice flour jelly dyed with pandan leaves into ice water, then drizzling it with coconut milk and palm sugar. The origin of cendol is still uncertain. One theory is that it comes from a Javanese snack called dawet, though traditionally dawet does not contain ice.
On the morning of January 24, I ate at an Indonesian family restaurant in Three Lamps (San Zhan Deng) that Imam Ding recommended. Three Lamps is the area in Macau with the most Southeast Asian immigrants and workers, and you can find all kinds of Southeast Asian restaurants there.
This Indonesian restaurant is inside an apartment and has no name. Only Indonesian workers know about it. When I walked in, a young lady was curious about how I found it, but as soon as I said "masjid," they all understood. There is no menu in the restaurant because all the dishes are laid out for you to choose. I picked the sour and spicy fish with some vegetables and tofu puff soup. The sour and spicy fish was very hot. I finished a bottle of mineral water, but it tasted very authentic.
In the afternoon, I went to Macau's most famous Indonesian restaurant, Loly Indonesian Food. It is always packed with people, mostly Indonesian friends (dosti), as well as local Macau residents who come for the reputation.
The owner of Loly is Indah Handayani Sunardi, the sister standing in the red shirt in the picture below. She was born in 1984 to a farming family in Banyuwangi, at the easternmost tip of Java. Because her family was poor, she dropped out of school at 14 and went to work at a restaurant in Surabaya, the capital of East Java. In 2000, 16-year-old Sunardi came to Hong Kong to work as a nanny. She moved to Macau in 2003 and met her current husband. In 2013, Sunardi quit her job to focus on making Indonesian food. She started by selling online and finally opened Loly restaurant in 2016. Because it is authentic and delicious, it became the most famous Indonesian restaurant in Macau within a few years. In 2021, it was recognized as a specialty shop by the Macau Economic and Technological Development Bureau.
Since it was the first day of work after the holiday, some of their ingredients had not arrived yet. I didn't get to eat the Javanese specialty I wanted most, but I still ordered a few dishes I was happy with. First, I ordered the deluxe version of the Javanese coconut milk iced drink, which has avocado, grass jelly, red beans, syrup, and more. The black grass jelly is called cincau hitam in Java, and it is a classic combination when served with coconut milk, syrup, and ice cubes.
Then I ordered the large Indonesian meatball (bakso besar). The word bakso comes from the Hokkien word for "meat crisp" (rousu). It is a classic Indonesian street food made from beef, fish paste, and a small amount of tapioca flour, making it very firm. Finished meatballs are usually placed in beef broth, served with tofu, glass noodles, and various side dishes.
For side dishes, I ordered Terong penyet ikan asin. In this dish, 'terong' means eggplant, and 'penyet ikan asin' is Javanese fried small salted fish, where 'penyet' is the Javanese word for 'pressed'. It also came with Javanese-style fermented soybean cake (tempeh), fried tofu (tahu goreng) brought by Indonesian Chinese, and spicy stink bean paste (sambal petai). Stink beans are a common bean in Southeast Asia. They have a unique smell that might be hard for first-timers to get used to.
For the main course, I ordered pandan rice (nasi pandan), and my friend Dosti next to me ordered yellow turmeric rice (nasi kuning). Both are classic types of Indonesian coconut rice. Pandan is also called fragrant orchid or seven-leaf orchid. Wild pandan originally came from the Maluku Islands (Spice Islands) in Indonesia. Modern cultivated crops can only be propagated through cuttings or suckers, and they are very common in Southeast and South Asia.
The word for Javanese fermented soybean cake (tempeh) is said to come from the Old Javanese word 'tumpi'. This soybean cake, made by pressing fermented soybeans, originated in central and eastern Java. It is fermented using a type of mycelium that grows on teak and hibiscus leaves. The relationship between tempeh and Chinese tofu is still unclear, as tempeh is rarely mentioned in ancient Javanese texts. This food has always been a staple for ordinary people.
Collapse Read »
Summary: Macau — Moorish Barracks, Indonesian Food and Muslim History is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: During the 2023 Spring Festival holiday, I finally hit the road again, restarting my plan to visit and eat in Muslim communities after a two-year break. The account keeps its focus on Macau Muslim History, Indonesian Food, Halal Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
After 1945, the Macau Mosque returned to peace, maintained only by a few elderly Pakistani community members. The mosque was rebuilt in 1973, reaching its current size. After Macau's handover in 1999, many Muslims from countries like Pakistan and Indonesia came to Macau for work, and the number of Muslims in Macau gradually increased.
In the early 21st century, the Macau Mosque's religious affairs were maintained by Imam Yunus, a Pakistani born in East Timor. After Yunus passed away due to illness in 2013, the Friday prayer (Jumu'ah) at the Macau Mosque could only be led by imams invited temporarily from Hong Kong. It was not until 2018 that Imam Ding Shaojie, originally from Inner Mongolia, was hired as the imam of the Macau Mosque, and the mosque's religious affairs finally got back on track. Imam Ding graduated from the China Islamic Institute and the International Islamic University in Pakistan. He is fluent in Arabic and English, allowing him to communicate smoothly with local Pakistani elders and organize various activities. Every Friday, Imam Ding delivers the sermon (khutbah) in both Arabic and English.
Thanks to Imam Ding's efforts, on February 25, 2023, the Moro Garden will participate in the 'Thousand Miles of Shared Customs: Macau Six Religions Culture and Relics Exhibition' to introduce the history of Islam in Macau to fellow citizens.
Additionally, every Sunday, the Macau Mosque becomes a home for Indonesian female migrant workers. Everyone cleans the courtyard, prepares meals, and sets up the space here. Many bring homemade hometown delicacies to share with others. After lunch, everyone recites the Quran together. At this time, the Macau Mosque truly becomes a spiritual home for these friends (dostani) who are far from home and working abroad.
In 1874, Portugal transferred a regiment from Portuguese India, Goa, to Macau to reinforce the local police force, leading to the construction of a Moorish Barracks (Quartel dos Mouros) near Macau's A-Ma Temple. People say a mosque was also built around the barracks, which was not demolished until the 1940s.
The Moorish Barracks was designed by the Italian Cassuto and features many Islamic-style arches. In the late 19th century, a trend emerged across Europe to use Islamic elements in modern architecture, known as Moorish Revival architecture. In Spain and Portugal, people applied the horseshoe arches and arabesque tiles found in Andalusian Islamic architecture to modern building facades, a style known as Neo-Mudéjar architecture. The term Mudéjar was originally used to refer to Muslims who remained on the Iberian Peninsula after the Reconquista of Andalusia.
In 1905, the Moorish Barracks became the headquarters for the Port Authority and the Marine Police, and it is now the Port Authority Building.
In the afternoon, I went to an Indonesian restaurant called Warung Indonesia near the Ruins of St. Paul's. They are from Semarang, the capital of East Java. In Indonesian, 'Warung' refers to a small convenience store or restaurant, usually converted from the front room of a house. The environment there is very nice, with many young Indonesian men and women coming to eat. Indonesian love songs play on the TV, making it feel a bit like I had traveled to Semarang.
I ordered sticky rice cake (kue lupis ketan), chicken satay skewers (sate ayam), beef rendang rice (nasi rendang), and iced cendol (es cendol).
Sticky rice cake (kue lupis ketan) is a local Javanese snack. It is popular in central and eastern Java, but you can find it in other parts of Indonesia too. The word "kue" comes from the Hokkien word for "cake" (kueh), which means rice cake. To make sticky rice cake (lupis), you first soak sticky rice in water with salt and lime juice. After draining it, you wrap it in banana leaves and fold it into triangles, similar to making rice dumplings (zongzi). Once cooked, the sticky rice cake is served in palm sugar syrup and topped with shredded coconut.
Chicken satay skewers (sate ayam) also started on Java island. People say Javanese street vendors in the 18th century developed it by combining local food with Indian grilled skewers brought by Tamil Muslim merchants. The meat skewers are usually marinated in turmeric, sweet soy sauce, or coconut oil before grilling, then dipped in satay sauce when eaten. Satay sauce is mainly made of roasted peanuts, plus coconut milk, turmeric, soy sauce, galangal, garlic, chili, and various spices. After the 19th century, Chinese workers in Southeast Asia brought satay sauce back to Fujian, where it combined with local food to become satay sauce (shacha jiang).
Beef rendang is a curry that originated with the Minangkabau people of Sumatra. It likely started as a curry brought by Indian merchants who came to Sumatra to trade before the 15th century, which then blended with the local Minangkabau diet. After the 16th century, Minangkabau merchants began traveling to Malacca, and rendang spread to other parts of Indonesia. The main ingredients for rendang are meat, coconut milk, chili, and various spices, including ginger, galangal, turmeric, lemongrass, garlic, and shallots. To suit the needs of Minangkabau merchants on long sea voyages, rendang is slow-cooked until it becomes thick and dry, allowing it to be stored for several weeks.
Iced cendol (es cendol) is made by putting sticky rice flour jelly dyed with pandan leaves into ice water, then drizzling it with coconut milk and palm sugar. The origin of cendol is still uncertain. One theory is that it comes from a Javanese snack called dawet, though traditionally dawet does not contain ice.
On the morning of January 24, I ate at an Indonesian family restaurant in Three Lamps (San Zhan Deng) that Imam Ding recommended. Three Lamps is the area in Macau with the most Southeast Asian immigrants and workers, and you can find all kinds of Southeast Asian restaurants there.
This Indonesian restaurant is inside an apartment and has no name. Only Indonesian workers know about it. When I walked in, a young lady was curious about how I found it, but as soon as I said "masjid," they all understood. There is no menu in the restaurant because all the dishes are laid out for you to choose. I picked the sour and spicy fish with some vegetables and tofu puff soup. The sour and spicy fish was very hot. I finished a bottle of mineral water, but it tasted very authentic.
In the afternoon, I went to Macau's most famous Indonesian restaurant, Loly Indonesian Food. It is always packed with people, mostly Indonesian friends (dosti), as well as local Macau residents who come for the reputation.
The owner of Loly is Indah Handayani Sunardi, the sister standing in the red shirt in the picture below. She was born in 1984 to a farming family in Banyuwangi, at the easternmost tip of Java. Because her family was poor, she dropped out of school at 14 and went to work at a restaurant in Surabaya, the capital of East Java. In 2000, 16-year-old Sunardi came to Hong Kong to work as a nanny. She moved to Macau in 2003 and met her current husband. In 2013, Sunardi quit her job to focus on making Indonesian food. She started by selling online and finally opened Loly restaurant in 2016. Because it is authentic and delicious, it became the most famous Indonesian restaurant in Macau within a few years. In 2021, it was recognized as a specialty shop by the Macau Economic and Technological Development Bureau.
Since it was the first day of work after the holiday, some of their ingredients had not arrived yet. I didn't get to eat the Javanese specialty I wanted most, but I still ordered a few dishes I was happy with. First, I ordered the deluxe version of the Javanese coconut milk iced drink, which has avocado, grass jelly, red beans, syrup, and more. The black grass jelly is called cincau hitam in Java, and it is a classic combination when served with coconut milk, syrup, and ice cubes.
Then I ordered the large Indonesian meatball (bakso besar). The word bakso comes from the Hokkien word for "meat crisp" (rousu). It is a classic Indonesian street food made from beef, fish paste, and a small amount of tapioca flour, making it very firm. Finished meatballs are usually placed in beef broth, served with tofu, glass noodles, and various side dishes.
For side dishes, I ordered Terong penyet ikan asin. In this dish, 'terong' means eggplant, and 'penyet ikan asin' is Javanese fried small salted fish, where 'penyet' is the Javanese word for 'pressed'. It also came with Javanese-style fermented soybean cake (tempeh), fried tofu (tahu goreng) brought by Indonesian Chinese, and spicy stink bean paste (sambal petai). Stink beans are a common bean in Southeast Asia. They have a unique smell that might be hard for first-timers to get used to.
For the main course, I ordered pandan rice (nasi pandan), and my friend Dosti next to me ordered yellow turmeric rice (nasi kuning). Both are classic types of Indonesian coconut rice. Pandan is also called fragrant orchid or seven-leaf orchid. Wild pandan originally came from the Maluku Islands (Spice Islands) in Indonesia. Modern cultivated crops can only be propagated through cuttings or suckers, and they are very common in Southeast and South Asia.
The word for Javanese fermented soybean cake (tempeh) is said to come from the Old Javanese word 'tumpi'. This soybean cake, made by pressing fermented soybeans, originated in central and eastern Java. It is fermented using a type of mycelium that grows on teak and hibiscus leaves. The relationship between tempeh and Chinese tofu is still unclear, as tempeh is rarely mentioned in ancient Javanese texts. This food has always been a staple for ordinary people.
Collapse Read »
Halal Travel Guide: Macau — Moorish Barracks, Indonesian Food and Muslim History
Reposted from the web
Summary: Macau — Moorish Barracks, Indonesian Food and Muslim History is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: During the 2023 Spring Festival holiday, I finally hit the road again, restarting my plan to visit and eat in Muslim communities after a two-year break. The account keeps its focus on Macau Muslim History, Indonesian Food, Halal Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
During the 2023 Spring Festival holiday, I finally hit the road again, restarting my plan to visit and eat in Muslim communities after a two-year break. This time I started from Macau, then went to Guangzhou, Zhaoqing, Xichang and Miyi in Sichuan, and Xiaguan, Yangbi, Binju, and Yongjian in Dali. This first part starts in Macau.
On the morning of January 23, I took a boat from the Wanzai Port in Zhuhai to Macau.
I originally planned to eat breakfast at an Indonesian Javanese restaurant I had looked up. Because of the situation over the last two years, several Indonesian restaurants in Macau have closed. I couldn't eat there, so I went to a South Asian street food spot on Rua de Silva Mendes called Zaika Curry (ri zhichuan) to buy chicken curry, samosas, and masala tea, which I packed to eat at the nearby Lou Lim Ioc Garden. Qasim, who works at the trading company next to the curry shop, is an elder at the Macau Mosque.
The winter weather in Macau is pleasant and the park is lush. Many Southeast Asian workers use their holidays to bring snacks to the park to eat and chat, which is very relaxing.
At noon, I arrived at the Macau Mosque and happened to run into a group of Pakistani-origin friends from Hong Kong who were there for a gathering (dawah). They made authentic Pakistani food at the mosque, including stir-fried okra, minced meat with potatoes, and flatbread (paratha). They also invited Imam Ding Shaojie and us to eat with them.
In 1841, the British occupied Hong Kong Island and immediately began sending Muslim soldiers from British India to be stationed there. As Hong Kong Island was being built up in the 1840s, South Asian Muslims arrived to work as police, security guards, and sailors, while a few wealthy merchants came to open companies. In 1849, South Asian Muslims built the first mosque on Hong Kong Island, which later became the Jamia Mosque (Shelley Street Mosque). There are now about 30,000 people of Pakistani descent living in Hong Kong, and about 12,000 of them have local status and identify as Hong Kongers.
At the mosque, I ate some Filipino dessert shared by a friend. Every Sunday and on holidays, many Indonesian friends working in Macau come to the Macau Mosque to eat and chat. Everyone brings all kinds of snacks to share while they talk.
Although the Macau Mosque is not large, the environment is excellent. Besides performing worship and learning, you can play ball, use the swings, pick bananas and starfruit, look at the lake view, and pet cats. In the summer, you can even have outdoor barbecues. It is a great place to get away from the noise and relax.
I listened to Imam Ding Shaojie tell the history of the Macau Mosque.
Locals call the Macau Mosque the "Moro Garden" (Mo Luo Yuan). The term "Moro" comes from the Portuguese word "Mouros." It originally came from the name "Mauri," which the Romans used for the Berbers of North Africa under their rule. Later, various versions appeared in European languages, such as "Moro" in Italian and Spanish, and "Maure" in French. After the Age of Discovery, Spain and Portugal called many of the Muslim groups under their rule "Moros." For example, Spain collectively called the Austronesian Muslim groups in the southern Spanish East Indies (now the southern Philippines) "Moros." Portugal called the Arab-descended Muslims in Portuguese Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) "Ceylon Moors," and in Portuguese-occupied Goa, India, local Muslims were called "Moir."
The Portuguese officially occupied Macau in 1557 and began transferring troops from places like Portuguese India, which included some Muslims. According to the Portuguese scholar Luís Morais in his book "Muslims in Macau," a Macanese real estate businessman named Filipi António Osório sold a piece of land to Macau Muslims to build a mosque and a cemetery, which is the current "Moro Garden." Later, more Muslims from other parts of South Asia came to Macau, and after they passed away, they were buried in the Moro Garden.
Today, most of the South Asian Muslim graves in the Moro Garden date from the 19th to the 20th century. The birthplaces include the Indian states of Punjab, West Bengal, and Goa, as well as Peshawar in Pakistan. The oldest tombstone belongs to a friend from Gujarat, India, who died in 1875. The tombstone is written in Persian and Gujarati, serving as an important historical witness for Macau's Muslims.
Gujarati script developed from the ancient Indian Nagari script and is similar to Sanskrit. Gujarati people are good at business and entered Southeast Asia very early, having a major influence on the development of local scripts in parts of Sumatra, Sulawesi, and the Philippines. Some Gujarati people also lived in Portuguese India, and they likely went to Macau to make a living in the 19th century.
In 1937, when the Japanese army invaded Guangzhou, some Hui Muslims were forced to flee to Hong Kong and Macau. Some eventually passed away in Macau and were buried in the Moro Garden, becoming witnesses to those war-torn years.
Among these Guangzhou Hui Muslims buried in the Macau Moro Garden, three are especially worth mentioning. The first is the famous modern Guangzhou religious teacher, Imam Yang Ruisheng (1863-1939). Imam Yang led the religious community in Guangzhou for many years, serving as the head of the Xiaodongying Mosque and the Dongjiao Mosque. On the eve of the Japanese occupation of Guangzhou in 1937, a Japanese spy named Sakuma pretended to be a Muslim to lure Imam Yang into cooperating with the Japanese. To maintain his integrity, Imam Yang resolutely decided to take his descendants to Macau. Even on his deathbed, he insisted on presiding over the religious affairs of the Macau Mosque until he passed away in 1939.
The second person is Mr. Yang You (1882-1944), a diplomat who served as consul in Fukuoka, Japan, and Wonsan, Korea. He came from the Jingxiutang Yang family, a prominent Hui Muslim family in Guangdong. Several diplomats emerged from this family during the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, including Yang You's cousin, Yang Shu, who was once the Qing Dynasty's minister to Japan. Because he was fluent in Japanese and Korean, he faced threats and pressure from the Japanese military. He had to sell his property and flee to Hong Kong. After Hong Kong fell in 1942, he escaped to Macau, where he passed away (returned to Allah) in 1944.
The third person is Bao Tingzhen, the eldest son of Dr. Bao Zongqi, who died in childhood. Dr. Bao Zongqi came from the Qingshantang Bao family, a prominent Hui Muslim family in Guangdong known for generations of dentists. After fleeing to Macau in 1937, he continued working as a dentist and actively provided relief to refugees. Due to a lack of supplies and poor medical conditions, the son and daughter born to Dr. Bao's family in Macau both died young, one of whom was Bao Tingzhen.
After the liberation in 1945, Hui Muslims gradually returned to Hong Kong and Guangzhou from Macau. Dr. Bao Zongqi continued to run his dental clinic in Macau until he moved to Hong Kong in the 1960s, where he passed away in 1999.
After 1945, the Macau Mosque returned to peace, maintained only by a few elderly Pakistani community members. The mosque was rebuilt in 1973, reaching its current size. After Macau's handover in 1999, many Muslims from countries like Pakistan and Indonesia came to Macau for work, and the number of Muslims in Macau gradually increased.
In the early 21st century, the Macau Mosque's religious affairs were maintained by Imam Yunus, a Pakistani born in East Timor. After Yunus passed away due to illness in 2013, the Friday prayer (Jumu'ah) at the Macau Mosque could only be led by imams invited temporarily from Hong Kong. It was not until 2018 that Imam Ding Shaojie, originally from Inner Mongolia, was hired as the imam of the Macau Mosque, and the mosque's religious affairs finally got back on track. Imam Ding graduated from the China Islamic Institute and the International Islamic University in Pakistan. He is fluent in Arabic and English, allowing him to communicate smoothly with local Pakistani elders and organize various activities. Every Friday, Imam Ding delivers the sermon (khutbah) in both Arabic and English.
Thanks to Imam Ding's efforts, on February 25, 2023, the Moro Garden will participate in the 'Thousand Miles of Shared Customs: Macau Six Religions Culture and Relics Exhibition' to introduce the history of Islam in Macau to fellow citizens.
Additionally, every Sunday, the Macau Mosque becomes a home for Indonesian female migrant workers. Everyone cleans the courtyard, prepares meals, and sets up the space here. Many bring homemade hometown delicacies to share with others. After lunch, everyone recites the Quran together. At this time, the Macau Mosque truly becomes a spiritual home for these friends (dostani) who are far from home and working abroad.
In 1874, Portugal transferred a regiment from Portuguese India, Goa, to Macau to reinforce the local police force, leading to the construction of a Moorish Barracks (Quartel dos Mouros) near Macau's A-Ma Temple. People say a mosque was also built around the barracks, which was not demolished until the 1940s.
The Moorish Barracks was designed by the Italian Cassuto and features many Islamic-style arches. In the late 19th century, a trend emerged across Europe to use Islamic elements in modern architecture, known as Moorish Revival architecture. In Spain and Portugal, people applied the horseshoe arches and arabesque tiles found in Andalusian Islamic architecture to modern building facades, a style known as Neo-Mudéjar architecture. The term Mudéjar was originally used to refer to Muslims who remained on the Iberian Peninsula after the Reconquista of Andalusia.
In 1905, the Moorish Barracks became the headquarters for the Port Authority and the Marine Police, and it is now the Port Authority Building.
In the afternoon, I went to an Indonesian restaurant called Warung Indonesia near the Ruins of St. Paul's. They are from Semarang, the capital of East Java. In Indonesian, 'Warung' refers to a small convenience store or restaurant, usually converted from the front room of a house. The environment there is very nice, with many young Indonesian men and women coming to eat. Indonesian love songs play on the TV, making it feel a bit like I had traveled to Semarang.
I ordered sticky rice cake (kue lupis ketan), chicken satay skewers (sate ayam), beef rendang rice (nasi rendang), and iced cendol (es cendol).
Sticky rice cake (kue lupis ketan) is a local Javanese snack. It is popular in central and eastern Java, but you can find it in other parts of Indonesia too. The word "kue" comes from the Hokkien word for "cake" (kueh), which means rice cake. To make sticky rice cake (lupis), you first soak sticky rice in water with salt and lime juice. After draining it, you wrap it in banana leaves and fold it into triangles, similar to making rice dumplings (zongzi). Once cooked, the sticky rice cake is served in palm sugar syrup and topped with shredded coconut.
Chicken satay skewers (sate ayam) also started on Java island. People say Javanese street vendors in the 18th century developed it by combining local food with Indian grilled skewers brought by Tamil Muslim merchants. The meat skewers are usually marinated in turmeric, sweet soy sauce, or coconut oil before grilling, then dipped in satay sauce when eaten. Satay sauce is mainly made of roasted peanuts, plus coconut milk, turmeric, soy sauce, galangal, garlic, chili, and various spices. After the 19th century, Chinese workers in Southeast Asia brought satay sauce back to Fujian, where it combined with local food to become satay sauce (shacha jiang).
Beef rendang is a curry that originated with the Minangkabau people of Sumatra. It likely started as a curry brought by Indian merchants who came to Sumatra to trade before the 15th century, which then blended with the local Minangkabau diet. After the 16th century, Minangkabau merchants began traveling to Malacca, and rendang spread to other parts of Indonesia. The main ingredients for rendang are meat, coconut milk, chili, and various spices, including ginger, galangal, turmeric, lemongrass, garlic, and shallots. To suit the needs of Minangkabau merchants on long sea voyages, rendang is slow-cooked until it becomes thick and dry, allowing it to be stored for several weeks.
Iced cendol (es cendol) is made by putting sticky rice flour jelly dyed with pandan leaves into ice water, then drizzling it with coconut milk and palm sugar. The origin of cendol is still uncertain. One theory is that it comes from a Javanese snack called dawet, though traditionally dawet does not contain ice.
On the morning of January 24, I ate at an Indonesian family restaurant in Three Lamps (San Zhan Deng) that Imam Ding recommended. Three Lamps is the area in Macau with the most Southeast Asian immigrants and workers, and you can find all kinds of Southeast Asian restaurants there.
This Indonesian restaurant is inside an apartment and has no name. Only Indonesian workers know about it. When I walked in, a young lady was curious about how I found it, but as soon as I said "masjid," they all understood. There is no menu in the restaurant because all the dishes are laid out for you to choose. I picked the sour and spicy fish with some vegetables and tofu puff soup. The sour and spicy fish was very hot. I finished a bottle of mineral water, but it tasted very authentic.
In the afternoon, I went to Macau's most famous Indonesian restaurant, Loly Indonesian Food. It is always packed with people, mostly Indonesian friends (dosti), as well as local Macau residents who come for the reputation.
The owner of Loly is Indah Handayani Sunardi, the sister standing in the red shirt in the picture below. She was born in 1984 to a farming family in Banyuwangi, at the easternmost tip of Java. Because her family was poor, she dropped out of school at 14 and went to work at a restaurant in Surabaya, the capital of East Java. In 2000, 16-year-old Sunardi came to Hong Kong to work as a nanny. She moved to Macau in 2003 and met her current husband. In 2013, Sunardi quit her job to focus on making Indonesian food. She started by selling online and finally opened Loly restaurant in 2016. Because it is authentic and delicious, it became the most famous Indonesian restaurant in Macau within a few years. In 2021, it was recognized as a specialty shop by the Macau Economic and Technological Development Bureau.
Since it was the first day of work after the holiday, some of their ingredients had not arrived yet. I didn't get to eat the Javanese specialty I wanted most, but I still ordered a few dishes I was happy with. First, I ordered the deluxe version of the Javanese coconut milk iced drink, which has avocado, grass jelly, red beans, syrup, and more. The black grass jelly is called cincau hitam in Java, and it is a classic combination when served with coconut milk, syrup, and ice cubes.
Then I ordered the large Indonesian meatball (bakso besar). The word bakso comes from the Hokkien word for "meat crisp" (rousu). It is a classic Indonesian street food made from beef, fish paste, and a small amount of tapioca flour, making it very firm. Finished meatballs are usually placed in beef broth, served with tofu, glass noodles, and various side dishes.
For side dishes, I ordered Terong penyet ikan asin. In this dish, 'terong' means eggplant, and 'penyet ikan asin' is Javanese fried small salted fish, where 'penyet' is the Javanese word for 'pressed'. It also came with Javanese-style fermented soybean cake (tempeh), fried tofu (tahu goreng) brought by Indonesian Chinese, and spicy stink bean paste (sambal petai). Stink beans are a common bean in Southeast Asia. They have a unique smell that might be hard for first-timers to get used to.
For the main course, I ordered pandan rice (nasi pandan), and my friend Dosti next to me ordered yellow turmeric rice (nasi kuning). Both are classic types of Indonesian coconut rice. Pandan is also called fragrant orchid or seven-leaf orchid. Wild pandan originally came from the Maluku Islands (Spice Islands) in Indonesia. Modern cultivated crops can only be propagated through cuttings or suckers, and they are very common in Southeast and South Asia.
The word for Javanese fermented soybean cake (tempeh) is said to come from the Old Javanese word 'tumpi'. This soybean cake, made by pressing fermented soybeans, originated in central and eastern Java. It is fermented using a type of mycelium that grows on teak and hibiscus leaves. The relationship between tempeh and Chinese tofu is still unclear, as tempeh is rarely mentioned in ancient Javanese texts. This food has always been a staple for ordinary people.
Collapse Read »
Summary: Macau — Moorish Barracks, Indonesian Food and Muslim History is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: During the 2023 Spring Festival holiday, I finally hit the road again, restarting my plan to visit and eat in Muslim communities after a two-year break. The account keeps its focus on Macau Muslim History, Indonesian Food, Halal Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
During the 2023 Spring Festival holiday, I finally hit the road again, restarting my plan to visit and eat in Muslim communities after a two-year break. This time I started from Macau, then went to Guangzhou, Zhaoqing, Xichang and Miyi in Sichuan, and Xiaguan, Yangbi, Binju, and Yongjian in Dali. This first part starts in Macau.
On the morning of January 23, I took a boat from the Wanzai Port in Zhuhai to Macau.
I originally planned to eat breakfast at an Indonesian Javanese restaurant I had looked up. Because of the situation over the last two years, several Indonesian restaurants in Macau have closed. I couldn't eat there, so I went to a South Asian street food spot on Rua de Silva Mendes called Zaika Curry (ri zhichuan) to buy chicken curry, samosas, and masala tea, which I packed to eat at the nearby Lou Lim Ioc Garden. Qasim, who works at the trading company next to the curry shop, is an elder at the Macau Mosque.
The winter weather in Macau is pleasant and the park is lush. Many Southeast Asian workers use their holidays to bring snacks to the park to eat and chat, which is very relaxing.
At noon, I arrived at the Macau Mosque and happened to run into a group of Pakistani-origin friends from Hong Kong who were there for a gathering (dawah). They made authentic Pakistani food at the mosque, including stir-fried okra, minced meat with potatoes, and flatbread (paratha). They also invited Imam Ding Shaojie and us to eat with them.
In 1841, the British occupied Hong Kong Island and immediately began sending Muslim soldiers from British India to be stationed there. As Hong Kong Island was being built up in the 1840s, South Asian Muslims arrived to work as police, security guards, and sailors, while a few wealthy merchants came to open companies. In 1849, South Asian Muslims built the first mosque on Hong Kong Island, which later became the Jamia Mosque (Shelley Street Mosque). There are now about 30,000 people of Pakistani descent living in Hong Kong, and about 12,000 of them have local status and identify as Hong Kongers.
At the mosque, I ate some Filipino dessert shared by a friend. Every Sunday and on holidays, many Indonesian friends working in Macau come to the Macau Mosque to eat and chat. Everyone brings all kinds of snacks to share while they talk.
Although the Macau Mosque is not large, the environment is excellent. Besides performing worship and learning, you can play ball, use the swings, pick bananas and starfruit, look at the lake view, and pet cats. In the summer, you can even have outdoor barbecues. It is a great place to get away from the noise and relax.
I listened to Imam Ding Shaojie tell the history of the Macau Mosque.
Locals call the Macau Mosque the "Moro Garden" (Mo Luo Yuan). The term "Moro" comes from the Portuguese word "Mouros." It originally came from the name "Mauri," which the Romans used for the Berbers of North Africa under their rule. Later, various versions appeared in European languages, such as "Moro" in Italian and Spanish, and "Maure" in French. After the Age of Discovery, Spain and Portugal called many of the Muslim groups under their rule "Moros." For example, Spain collectively called the Austronesian Muslim groups in the southern Spanish East Indies (now the southern Philippines) "Moros." Portugal called the Arab-descended Muslims in Portuguese Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) "Ceylon Moors," and in Portuguese-occupied Goa, India, local Muslims were called "Moir."
The Portuguese officially occupied Macau in 1557 and began transferring troops from places like Portuguese India, which included some Muslims. According to the Portuguese scholar Luís Morais in his book "Muslims in Macau," a Macanese real estate businessman named Filipi António Osório sold a piece of land to Macau Muslims to build a mosque and a cemetery, which is the current "Moro Garden." Later, more Muslims from other parts of South Asia came to Macau, and after they passed away, they were buried in the Moro Garden.
Today, most of the South Asian Muslim graves in the Moro Garden date from the 19th to the 20th century. The birthplaces include the Indian states of Punjab, West Bengal, and Goa, as well as Peshawar in Pakistan. The oldest tombstone belongs to a friend from Gujarat, India, who died in 1875. The tombstone is written in Persian and Gujarati, serving as an important historical witness for Macau's Muslims.
Gujarati script developed from the ancient Indian Nagari script and is similar to Sanskrit. Gujarati people are good at business and entered Southeast Asia very early, having a major influence on the development of local scripts in parts of Sumatra, Sulawesi, and the Philippines. Some Gujarati people also lived in Portuguese India, and they likely went to Macau to make a living in the 19th century.
In 1937, when the Japanese army invaded Guangzhou, some Hui Muslims were forced to flee to Hong Kong and Macau. Some eventually passed away in Macau and were buried in the Moro Garden, becoming witnesses to those war-torn years.
Among these Guangzhou Hui Muslims buried in the Macau Moro Garden, three are especially worth mentioning. The first is the famous modern Guangzhou religious teacher, Imam Yang Ruisheng (1863-1939). Imam Yang led the religious community in Guangzhou for many years, serving as the head of the Xiaodongying Mosque and the Dongjiao Mosque. On the eve of the Japanese occupation of Guangzhou in 1937, a Japanese spy named Sakuma pretended to be a Muslim to lure Imam Yang into cooperating with the Japanese. To maintain his integrity, Imam Yang resolutely decided to take his descendants to Macau. Even on his deathbed, he insisted on presiding over the religious affairs of the Macau Mosque until he passed away in 1939.
The second person is Mr. Yang You (1882-1944), a diplomat who served as consul in Fukuoka, Japan, and Wonsan, Korea. He came from the Jingxiutang Yang family, a prominent Hui Muslim family in Guangdong. Several diplomats emerged from this family during the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, including Yang You's cousin, Yang Shu, who was once the Qing Dynasty's minister to Japan. Because he was fluent in Japanese and Korean, he faced threats and pressure from the Japanese military. He had to sell his property and flee to Hong Kong. After Hong Kong fell in 1942, he escaped to Macau, where he passed away (returned to Allah) in 1944.
The third person is Bao Tingzhen, the eldest son of Dr. Bao Zongqi, who died in childhood. Dr. Bao Zongqi came from the Qingshantang Bao family, a prominent Hui Muslim family in Guangdong known for generations of dentists. After fleeing to Macau in 1937, he continued working as a dentist and actively provided relief to refugees. Due to a lack of supplies and poor medical conditions, the son and daughter born to Dr. Bao's family in Macau both died young, one of whom was Bao Tingzhen.
After the liberation in 1945, Hui Muslims gradually returned to Hong Kong and Guangzhou from Macau. Dr. Bao Zongqi continued to run his dental clinic in Macau until he moved to Hong Kong in the 1960s, where he passed away in 1999.
After 1945, the Macau Mosque returned to peace, maintained only by a few elderly Pakistani community members. The mosque was rebuilt in 1973, reaching its current size. After Macau's handover in 1999, many Muslims from countries like Pakistan and Indonesia came to Macau for work, and the number of Muslims in Macau gradually increased.
In the early 21st century, the Macau Mosque's religious affairs were maintained by Imam Yunus, a Pakistani born in East Timor. After Yunus passed away due to illness in 2013, the Friday prayer (Jumu'ah) at the Macau Mosque could only be led by imams invited temporarily from Hong Kong. It was not until 2018 that Imam Ding Shaojie, originally from Inner Mongolia, was hired as the imam of the Macau Mosque, and the mosque's religious affairs finally got back on track. Imam Ding graduated from the China Islamic Institute and the International Islamic University in Pakistan. He is fluent in Arabic and English, allowing him to communicate smoothly with local Pakistani elders and organize various activities. Every Friday, Imam Ding delivers the sermon (khutbah) in both Arabic and English.
Thanks to Imam Ding's efforts, on February 25, 2023, the Moro Garden will participate in the 'Thousand Miles of Shared Customs: Macau Six Religions Culture and Relics Exhibition' to introduce the history of Islam in Macau to fellow citizens.
Additionally, every Sunday, the Macau Mosque becomes a home for Indonesian female migrant workers. Everyone cleans the courtyard, prepares meals, and sets up the space here. Many bring homemade hometown delicacies to share with others. After lunch, everyone recites the Quran together. At this time, the Macau Mosque truly becomes a spiritual home for these friends (dostani) who are far from home and working abroad.
In 1874, Portugal transferred a regiment from Portuguese India, Goa, to Macau to reinforce the local police force, leading to the construction of a Moorish Barracks (Quartel dos Mouros) near Macau's A-Ma Temple. People say a mosque was also built around the barracks, which was not demolished until the 1940s.
The Moorish Barracks was designed by the Italian Cassuto and features many Islamic-style arches. In the late 19th century, a trend emerged across Europe to use Islamic elements in modern architecture, known as Moorish Revival architecture. In Spain and Portugal, people applied the horseshoe arches and arabesque tiles found in Andalusian Islamic architecture to modern building facades, a style known as Neo-Mudéjar architecture. The term Mudéjar was originally used to refer to Muslims who remained on the Iberian Peninsula after the Reconquista of Andalusia.
In 1905, the Moorish Barracks became the headquarters for the Port Authority and the Marine Police, and it is now the Port Authority Building.
In the afternoon, I went to an Indonesian restaurant called Warung Indonesia near the Ruins of St. Paul's. They are from Semarang, the capital of East Java. In Indonesian, 'Warung' refers to a small convenience store or restaurant, usually converted from the front room of a house. The environment there is very nice, with many young Indonesian men and women coming to eat. Indonesian love songs play on the TV, making it feel a bit like I had traveled to Semarang.
I ordered sticky rice cake (kue lupis ketan), chicken satay skewers (sate ayam), beef rendang rice (nasi rendang), and iced cendol (es cendol).
Sticky rice cake (kue lupis ketan) is a local Javanese snack. It is popular in central and eastern Java, but you can find it in other parts of Indonesia too. The word "kue" comes from the Hokkien word for "cake" (kueh), which means rice cake. To make sticky rice cake (lupis), you first soak sticky rice in water with salt and lime juice. After draining it, you wrap it in banana leaves and fold it into triangles, similar to making rice dumplings (zongzi). Once cooked, the sticky rice cake is served in palm sugar syrup and topped with shredded coconut.
Chicken satay skewers (sate ayam) also started on Java island. People say Javanese street vendors in the 18th century developed it by combining local food with Indian grilled skewers brought by Tamil Muslim merchants. The meat skewers are usually marinated in turmeric, sweet soy sauce, or coconut oil before grilling, then dipped in satay sauce when eaten. Satay sauce is mainly made of roasted peanuts, plus coconut milk, turmeric, soy sauce, galangal, garlic, chili, and various spices. After the 19th century, Chinese workers in Southeast Asia brought satay sauce back to Fujian, where it combined with local food to become satay sauce (shacha jiang).
Beef rendang is a curry that originated with the Minangkabau people of Sumatra. It likely started as a curry brought by Indian merchants who came to Sumatra to trade before the 15th century, which then blended with the local Minangkabau diet. After the 16th century, Minangkabau merchants began traveling to Malacca, and rendang spread to other parts of Indonesia. The main ingredients for rendang are meat, coconut milk, chili, and various spices, including ginger, galangal, turmeric, lemongrass, garlic, and shallots. To suit the needs of Minangkabau merchants on long sea voyages, rendang is slow-cooked until it becomes thick and dry, allowing it to be stored for several weeks.
Iced cendol (es cendol) is made by putting sticky rice flour jelly dyed with pandan leaves into ice water, then drizzling it with coconut milk and palm sugar. The origin of cendol is still uncertain. One theory is that it comes from a Javanese snack called dawet, though traditionally dawet does not contain ice.
On the morning of January 24, I ate at an Indonesian family restaurant in Three Lamps (San Zhan Deng) that Imam Ding recommended. Three Lamps is the area in Macau with the most Southeast Asian immigrants and workers, and you can find all kinds of Southeast Asian restaurants there.
This Indonesian restaurant is inside an apartment and has no name. Only Indonesian workers know about it. When I walked in, a young lady was curious about how I found it, but as soon as I said "masjid," they all understood. There is no menu in the restaurant because all the dishes are laid out for you to choose. I picked the sour and spicy fish with some vegetables and tofu puff soup. The sour and spicy fish was very hot. I finished a bottle of mineral water, but it tasted very authentic.
In the afternoon, I went to Macau's most famous Indonesian restaurant, Loly Indonesian Food. It is always packed with people, mostly Indonesian friends (dosti), as well as local Macau residents who come for the reputation.
The owner of Loly is Indah Handayani Sunardi, the sister standing in the red shirt in the picture below. She was born in 1984 to a farming family in Banyuwangi, at the easternmost tip of Java. Because her family was poor, she dropped out of school at 14 and went to work at a restaurant in Surabaya, the capital of East Java. In 2000, 16-year-old Sunardi came to Hong Kong to work as a nanny. She moved to Macau in 2003 and met her current husband. In 2013, Sunardi quit her job to focus on making Indonesian food. She started by selling online and finally opened Loly restaurant in 2016. Because it is authentic and delicious, it became the most famous Indonesian restaurant in Macau within a few years. In 2021, it was recognized as a specialty shop by the Macau Economic and Technological Development Bureau.
Since it was the first day of work after the holiday, some of their ingredients had not arrived yet. I didn't get to eat the Javanese specialty I wanted most, but I still ordered a few dishes I was happy with. First, I ordered the deluxe version of the Javanese coconut milk iced drink, which has avocado, grass jelly, red beans, syrup, and more. The black grass jelly is called cincau hitam in Java, and it is a classic combination when served with coconut milk, syrup, and ice cubes.
Then I ordered the large Indonesian meatball (bakso besar). The word bakso comes from the Hokkien word for "meat crisp" (rousu). It is a classic Indonesian street food made from beef, fish paste, and a small amount of tapioca flour, making it very firm. Finished meatballs are usually placed in beef broth, served with tofu, glass noodles, and various side dishes.
For side dishes, I ordered Terong penyet ikan asin. In this dish, 'terong' means eggplant, and 'penyet ikan asin' is Javanese fried small salted fish, where 'penyet' is the Javanese word for 'pressed'. It also came with Javanese-style fermented soybean cake (tempeh), fried tofu (tahu goreng) brought by Indonesian Chinese, and spicy stink bean paste (sambal petai). Stink beans are a common bean in Southeast Asia. They have a unique smell that might be hard for first-timers to get used to.
For the main course, I ordered pandan rice (nasi pandan), and my friend Dosti next to me ordered yellow turmeric rice (nasi kuning). Both are classic types of Indonesian coconut rice. Pandan is also called fragrant orchid or seven-leaf orchid. Wild pandan originally came from the Maluku Islands (Spice Islands) in Indonesia. Modern cultivated crops can only be propagated through cuttings or suckers, and they are very common in Southeast and South Asia.
The word for Javanese fermented soybean cake (tempeh) is said to come from the Old Javanese word 'tumpi'. This soybean cake, made by pressing fermented soybeans, originated in central and eastern Java. It is fermented using a type of mycelium that grows on teak and hibiscus leaves. The relationship between tempeh and Chinese tofu is still unclear, as tempeh is rarely mentioned in ancient Javanese texts. This food has always been a staple for ordinary people.
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Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year (Segment C)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Bengali New Year, Halal Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
The second dish is yellow pilaf (basanti pulao), a special rice dish for the Bengali New Year, colored with turmeric and topped with fried cashews and raisins.
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Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Bengali New Year, Halal Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
The second dish is yellow pilaf (basanti pulao), a special rice dish for the Bengali New Year, colored with turmeric and topped with fried cashews and raisins.
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Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year (Segment B)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Bengali New Year, Halal Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
In 1856, after Wajid Ali Shah, the ruler of the Awadh region in northern India, was deposed by the British, he moved to Kolkata. The potato biryani was invented by his accompanying court chefs. Potatoes were a foreign food and were not brought to India by the Dutch until the 1830s. When Wajid Ali Shah's court chefs were cooking biryani with saffron, various spices, and meat, they once tried adding fried baby potatoes. It was unexpectedly delicious, became a favorite of Wajid Ali Shah, and quickly spread throughout Kolkata.
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Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Bengali New Year, Halal Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
In 1856, after Wajid Ali Shah, the ruler of the Awadh region in northern India, was deposed by the British, he moved to Kolkata. The potato biryani was invented by his accompanying court chefs. Potatoes were a foreign food and were not brought to India by the Dutch until the 1830s. When Wajid Ali Shah's court chefs were cooking biryani with saffron, various spices, and meat, they once tried adding fried baby potatoes. It was unexpectedly delicious, became a favorite of Wajid Ali Shah, and quickly spread throughout Kolkata.
Collapse Read »
Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets (Segment A)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
First, there were eight meze appetizers, including hummus, baba ghanoush, and tabbouleh, which can be found in every Arab restaurant. The most worth trying is the Tunisian-style mechouia salad, which you can only find at their place in Beijing. Mechouia means "grilled" in Arabic. It is made by roasting onions, green peppers, tomatoes, and garlic in an oven, seasoning them with caraway, salt, and black pepper, adding olive oil, and finally garnishing with olives, tuna, and boiled eggs. Collapse Read »
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
First, there were eight meze appetizers, including hummus, baba ghanoush, and tabbouleh, which can be found in every Arab restaurant. The most worth trying is the Tunisian-style mechouia salad, which you can only find at their place in Beijing. Mechouia means "grilled" in Arabic. It is made by roasting onions, green peppers, tomatoes, and garlic in an oven, seasoning them with caraway, salt, and black pepper, adding olive oil, and finally garnishing with olives, tuna, and boiled eggs. Collapse Read »
Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year (Part 2E of 4)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Bengali New Year, Halal Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Main dishes include yogurt and cilantro roasted chicken, pan-fried spicy tilapia, mixed nut and vegetable patties, and roasted cauliflower with five-spice blend (panch phoron). Panch phoron consists of five spice seeds: radhuni seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, and nigella seeds. They are not roasted or ground, but mixed and added directly to food. Radhuni is a close relative of ajwain, but it is rarely used in South Asia outside of Bengal. It tastes a bit like celery, but is very strong. Collapse Read »
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Bengali New Year, Halal Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Main dishes include yogurt and cilantro roasted chicken, pan-fried spicy tilapia, mixed nut and vegetable patties, and roasted cauliflower with five-spice blend (panch phoron). Panch phoron consists of five spice seeds: radhuni seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, and nigella seeds. They are not roasted or ground, but mixed and added directly to food. Radhuni is a close relative of ajwain, but it is rarely used in South Asia outside of Bengal. It tastes a bit like celery, but is very strong. Collapse Read »
Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year (Part 2C of 4)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Bengali New Year, Halal Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Collapse Read »
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Bengali New Year, Halal Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
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Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year (Part 2B of 4)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Bengali New Year, Halal Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Fried dishes made by Bengalis using mustard oil are called bhaja, and there are many different kinds. The most classic is crispy fried potato strips (jhure-jhure aloo bhaja). The potatoes are fried until golden and very crispy, and it is a classic snack for the Bengali New Year. Also, fried eggplant slices (muchmuche beguni) and fried potato patties (aloo chop) are both part of the bhaja fried dish family.
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Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Bengali New Year, Halal Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Fried dishes made by Bengalis using mustard oil are called bhaja, and there are many different kinds. The most classic is crispy fried potato strips (jhure-jhure aloo bhaja). The potatoes are fried until golden and very crispy, and it is a classic snack for the Bengali New Year. Also, fried eggplant slices (muchmuche beguni) and fried potato patties (aloo chop) are both part of the bhaja fried dish family.
Collapse Read »
Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year (Part 2A of 4)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Bengali New Year, Halal Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
The classic Bengali side dish vegetable mash (bhurta) is made by mashing various vegetables or fish with mustard oil, onion, garlic, and red chili. The ingredients can be boiled, roasted, or fried before mashing.
There are many types of bhurta depending on the ingredients. The most popular is potato mash (aloo bharta), made by boiling potatoes and mixing them with fried onions, chili, and mustard oil. The rich taste of mustard oil in the potato mash really boosts your appetite. Another common one is eggplant mash (baingan bharta), made by roasting the eggplant, chopping it up, and mixing it with onion, chili, and mustard oil.
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Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Bengali New Year, Halal Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
The classic Bengali side dish vegetable mash (bhurta) is made by mashing various vegetables or fish with mustard oil, onion, garlic, and red chili. The ingredients can be boiled, roasted, or fried before mashing.
There are many types of bhurta depending on the ingredients. The most popular is potato mash (aloo bharta), made by boiling potatoes and mixing them with fried onions, chili, and mustard oil. The rich taste of mustard oil in the potato mash really boosts your appetite. Another common one is eggplant mash (baingan bharta), made by roasting the eggplant, chopping it up, and mixing it with onion, chili, and mustard oil.
Collapse Read »
Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets (Part 5D of 7)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
They also serve fried triangular pastries (sambousek) and chickpea fritters (falafel). Sambousek is a classic snack for Arabs during Ramadan. It originated from the Iranian sanbosag and later spread to various places with the spread of Persian culture. It entered Arab cuisine after the 10th century, reached South Asia with the Delhi Sultanate after the 13th century, and later spread to China, Indonesia, and across Africa. In some Hui Muslim communities in China, this snack is still called sanmosan.
For dessert after the meal, there is basbousa, which originated in Egypt. Basbousa is a semolina cake soaked in syrup. It is first baked in a pan and then soaked with orange blossom water, rose water, or syrup. Collapse Read »
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
They also serve fried triangular pastries (sambousek) and chickpea fritters (falafel). Sambousek is a classic snack for Arabs during Ramadan. It originated from the Iranian sanbosag and later spread to various places with the spread of Persian culture. It entered Arab cuisine after the 10th century, reached South Asia with the Delhi Sultanate after the 13th century, and later spread to China, Indonesia, and across Africa. In some Hui Muslim communities in China, this snack is still called sanmosan.
For dessert after the meal, there is basbousa, which originated in Egypt. Basbousa is a semolina cake soaked in syrup. It is first baked in a pan and then soaked with orange blossom water, rose water, or syrup. Collapse Read »
Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets (Part 5B of 7)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
4. Tunisian restaurant La Medina
I had the Ramadan iftar buffet at the Tunisian restaurant La Medina by the Liangma River. It is super crowded on weekends, which is likely the case for all iftar buffets in Beijing, so friends, it is better to choose a weekday.
First, let me introduce their restaurant name. Medina means "city" in Arabic. In North Africa, a medina usually refers to an old town built with city walls and many narrow, maze-like alleys. The Medina of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. It is one of the most famous medinas, containing 700 historical buildings including palaces, mosques, mausoleums, madrasas, and fountains.
Compared to last year, the variety at La Medina has decreased, which is truly a pity. Last year at the buffet, I had Tunisian harissa soup, merguez (North African sausage), and kibbeh, but I didn't get to eat them this time. I am not sure if it was just bad timing.
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Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
4. Tunisian restaurant La Medina
I had the Ramadan iftar buffet at the Tunisian restaurant La Medina by the Liangma River. It is super crowded on weekends, which is likely the case for all iftar buffets in Beijing, so friends, it is better to choose a weekday.
First, let me introduce their restaurant name. Medina means "city" in Arabic. In North Africa, a medina usually refers to an old town built with city walls and many narrow, maze-like alleys. The Medina of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. It is one of the most famous medinas, containing 700 historical buildings including palaces, mosques, mausoleums, madrasas, and fountains.
Compared to last year, the variety at La Medina has decreased, which is truly a pity. Last year at the buffet, I had Tunisian harissa soup, merguez (North African sausage), and kibbeh, but I didn't get to eat them this time. I am not sure if it was just bad timing.
Collapse Read »
Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets (Part 5A of 7)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Collapse Read »
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Collapse Read »
Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year (Part 4 of 4)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Bengali New Year, Halal Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Collapse Read »
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Bengali New Year, Halal Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Collapse Read »
Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year (Part 3 of 4)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Bengali New Year, Halal Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Here are a few types of Bengali curry.
Doi shorshe katla is a Bengali yogurt fish curry. In this name, 'doi' means yogurt, 'shorshe' means mustard seeds, and 'katla' means carp. Mustard seeds and mustard oil are the basic elements of Bengali fish curry. Besides these, many spices are added, and the yellow color in the curry mainly comes from turmeric.
Mutton chaap is a lamb chop curry special to Kolkata. It is slow-cooked with various spices like masala. This cooking method comes from the Mughal Empire and is a classic curry for holidays like Eid al-Fitr.
Chicken rezala is a Bengali white sauce chicken curry. It also comes from the Mughal Empire and is slow-cooked with yogurt and nuts. The spices include cloves, black pepper, cinnamon, black cardamom, dried red chili, and green cardamom.
To go with the curry, you must have Bengali flatbread (ruti), which is the same as Indian roti. The word comes from the Sanskrit 'roṭikā', which means bread. In Bengal, ruti is made with whole wheat flour. If finer wheat flour is used, it is called 'porota'.
Finally, here are a few Bengali snacks and desserts.
Aloo kabli is a special street snack in Kolkata. It is made with boiled potatoes, chopped onions, green chilies, cilantro, tamarind, lime, and masala spices. Aloo kabli stalls are most popular at the gates of schools in Kolkata. Students surround the stalls as soon as school ends, waiting for the vendor to wrap the aloo kabli in old newspapers to sell to them.
Malpua is a deep-fried dessert soaked in syrup that Bengalis eat during holidays. It is crispy on the outside and fluffy and juicy on the inside, with a fragrance from fennel and green cardamom powder.
Chaler payesh is a rice pudding that Bengalis eat during holidays, similar to kheer in North India. Besides milk and basmati rice, it also contains ghee, sugar, cardamom powder, and nuts.
Narkel naru is a Bengali coconut ball dessert and an essential part of holidays. The ingredients for making narkel naru are very simple: just fresh coconut, sugar, and cardamom powder.
Rosogolla is a Bengali cheese dessert made by soaking soft, juicy cheese in syrup. Collapse Read »
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Bengali New Year, Halal Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Here are a few types of Bengali curry.
Doi shorshe katla is a Bengali yogurt fish curry. In this name, 'doi' means yogurt, 'shorshe' means mustard seeds, and 'katla' means carp. Mustard seeds and mustard oil are the basic elements of Bengali fish curry. Besides these, many spices are added, and the yellow color in the curry mainly comes from turmeric.
Mutton chaap is a lamb chop curry special to Kolkata. It is slow-cooked with various spices like masala. This cooking method comes from the Mughal Empire and is a classic curry for holidays like Eid al-Fitr.
Chicken rezala is a Bengali white sauce chicken curry. It also comes from the Mughal Empire and is slow-cooked with yogurt and nuts. The spices include cloves, black pepper, cinnamon, black cardamom, dried red chili, and green cardamom.
To go with the curry, you must have Bengali flatbread (ruti), which is the same as Indian roti. The word comes from the Sanskrit 'roṭikā', which means bread. In Bengal, ruti is made with whole wheat flour. If finer wheat flour is used, it is called 'porota'.
Finally, here are a few Bengali snacks and desserts.
Aloo kabli is a special street snack in Kolkata. It is made with boiled potatoes, chopped onions, green chilies, cilantro, tamarind, lime, and masala spices. Aloo kabli stalls are most popular at the gates of schools in Kolkata. Students surround the stalls as soon as school ends, waiting for the vendor to wrap the aloo kabli in old newspapers to sell to them.
Malpua is a deep-fried dessert soaked in syrup that Bengalis eat during holidays. It is crispy on the outside and fluffy and juicy on the inside, with a fragrance from fennel and green cardamom powder.
Chaler payesh is a rice pudding that Bengalis eat during holidays, similar to kheer in North India. Besides milk and basmati rice, it also contains ghee, sugar, cardamom powder, and nuts.
Narkel naru is a Bengali coconut ball dessert and an essential part of holidays. The ingredients for making narkel naru are very simple: just fresh coconut, sugar, and cardamom powder.
Rosogolla is a Bengali cheese dessert made by soaking soft, juicy cheese in syrup. Collapse Read »
Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Bengali New Year, Halal Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. I ate various Bengali and Kolkata delicacies I don't usually get to try and watched some wonderful dancing. Even though some of the snacks took a little getting used to, it was a fantastic opportunity.
The Bengali New Year is called Pohela Boishakh, and on this day, Bengali people everywhere hold celebrations and offer dua. One theory is that the Bengali calendar was finalized during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The Mughal Empire originally used the Islamic calendar to collect land taxes from the Bengali people. Because the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, its cycle did not match the rhythm of farming work. Emperor Akbar asked his court astronomers to combine the Islamic calendar with the local Indian solar calendar to create a new one, which eventually became the Bengali calendar. To make it easier to collect taxes after the spring harvest each year, the Bengali New Year was set in April.
Bengali food is strongly influenced by the Mughal Empire. Between 1576 and 1765, the Bengal Subah under Mughal rule included what is now Bangladesh and eastern India. It was one of the wealthiest regions in South Asia at the time, known as the 'Nation of Nations,' with world-leading textile and shipbuilding industries. Many merchants, immigrants, and travelers entered the Bengal Subah, influencing Bengali eating habits in different ways, including the use of beef, mutton, yogurt, and various spice blends.
After the 18th century, the British East India Company built a trading post in the Bengal Subah, which later grew into Kolkata, the capital of British India. Kolkata is the second-largest Bengali-speaking city after Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, and Kolkata cuisine is an important part of Bengali food culture.
I will share the delicious food I ate at the buffet.
First is the street snack puffed rice (jhalmuri), popular in Bangladesh and eastern India. It is made by mixing puffed rice (muri) with various spices, chopped vegetables like cucumber, lemon, onion, chili, tomato, and potato, and mustard oil. In Bangladesh and eastern India, puffed rice is an ancient and important staple food. People boil and dry the rice, then heat it in a pan with salt. They add the rice and stir, and it starts to puff up immediately, taking less than a minute to make.
Two Bengali summer drinks, the lime yogurt drink (gondhoraj ghol) and the roasted sour mango drink (aam pora sharbat), are the best ways for Bengalis to cool down in the 40-degree summer heat. Gondhoraj lebu is a type of lime from Bangladesh with a very unique taste that might take some getting used to for first-timers. Aam Pora Sharbat is made by roasting unripe sour mangoes over charcoal. Once the mangoes soften, the pulp is scooped out and blended with sugar, salt, cumin, and fresh mint. It has a light, smoky flavor when you drink it.
The classic Bengali side dish vegetable mash (bhurta) is made by mashing various vegetables or fish with mustard oil, onion, garlic, and red chili. The ingredients can be boiled, roasted, or fried before mashing.
There are many types of bhurta depending on the ingredients. The most popular is potato mash (aloo bharta), made by boiling potatoes and mixing them with fried onions, chili, and mustard oil. The rich taste of mustard oil in the potato mash really boosts your appetite. Another common one is eggplant mash (baingan bharta), made by roasting the eggplant, chopping it up, and mixing it with onion, chili, and mustard oil.
Fried dishes made by Bengalis using mustard oil are called bhaja, and there are many different kinds. The most classic is crispy fried potato strips (jhure-jhure aloo bhaja). The potatoes are fried until golden and very crispy, and it is a classic snack for the Bengali New Year. Also, fried eggplant slices (muchmuche beguni) and fried potato patties (aloo chop) are both part of the bhaja fried dish family.
For the main course, there was Kolkata potato rice (Kolkata aloo biryani). This is the only type of biryani in South Asia that uses potatoes as an ingredient. Kolkata, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, is the second-largest Bengali-speaking city after Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.
In 1856, after Wajid Ali Shah, the ruler of the Awadh region in northern India, was deposed by the British, he moved to Kolkata. The potato biryani was invented by his accompanying court chefs. Potatoes were a foreign food and were not brought to India by the Dutch until the 1830s. When Wajid Ali Shah's court chefs were cooking biryani with saffron, various spices, and meat, they once tried adding fried baby potatoes. It was unexpectedly delicious, became a favorite of Wajid Ali Shah, and quickly spread throughout Kolkata.
The second dish is yellow pilaf (basanti pulao), a special rice dish for the Bengali New Year, colored with turmeric and topped with fried cashews and raisins.
Main dishes include yogurt and cilantro roasted chicken, pan-fried spicy tilapia, mixed nut and vegetable patties, and roasted cauliflower with five-spice blend (panch phoron). Panch phoron consists of five spice seeds: radhuni seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, and nigella seeds. They are not roasted or ground, but mixed and added directly to food. Radhuni is a close relative of ajwain, but it is rarely used in South Asia outside of Bengal. It tastes a bit like celery, but is very strong.
Here are a few types of Bengali curry.
Doi shorshe katla is a Bengali yogurt fish curry. In this name, 'doi' means yogurt, 'shorshe' means mustard seeds, and 'katla' means carp. Mustard seeds and mustard oil are the basic elements of Bengali fish curry. Besides these, many spices are added, and the yellow color in the curry mainly comes from turmeric.
Mutton chaap is a lamb chop curry special to Kolkata. It is slow-cooked with various spices like masala. This cooking method comes from the Mughal Empire and is a classic curry for holidays like Eid al-Fitr.
Chicken rezala is a Bengali white sauce chicken curry. It also comes from the Mughal Empire and is slow-cooked with yogurt and nuts. The spices include cloves, black pepper, cinnamon, black cardamom, dried red chili, and green cardamom.
To go with the curry, you must have Bengali flatbread (ruti), which is the same as Indian roti. The word comes from the Sanskrit 'roṭikā', which means bread. In Bengal, ruti is made with whole wheat flour. If finer wheat flour is used, it is called 'porota'.
Finally, here are a few Bengali snacks and desserts.
Aloo kabli is a special street snack in Kolkata. It is made with boiled potatoes, chopped onions, green chilies, cilantro, tamarind, lime, and masala spices. Aloo kabli stalls are most popular at the gates of schools in Kolkata. Students surround the stalls as soon as school ends, waiting for the vendor to wrap the aloo kabli in old newspapers to sell to them.
Malpua is a deep-fried dessert soaked in syrup that Bengalis eat during holidays. It is crispy on the outside and fluffy and juicy on the inside, with a fragrance from fennel and green cardamom powder.
Chaler payesh is a rice pudding that Bengalis eat during holidays, similar to kheer in North India. Besides milk and basmati rice, it also contains ghee, sugar, cardamom powder, and nuts.
Narkel naru is a Bengali coconut ball dessert and an essential part of holidays. The ingredients for making narkel naru are very simple: just fresh coconut, sugar, and cardamom powder.
Rosogolla is a Bengali cheese dessert made by soaking soft, juicy cheese in syrup.
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Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Dastan — Ramadan Iftar and Bengali New Year is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Bengali New Year, Halal Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
April 14th is the Bengali New Year. I was very happy to be invited by Yahya Dost to the Dastaan restaurant, an Indian spot in Sanlitun Soho, Beijing, to join a Ramadan iftar buffet celebrating the Bengali New Year. I ate various Bengali and Kolkata delicacies I don't usually get to try and watched some wonderful dancing. Even though some of the snacks took a little getting used to, it was a fantastic opportunity.
The Bengali New Year is called Pohela Boishakh, and on this day, Bengali people everywhere hold celebrations and offer dua. One theory is that the Bengali calendar was finalized during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The Mughal Empire originally used the Islamic calendar to collect land taxes from the Bengali people. Because the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, its cycle did not match the rhythm of farming work. Emperor Akbar asked his court astronomers to combine the Islamic calendar with the local Indian solar calendar to create a new one, which eventually became the Bengali calendar. To make it easier to collect taxes after the spring harvest each year, the Bengali New Year was set in April.
Bengali food is strongly influenced by the Mughal Empire. Between 1576 and 1765, the Bengal Subah under Mughal rule included what is now Bangladesh and eastern India. It was one of the wealthiest regions in South Asia at the time, known as the 'Nation of Nations,' with world-leading textile and shipbuilding industries. Many merchants, immigrants, and travelers entered the Bengal Subah, influencing Bengali eating habits in different ways, including the use of beef, mutton, yogurt, and various spice blends.
After the 18th century, the British East India Company built a trading post in the Bengal Subah, which later grew into Kolkata, the capital of British India. Kolkata is the second-largest Bengali-speaking city after Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, and Kolkata cuisine is an important part of Bengali food culture.
I will share the delicious food I ate at the buffet.
First is the street snack puffed rice (jhalmuri), popular in Bangladesh and eastern India. It is made by mixing puffed rice (muri) with various spices, chopped vegetables like cucumber, lemon, onion, chili, tomato, and potato, and mustard oil. In Bangladesh and eastern India, puffed rice is an ancient and important staple food. People boil and dry the rice, then heat it in a pan with salt. They add the rice and stir, and it starts to puff up immediately, taking less than a minute to make.
Two Bengali summer drinks, the lime yogurt drink (gondhoraj ghol) and the roasted sour mango drink (aam pora sharbat), are the best ways for Bengalis to cool down in the 40-degree summer heat. Gondhoraj lebu is a type of lime from Bangladesh with a very unique taste that might take some getting used to for first-timers. Aam Pora Sharbat is made by roasting unripe sour mangoes over charcoal. Once the mangoes soften, the pulp is scooped out and blended with sugar, salt, cumin, and fresh mint. It has a light, smoky flavor when you drink it.
The classic Bengali side dish vegetable mash (bhurta) is made by mashing various vegetables or fish with mustard oil, onion, garlic, and red chili. The ingredients can be boiled, roasted, or fried before mashing.
There are many types of bhurta depending on the ingredients. The most popular is potato mash (aloo bharta), made by boiling potatoes and mixing them with fried onions, chili, and mustard oil. The rich taste of mustard oil in the potato mash really boosts your appetite. Another common one is eggplant mash (baingan bharta), made by roasting the eggplant, chopping it up, and mixing it with onion, chili, and mustard oil.
Fried dishes made by Bengalis using mustard oil are called bhaja, and there are many different kinds. The most classic is crispy fried potato strips (jhure-jhure aloo bhaja). The potatoes are fried until golden and very crispy, and it is a classic snack for the Bengali New Year. Also, fried eggplant slices (muchmuche beguni) and fried potato patties (aloo chop) are both part of the bhaja fried dish family.
For the main course, there was Kolkata potato rice (Kolkata aloo biryani). This is the only type of biryani in South Asia that uses potatoes as an ingredient. Kolkata, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, is the second-largest Bengali-speaking city after Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.
In 1856, after Wajid Ali Shah, the ruler of the Awadh region in northern India, was deposed by the British, he moved to Kolkata. The potato biryani was invented by his accompanying court chefs. Potatoes were a foreign food and were not brought to India by the Dutch until the 1830s. When Wajid Ali Shah's court chefs were cooking biryani with saffron, various spices, and meat, they once tried adding fried baby potatoes. It was unexpectedly delicious, became a favorite of Wajid Ali Shah, and quickly spread throughout Kolkata.
The second dish is yellow pilaf (basanti pulao), a special rice dish for the Bengali New Year, colored with turmeric and topped with fried cashews and raisins.
Main dishes include yogurt and cilantro roasted chicken, pan-fried spicy tilapia, mixed nut and vegetable patties, and roasted cauliflower with five-spice blend (panch phoron). Panch phoron consists of five spice seeds: radhuni seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, and nigella seeds. They are not roasted or ground, but mixed and added directly to food. Radhuni is a close relative of ajwain, but it is rarely used in South Asia outside of Bengal. It tastes a bit like celery, but is very strong.
Here are a few types of Bengali curry.
Doi shorshe katla is a Bengali yogurt fish curry. In this name, 'doi' means yogurt, 'shorshe' means mustard seeds, and 'katla' means carp. Mustard seeds and mustard oil are the basic elements of Bengali fish curry. Besides these, many spices are added, and the yellow color in the curry mainly comes from turmeric.
Mutton chaap is a lamb chop curry special to Kolkata. It is slow-cooked with various spices like masala. This cooking method comes from the Mughal Empire and is a classic curry for holidays like Eid al-Fitr.
Chicken rezala is a Bengali white sauce chicken curry. It also comes from the Mughal Empire and is slow-cooked with yogurt and nuts. The spices include cloves, black pepper, cinnamon, black cardamom, dried red chili, and green cardamom.
To go with the curry, you must have Bengali flatbread (ruti), which is the same as Indian roti. The word comes from the Sanskrit 'roṭikā', which means bread. In Bengal, ruti is made with whole wheat flour. If finer wheat flour is used, it is called 'porota'.
Finally, here are a few Bengali snacks and desserts.
Aloo kabli is a special street snack in Kolkata. It is made with boiled potatoes, chopped onions, green chilies, cilantro, tamarind, lime, and masala spices. Aloo kabli stalls are most popular at the gates of schools in Kolkata. Students surround the stalls as soon as school ends, waiting for the vendor to wrap the aloo kabli in old newspapers to sell to them.
Malpua is a deep-fried dessert soaked in syrup that Bengalis eat during holidays. It is crispy on the outside and fluffy and juicy on the inside, with a fragrance from fennel and green cardamom powder.
Chaler payesh is a rice pudding that Bengalis eat during holidays, similar to kheer in North India. Besides milk and basmati rice, it also contains ghee, sugar, cardamom powder, and nuts.
Narkel naru is a Bengali coconut ball dessert and an essential part of holidays. The ingredients for making narkel naru are very simple: just fresh coconut, sugar, and cardamom powder.
Rosogolla is a Bengali cheese dessert made by soaking soft, juicy cheese in syrup.
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Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets (Part 7 of 7)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
I will take this opportunity to explain the different categories of Arab cuisine. First, the Arab world can be divided into two main parts: east and west. The North African region, excluding Egypt, is called the Maghreb, which means the land of the sunset. The food here is strongly influenced by the Berbers. The staple food is couscous, and specialties include North African sausages and tagine. The Tunisian restaurant La Medina on Liangma River is a representative of this style.
The eastern part of the Arab world is called the Mashriq, which means the land of the sunrise. The Arab regions east of Egypt belong to this area. The staple food here is long-grain rice rather than couscous. All Arab restaurants in Beijing except for La Medina belong to this region.
The Mashriq region can be further divided into several areas. First is the Arabian Peninsula. This region loves camel meat and various types of rice pilaf, with Yemeni cuisine being the most famous. There are several Yemeni restaurants in Guangzhou.
Cuisine in the Mesopotamia region, dominated by Iraq, is also very rich. This was once the court of the Abbasid Caliphate, and the earliest Arab cookbooks came from here. The owner of Taiba in Sanlitun is Iraqi. If you are interested, you can go and have a taste.
Among all Arab cuisines, Levantine cuisine has the most far-reaching influence. The Levant refers to the eastern Mediterranean coast, including Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and surrounding areas. Levantine cuisine is most famous for its meze, which has influenced the eating habits of the entire Middle East. Syrian restaurants like 1001 Nights and BRBR in Beijing, the Lebanese restaurant Al Ameen, and Palestinian restaurants like Al Safir and Zayton all belong to Levantine cuisine.
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Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
I will take this opportunity to explain the different categories of Arab cuisine. First, the Arab world can be divided into two main parts: east and west. The North African region, excluding Egypt, is called the Maghreb, which means the land of the sunset. The food here is strongly influenced by the Berbers. The staple food is couscous, and specialties include North African sausages and tagine. The Tunisian restaurant La Medina on Liangma River is a representative of this style.
The eastern part of the Arab world is called the Mashriq, which means the land of the sunrise. The Arab regions east of Egypt belong to this area. The staple food here is long-grain rice rather than couscous. All Arab restaurants in Beijing except for La Medina belong to this region.
The Mashriq region can be further divided into several areas. First is the Arabian Peninsula. This region loves camel meat and various types of rice pilaf, with Yemeni cuisine being the most famous. There are several Yemeni restaurants in Guangzhou.
Cuisine in the Mesopotamia region, dominated by Iraq, is also very rich. This was once the court of the Abbasid Caliphate, and the earliest Arab cookbooks came from here. The owner of Taiba in Sanlitun is Iraqi. If you are interested, you can go and have a taste.
Among all Arab cuisines, Levantine cuisine has the most far-reaching influence. The Levant refers to the eastern Mediterranean coast, including Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and surrounding areas. Levantine cuisine is most famous for its meze, which has influenced the eating habits of the entire Middle East. Syrian restaurants like 1001 Nights and BRBR in Beijing, the Lebanese restaurant Al Ameen, and Palestinian restaurants like Al Safir and Zayton all belong to Levantine cuisine.
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Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets (Part 6 of 7)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
5. Palestinian restaurant Al Safir
I had the Ramadan iftar buffet at the Palestinian restaurant Al Safir in Sanyuanqiao. This is the fifth iftar buffet I have tried, following La Medina, Taiba, Dardanelles, and Khan Baba.
I make sure to eat at Al Safir's iftar buffet every year. Their 15 types of Levantine appetizers, known as meze, are their biggest highlight. The owner is also a very kind, hospitable person with strong faith, which makes dining there feel very comfortable. They have plenty of outdoor seating. It would be great to eat outside once the weather warms up next week, but we were worried about the crowds, so we specifically chose today because it was windy and less busy, which made the meal feel more relaxed.
For a traditional Arab iftar, you should follow the Sunnah by eating dates first, then having soup. They usually serve lentil soup or chicken soup. This year they added broccoli soup, which I am not quite used to, but you can give it a try. After the prayer, the main meal begins. Here you can eat sambousek, the classic lamb-filled fried pastry that Arabs enjoy during Ramadan.
The classic Levantine way to eat is to stuff falafel and various sauces into pita bread, or simply dip the pita bread into the sauces. Among all the meze, my favorite is the red qalayet bandora. Al Safir might be the only place in Beijing that serves it. This dish is made with tomatoes, onions, chili peppers, and olive oil. It is said to have originated in the villages near the Dead Sea, where the hot climate of the Jordan Valley is perfect for growing tomatoes. They also have muhammara, made with walnuts, red bell peppers, pomegranate molasses, and breadcrumbs. This meze is said to have originated in Aleppo, Syria.
Their main dishes are stewed lamb and roasted chicken. The lamb is tender and fragrant, and it tastes great with long-grain rice. I could not stop eating it. The roasted chicken is a bit tougher than the stewed lamb, but the flavor is still good.
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Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
5. Palestinian restaurant Al Safir
I had the Ramadan iftar buffet at the Palestinian restaurant Al Safir in Sanyuanqiao. This is the fifth iftar buffet I have tried, following La Medina, Taiba, Dardanelles, and Khan Baba.
I make sure to eat at Al Safir's iftar buffet every year. Their 15 types of Levantine appetizers, known as meze, are their biggest highlight. The owner is also a very kind, hospitable person with strong faith, which makes dining there feel very comfortable. They have plenty of outdoor seating. It would be great to eat outside once the weather warms up next week, but we were worried about the crowds, so we specifically chose today because it was windy and less busy, which made the meal feel more relaxed.
For a traditional Arab iftar, you should follow the Sunnah by eating dates first, then having soup. They usually serve lentil soup or chicken soup. This year they added broccoli soup, which I am not quite used to, but you can give it a try. After the prayer, the main meal begins. Here you can eat sambousek, the classic lamb-filled fried pastry that Arabs enjoy during Ramadan.
The classic Levantine way to eat is to stuff falafel and various sauces into pita bread, or simply dip the pita bread into the sauces. Among all the meze, my favorite is the red qalayet bandora. Al Safir might be the only place in Beijing that serves it. This dish is made with tomatoes, onions, chili peppers, and olive oil. It is said to have originated in the villages near the Dead Sea, where the hot climate of the Jordan Valley is perfect for growing tomatoes. They also have muhammara, made with walnuts, red bell peppers, pomegranate molasses, and breadcrumbs. This meze is said to have originated in Aleppo, Syria.
Their main dishes are stewed lamb and roasted chicken. The lamb is tender and fragrant, and it tastes great with long-grain rice. I could not stop eating it. The roasted chicken is a bit tougher than the stewed lamb, but the flavor is still good.
Collapse Read »
Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets (Part 4 of 7)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Besides grilled chicken and various kebabs, their main dish is lamb and chicken mandi rice. Mandi is a classic Arabic staple. The most traditional way to eat it is to dig a pit in the ground to cook the rice, then spread out a mat, sit on the floor, and eat with your hands. Mandi originated in the Hadhramaut region on the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula (there is a Yemeni restaurant in Xiaobei, Guangzhou, with this name). It later spread to Egypt, the Levant, and other Arab regions, where it became very popular.
To make traditional mandi, you burn dry wood in a clay oven until it turns into charcoal, then hang meat (mostly lamb, camel, or chicken) rubbed with Hawaij spice inside the oven. The main ingredients of Hawaij spice are cumin, black pepper, turmeric, and cardamom. Once the meat is tender, you pour spiced broth into basmati rice, place the pot at the bottom of the oven, seal the oven with clay, and slow-cook it for up to 8 hours. The finished mandi meat is soft and tender, and the rice is full of the aroma of the meat and spices. It is delicious.
They also have Middle Eastern stuffed vegetables (dolma), which are green peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants stuffed with meat and rice and then stewed. The name dolma comes from the Ottoman era, and you can find recipes for stuffed eggplant in some medieval Arabic cookbooks. Beyond the Middle East, stuffed vegetables (dolma) are found across the Balkans, the South Caucasus, and North Africa under Ottoman rule, with different preparation methods in each place. For example, the Arab region prefers stuffed eggplant, Bosnia and Herzegovina prefers stuffed onions, and the Ottoman court also had a tradition of stuffing melons and fruits.
Another Middle Eastern snack they serve is kibbeh meatballs. These are made by wrapping minced meat, chopped onions, and Middle Eastern spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice in cracked wheat, and are usually deep-fried. Lebanon and Syria both consider kibbeh a national dish, but it is actually found in other Arab countries like Egypt and Iraq, as well as in Iran and Armenia.
They have a rich variety of desserts, and the most worth trying is the classic Arab Ramadan dessert, knafeh. According to a famous Arab legend, a physician in the court of the Fatimid or Umayyad Caliphate invented knafeh to satisfy the Caliph's hunger during Ramadan. Knafeh later became a classic Arab iftar dessert and even appeared in One Thousand and One Nights.
Knafeh is made of buttery pastry, stretchy cheese, and crushed pistachios, and is drizzled with a syrup called attar when eaten. Although it has a history of over a thousand years, the current fried, stretchy style formed in the mid-15th century during the Ottoman period and gradually spread throughout the Ottoman-ruled Middle East.
They also serve the classic Arab appetizer mezza, which is perfect for dipping with flatbread. The term mezza for an appetizer is borrowed from the Persian word "mazzeh," meaning "taste," which later entered the Middle East under Ottoman rule via Persian. When I visited, they served six appetizers, including two dips: hummus (chickpea puree) and baba ghanoush (roasted eggplant puree). Tabbouleh salad is made by mixing parsley, tomatoes, mint, onions, and soaked cracked wheat with olive oil and lemon juice. Fattoush salad is made by mixing toasted or fried pieces of khubz (Arab flatbread) with various vegetables.
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Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Besides grilled chicken and various kebabs, their main dish is lamb and chicken mandi rice. Mandi is a classic Arabic staple. The most traditional way to eat it is to dig a pit in the ground to cook the rice, then spread out a mat, sit on the floor, and eat with your hands. Mandi originated in the Hadhramaut region on the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula (there is a Yemeni restaurant in Xiaobei, Guangzhou, with this name). It later spread to Egypt, the Levant, and other Arab regions, where it became very popular.
To make traditional mandi, you burn dry wood in a clay oven until it turns into charcoal, then hang meat (mostly lamb, camel, or chicken) rubbed with Hawaij spice inside the oven. The main ingredients of Hawaij spice are cumin, black pepper, turmeric, and cardamom. Once the meat is tender, you pour spiced broth into basmati rice, place the pot at the bottom of the oven, seal the oven with clay, and slow-cook it for up to 8 hours. The finished mandi meat is soft and tender, and the rice is full of the aroma of the meat and spices. It is delicious.
They also have Middle Eastern stuffed vegetables (dolma), which are green peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants stuffed with meat and rice and then stewed. The name dolma comes from the Ottoman era, and you can find recipes for stuffed eggplant in some medieval Arabic cookbooks. Beyond the Middle East, stuffed vegetables (dolma) are found across the Balkans, the South Caucasus, and North Africa under Ottoman rule, with different preparation methods in each place. For example, the Arab region prefers stuffed eggplant, Bosnia and Herzegovina prefers stuffed onions, and the Ottoman court also had a tradition of stuffing melons and fruits.
Another Middle Eastern snack they serve is kibbeh meatballs. These are made by wrapping minced meat, chopped onions, and Middle Eastern spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice in cracked wheat, and are usually deep-fried. Lebanon and Syria both consider kibbeh a national dish, but it is actually found in other Arab countries like Egypt and Iraq, as well as in Iran and Armenia.
They have a rich variety of desserts, and the most worth trying is the classic Arab Ramadan dessert, knafeh. According to a famous Arab legend, a physician in the court of the Fatimid or Umayyad Caliphate invented knafeh to satisfy the Caliph's hunger during Ramadan. Knafeh later became a classic Arab iftar dessert and even appeared in One Thousand and One Nights.
Knafeh is made of buttery pastry, stretchy cheese, and crushed pistachios, and is drizzled with a syrup called attar when eaten. Although it has a history of over a thousand years, the current fried, stretchy style formed in the mid-15th century during the Ottoman period and gradually spread throughout the Ottoman-ruled Middle East.
They also serve the classic Arab appetizer mezza, which is perfect for dipping with flatbread. The term mezza for an appetizer is borrowed from the Persian word "mazzeh," meaning "taste," which later entered the Middle East under Ottoman rule via Persian. When I visited, they served six appetizers, including two dips: hummus (chickpea puree) and baba ghanoush (roasted eggplant puree). Tabbouleh salad is made by mixing parsley, tomatoes, mint, onions, and soaked cracked wheat with olive oil and lemon juice. Fattoush salad is made by mixing toasted or fried pieces of khubz (Arab flatbread) with various vegetables.
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Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets (Part 3 of 7)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Let me share a few dishes from their buffet. First is the grilled chicken chunks (tikka). Tikka comes from the Turkic word tikkü, which means "piece." The Mughal Empire brought this style of grilling spice-marinated boneless meat to South Asia, and chicken is the most common version.
Second is the bean curry (masala), a common way to prepare curry in northern South Asia. Masala is a spice blend. The ingredients vary by region, but it usually includes black and white pepper, cloves, bay leaves, nutmeg, cumin, cinnamon, coriander seeds, fennel, and chili powder.
Third is the minced beef curry, and fourth is the chicken clay pot (handi). Handi is a popular way to eat curry in northern South Asia. You slow-cook meat in a copper pot or clay pot, sealing the lid so the steam stays inside and keeps all the aroma in the food.
Fifth is the fried vegetable fritters (pakora). This is a classic South Asian street snack made by coating onions, eggplant, potatoes, or spinach in chickpea flour and frying them. It is often served as an appetizer with masala tea at South Asian weddings.
The main dish is the classic biryani rice. Biryani is a Persian loanword in Urdu. It likely started in the Mughal royal kitchens, where chefs supposedly combined spicy Indian rice with Persian pilaf. Mughal documents mention both biryanis and pulao (pilaf), and the terms were interchangeable back then. People generally think biryani has more spices and a stronger curry flavor than pilaf.
For dessert, there is milk pudding (kheer). Kheer comes from the Sanskrit word for milk, "kshira," and it has a history of over two thousand years. Kheer is made by boiling milk, sugar, and rice together. You can add toppings like shredded coconut, raisins, saffron, cashews, or pistachios.
The buffet features a classic South Asian Ramadan Iftar drink called Rooh Afza, a concentrated syrup made with various herbs and fruits. Rooh Afza was perfected in 1906 by a Delhi Muslim herbalist named Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed. Majeed’s ancestors moved from Kashgar, Xinjiang, to the Mughal Empire in the late 18th century and worked in the herbal medicine trade.
Majeed wanted to create a herbal blend to help the people of Delhi cool down during the summer. He chose various herbs and fruit syrups from traditional South Asian Muslim Unani medicine to make a drink that effectively prevents heatstroke and dehydration during Ramadan. After 1906, Majeed opened a herbal shop in Delhi, which became a factory with a full production line after 1920. He named the factory Hamdard, a Persian loanword in Urdu meaning "companion in pain."
After the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, Majeed’s eldest son, Hakim Abdul Hameed, stayed in India. His younger son, Hakeem Muhammad Saeed, moved to Karachi, Pakistan, in 1948 and later opened branches in East Pakistan (Bangladesh), making Rooh Afza popular across South Asia.
3. Iraqi Restaurant Taiba
At Taiba in Sanlitun SOHO, you can have an Iftar buffet. The owners are a couple from China and Iraq who serve authentic Arabic food.
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Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Let me share a few dishes from their buffet. First is the grilled chicken chunks (tikka). Tikka comes from the Turkic word tikkü, which means "piece." The Mughal Empire brought this style of grilling spice-marinated boneless meat to South Asia, and chicken is the most common version.
Second is the bean curry (masala), a common way to prepare curry in northern South Asia. Masala is a spice blend. The ingredients vary by region, but it usually includes black and white pepper, cloves, bay leaves, nutmeg, cumin, cinnamon, coriander seeds, fennel, and chili powder.
Third is the minced beef curry, and fourth is the chicken clay pot (handi). Handi is a popular way to eat curry in northern South Asia. You slow-cook meat in a copper pot or clay pot, sealing the lid so the steam stays inside and keeps all the aroma in the food.
Fifth is the fried vegetable fritters (pakora). This is a classic South Asian street snack made by coating onions, eggplant, potatoes, or spinach in chickpea flour and frying them. It is often served as an appetizer with masala tea at South Asian weddings.
The main dish is the classic biryani rice. Biryani is a Persian loanword in Urdu. It likely started in the Mughal royal kitchens, where chefs supposedly combined spicy Indian rice with Persian pilaf. Mughal documents mention both biryanis and pulao (pilaf), and the terms were interchangeable back then. People generally think biryani has more spices and a stronger curry flavor than pilaf.
For dessert, there is milk pudding (kheer). Kheer comes from the Sanskrit word for milk, "kshira," and it has a history of over two thousand years. Kheer is made by boiling milk, sugar, and rice together. You can add toppings like shredded coconut, raisins, saffron, cashews, or pistachios.
The buffet features a classic South Asian Ramadan Iftar drink called Rooh Afza, a concentrated syrup made with various herbs and fruits. Rooh Afza was perfected in 1906 by a Delhi Muslim herbalist named Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed. Majeed’s ancestors moved from Kashgar, Xinjiang, to the Mughal Empire in the late 18th century and worked in the herbal medicine trade.
Majeed wanted to create a herbal blend to help the people of Delhi cool down during the summer. He chose various herbs and fruit syrups from traditional South Asian Muslim Unani medicine to make a drink that effectively prevents heatstroke and dehydration during Ramadan. After 1906, Majeed opened a herbal shop in Delhi, which became a factory with a full production line after 1920. He named the factory Hamdard, a Persian loanword in Urdu meaning "companion in pain."
After the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, Majeed’s eldest son, Hakim Abdul Hameed, stayed in India. His younger son, Hakeem Muhammad Saeed, moved to Karachi, Pakistan, in 1948 and later opened branches in East Pakistan (Bangladesh), making Rooh Afza popular across South Asia.
3. Iraqi Restaurant Taiba
At Taiba in Sanlitun SOHO, you can have an Iftar buffet. The owners are a couple from China and Iraq who serve authentic Arabic food.
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Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets (Part 2 of 7)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
For bread, you can have various Turkish pizzas (pide) with meat or cheese fillings. Since they are prepared in advance, they aren't as good as when they come straight out of the oven, but I still think they taste great.
Besides that, the stews are very rich. I highly recommend the Ottoman specialty vegetable rolls (sarma), which can be wrapped in grape leaves or cabbage. This is a classic Iftar food from the former Ottoman region. Sarma means 'wrapped' in Turkish, and this method is a type of traditional Ottoman stuffed dish (dolma). In winter, cabbage was the main vegetable for Ottoman farmers. People would wrap meat filling and rice in cabbage to eat, which is very delicious.
There are several different flavors of Ottoman pastry dessert (baklava). Baklava originated in the Ottoman imperial kitchens of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. Every year during Ramadan, the Ottoman Sultan would gift baklava on trays to the Janissaries, a ceremony known as the Baklava Procession (Baklava Alayı). Baklava in the Azerbaijan region usually contains almonds or walnuts and is cut into diamond shapes. It is a classic dessert for Iftar.
2. Pakistani restaurant Khan Baba
After tasting Ottoman-style food at the first stop, Dardanelles, the second stop is to try some Mughal specialties. Khan Baba is the first Pakistani restaurant I ever visited, and it has been over ten years now. They have a very good atmosphere, and every meal there is comforting. Having an Iftar buffet at Khan Baba is also a must-do every Ramadan.
Collapse Read »
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
For bread, you can have various Turkish pizzas (pide) with meat or cheese fillings. Since they are prepared in advance, they aren't as good as when they come straight out of the oven, but I still think they taste great.
Besides that, the stews are very rich. I highly recommend the Ottoman specialty vegetable rolls (sarma), which can be wrapped in grape leaves or cabbage. This is a classic Iftar food from the former Ottoman region. Sarma means 'wrapped' in Turkish, and this method is a type of traditional Ottoman stuffed dish (dolma). In winter, cabbage was the main vegetable for Ottoman farmers. People would wrap meat filling and rice in cabbage to eat, which is very delicious.
There are several different flavors of Ottoman pastry dessert (baklava). Baklava originated in the Ottoman imperial kitchens of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. Every year during Ramadan, the Ottoman Sultan would gift baklava on trays to the Janissaries, a ceremony known as the Baklava Procession (Baklava Alayı). Baklava in the Azerbaijan region usually contains almonds or walnuts and is cut into diamond shapes. It is a classic dessert for Iftar.
2. Pakistani restaurant Khan Baba
After tasting Ottoman-style food at the first stop, Dardanelles, the second stop is to try some Mughal specialties. Khan Baba is the first Pakistani restaurant I ever visited, and it has been over ten years now. They have a very good atmosphere, and every meal there is comforting. Having an Iftar buffet at Khan Baba is also a must-do every Ramadan.
Collapse Read »
Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. Compared to last year, there are two main changes. First, the Iraqi restaurant Taiba in Sanlitun expanded its space and now offers an Iftar buffet. Their lamb Mandi rice is delicious and comes highly recommended. The second change is that the Azerbaijani/Turkish restaurant Dardanelles on Ritan Shangjie has raised its prices and upgraded its menu. They added many hearty dishes, and the stewed lamb leg is so big and tender that it leaves you completely full.
Let me briefly explain two terms here.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and the month when the Quran was revealed. All eligible Muslims (excluding the elderly, young, sick, pregnant, or those traveling) must fast from food and drink between dawn and nightfall, avoid backbiting, and refrain from arguing. This is one of the five pillars of the faith.
Iftar is the meal eaten after sunset every day during Ramadan.
1. Azerbaijani/Turkish restaurant Dardanelles
Yabaolu, located outside Chaoyangmen in Beijing, used to be a major hub for China-Russia trade. Back when China-Russia trade was at its peak, the tricycle drivers in Yabaolu spoke fluent Russian. Because of this, Azerbaijani friends (dosti) who spoke fluent Russian started opening restaurants on the Ritan Shangjie food street near Yabaolu. Due to their neighboring locations and similar cultural customs, some Azerbaijani owners chose to open Turkish restaurants, and Dardanelles is one of them.
As a long-standing Turkish restaurant, I have been eating the Iftar buffet at Dardanelles for many years. They are always very popular every year, so I went early this year to avoid the crowds that come later in the month.
Compared to last year, there are even more hearty dishes this year. It is truly the heartiest Iftar buffet in Beijing. I think the best dish is the lamb leg. It is stewed until soft, and the meat falls off the bone with just a touch of a knife. The meat is very fresh, and you can tell it is high quality. The braised lamb spine (yangxiezi) is also very good. The meat is tender, and the flavor is even richer.
The classic kebab platter remains the same as in previous years, featuring a variety of grilled meats, including both minced meat and chunks. They also added Doner rotisserie meat this year, with both beef and chicken options. Personally, I think the thinly sliced meat isn't as satisfying as the grilled skewers.
There are various Ottoman appetizers (meze) from the Levant region, including chickpea dip (hummus), vegetable yogurt (haydari), spicy tomato paste (acili ezme), and strained thick yogurt (suzme), which are great for dipping bread. I especially recommend their thick yogurt, which has no added sugar and a very rich milky flavor.
For bread, you can have various Turkish pizzas (pide) with meat or cheese fillings. Since they are prepared in advance, they aren't as good as when they come straight out of the oven, but I still think they taste great.
Besides that, the stews are very rich. I highly recommend the Ottoman specialty vegetable rolls (sarma), which can be wrapped in grape leaves or cabbage. This is a classic Iftar food from the former Ottoman region. Sarma means 'wrapped' in Turkish, and this method is a type of traditional Ottoman stuffed dish (dolma). In winter, cabbage was the main vegetable for Ottoman farmers. People would wrap meat filling and rice in cabbage to eat, which is very delicious.
There are several different flavors of Ottoman pastry dessert (baklava). Baklava originated in the Ottoman imperial kitchens of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. Every year during Ramadan, the Ottoman Sultan would gift baklava on trays to the Janissaries, a ceremony known as the Baklava Procession (Baklava Alayı). Baklava in the Azerbaijan region usually contains almonds or walnuts and is cut into diamond shapes. It is a classic dessert for Iftar.
2. Pakistani restaurant Khan Baba
After tasting Ottoman-style food at the first stop, Dardanelles, the second stop is to try some Mughal specialties. Khan Baba is the first Pakistani restaurant I ever visited, and it has been over ten years now. They have a very good atmosphere, and every meal there is comforting. Having an Iftar buffet at Khan Baba is also a must-do every Ramadan.
Let me share a few dishes from their buffet. First is the grilled chicken chunks (tikka). Tikka comes from the Turkic word tikkü, which means "piece." The Mughal Empire brought this style of grilling spice-marinated boneless meat to South Asia, and chicken is the most common version.
Second is the bean curry (masala), a common way to prepare curry in northern South Asia. Masala is a spice blend. The ingredients vary by region, but it usually includes black and white pepper, cloves, bay leaves, nutmeg, cumin, cinnamon, coriander seeds, fennel, and chili powder.
Third is the minced beef curry, and fourth is the chicken clay pot (handi). Handi is a popular way to eat curry in northern South Asia. You slow-cook meat in a copper pot or clay pot, sealing the lid so the steam stays inside and keeps all the aroma in the food.
Fifth is the fried vegetable fritters (pakora). This is a classic South Asian street snack made by coating onions, eggplant, potatoes, or spinach in chickpea flour and frying them. It is often served as an appetizer with masala tea at South Asian weddings.
The main dish is the classic biryani rice. Biryani is a Persian loanword in Urdu. It likely started in the Mughal royal kitchens, where chefs supposedly combined spicy Indian rice with Persian pilaf. Mughal documents mention both biryanis and pulao (pilaf), and the terms were interchangeable back then. People generally think biryani has more spices and a stronger curry flavor than pilaf.
For dessert, there is milk pudding (kheer). Kheer comes from the Sanskrit word for milk, "kshira," and it has a history of over two thousand years. Kheer is made by boiling milk, sugar, and rice together. You can add toppings like shredded coconut, raisins, saffron, cashews, or pistachios.
The buffet features a classic South Asian Ramadan Iftar drink called Rooh Afza, a concentrated syrup made with various herbs and fruits. Rooh Afza was perfected in 1906 by a Delhi Muslim herbalist named Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed. Majeed’s ancestors moved from Kashgar, Xinjiang, to the Mughal Empire in the late 18th century and worked in the herbal medicine trade.
Majeed wanted to create a herbal blend to help the people of Delhi cool down during the summer. He chose various herbs and fruit syrups from traditional South Asian Muslim Unani medicine to make a drink that effectively prevents heatstroke and dehydration during Ramadan. After 1906, Majeed opened a herbal shop in Delhi, which became a factory with a full production line after 1920. He named the factory Hamdard, a Persian loanword in Urdu meaning "companion in pain."
After the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, Majeed’s eldest son, Hakim Abdul Hameed, stayed in India. His younger son, Hakeem Muhammad Saeed, moved to Karachi, Pakistan, in 1948 and later opened branches in East Pakistan (Bangladesh), making Rooh Afza popular across South Asia.
3. Iraqi Restaurant Taiba
At Taiba in Sanlitun SOHO, you can have an Iftar buffet. The owners are a couple from China and Iraq who serve authentic Arabic food.
Besides grilled chicken and various kebabs, their main dish is lamb and chicken mandi rice. Mandi is a classic Arabic staple. The most traditional way to eat it is to dig a pit in the ground to cook the rice, then spread out a mat, sit on the floor, and eat with your hands. Mandi originated in the Hadhramaut region on the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula (there is a Yemeni restaurant in Xiaobei, Guangzhou, with this name). It later spread to Egypt, the Levant, and other Arab regions, where it became very popular.
To make traditional mandi, you burn dry wood in a clay oven until it turns into charcoal, then hang meat (mostly lamb, camel, or chicken) rubbed with Hawaij spice inside the oven. The main ingredients of Hawaij spice are cumin, black pepper, turmeric, and cardamom. Once the meat is tender, you pour spiced broth into basmati rice, place the pot at the bottom of the oven, seal the oven with clay, and slow-cook it for up to 8 hours. The finished mandi meat is soft and tender, and the rice is full of the aroma of the meat and spices. It is delicious.
They also have Middle Eastern stuffed vegetables (dolma), which are green peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants stuffed with meat and rice and then stewed. The name dolma comes from the Ottoman era, and you can find recipes for stuffed eggplant in some medieval Arabic cookbooks. Beyond the Middle East, stuffed vegetables (dolma) are found across the Balkans, the South Caucasus, and North Africa under Ottoman rule, with different preparation methods in each place. For example, the Arab region prefers stuffed eggplant, Bosnia and Herzegovina prefers stuffed onions, and the Ottoman court also had a tradition of stuffing melons and fruits.
Another Middle Eastern snack they serve is kibbeh meatballs. These are made by wrapping minced meat, chopped onions, and Middle Eastern spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice in cracked wheat, and are usually deep-fried. Lebanon and Syria both consider kibbeh a national dish, but it is actually found in other Arab countries like Egypt and Iraq, as well as in Iran and Armenia.
They have a rich variety of desserts, and the most worth trying is the classic Arab Ramadan dessert, knafeh. According to a famous Arab legend, a physician in the court of the Fatimid or Umayyad Caliphate invented knafeh to satisfy the Caliph's hunger during Ramadan. Knafeh later became a classic Arab iftar dessert and even appeared in One Thousand and One Nights.
Knafeh is made of buttery pastry, stretchy cheese, and crushed pistachios, and is drizzled with a syrup called attar when eaten. Although it has a history of over a thousand years, the current fried, stretchy style formed in the mid-15th century during the Ottoman period and gradually spread throughout the Ottoman-ruled Middle East.
They also serve the classic Arab appetizer mezza, which is perfect for dipping with flatbread. The term mezza for an appetizer is borrowed from the Persian word "mazzeh," meaning "taste," which later entered the Middle East under Ottoman rule via Persian. When I visited, they served six appetizers, including two dips: hummus (chickpea puree) and baba ghanoush (roasted eggplant puree). Tabbouleh salad is made by mixing parsley, tomatoes, mint, onions, and soaked cracked wheat with olive oil and lemon juice. Fattoush salad is made by mixing toasted or fried pieces of khubz (Arab flatbread) with various vegetables.
4. Tunisian restaurant La Medina
I had the Ramadan iftar buffet at the Tunisian restaurant La Medina by the Liangma River. It is super crowded on weekends, which is likely the case for all iftar buffets in Beijing, so friends, it is better to choose a weekday.
First, let me introduce their restaurant name. Medina means "city" in Arabic. In North Africa, a medina usually refers to an old town built with city walls and many narrow, maze-like alleys. The Medina of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. It is one of the most famous medinas, containing 700 historical buildings including palaces, mosques, mausoleums, madrasas, and fountains.
Compared to last year, the variety at La Medina has decreased, which is truly a pity. Last year at the buffet, I had Tunisian harissa soup, merguez (North African sausage), and kibbeh, but I didn't get to eat them this time. I am not sure if it was just bad timing.
First, there were eight meze appetizers, including hummus, baba ghanoush, and tabbouleh, which can be found in every Arab restaurant. The most worth trying is the Tunisian-style mechouia salad, which you can only find at their place in Beijing. Mechouia means "grilled" in Arabic. It is made by roasting onions, green peppers, tomatoes, and garlic in an oven, seasoning them with caraway, salt, and black pepper, adding olive oil, and finally garnishing with olives, tuna, and boiled eggs.
The main course is the classic North African Berber dish, couscous, served with tajine (stew cooked in a clay pot). Couscous is a staple food for the Berbers. It is made by rubbing semolina flour into millet-sized grains, which are then dried. A clay pot (tajine) is a cooking vessel with a round, flat bottom and a conical or domed top. This design lets evaporated steam return to the bottom, and you can add water through the hole in the lid.
They also serve fried triangular pastries (sambousek) and chickpea fritters (falafel). Sambousek is a classic snack for Arabs during Ramadan. It originated from the Iranian sanbosag and later spread to various places with the spread of Persian culture. It entered Arab cuisine after the 10th century, reached South Asia with the Delhi Sultanate after the 13th century, and later spread to China, Indonesia, and across Africa. In some Hui Muslim communities in China, this snack is still called sanmosan.
For dessert after the meal, there is basbousa, which originated in Egypt. Basbousa is a semolina cake soaked in syrup. It is first baked in a pan and then soaked with orange blossom water, rose water, or syrup.
5. Palestinian restaurant Al Safir
I had the Ramadan iftar buffet at the Palestinian restaurant Al Safir in Sanyuanqiao. This is the fifth iftar buffet I have tried, following La Medina, Taiba, Dardanelles, and Khan Baba.
I make sure to eat at Al Safir's iftar buffet every year. Their 15 types of Levantine appetizers, known as meze, are their biggest highlight. The owner is also a very kind, hospitable person with strong faith, which makes dining there feel very comfortable. They have plenty of outdoor seating. It would be great to eat outside once the weather warms up next week, but we were worried about the crowds, so we specifically chose today because it was windy and less busy, which made the meal feel more relaxed.
For a traditional Arab iftar, you should follow the Sunnah by eating dates first, then having soup. They usually serve lentil soup or chicken soup. This year they added broccoli soup, which I am not quite used to, but you can give it a try. After the prayer, the main meal begins. Here you can eat sambousek, the classic lamb-filled fried pastry that Arabs enjoy during Ramadan.
The classic Levantine way to eat is to stuff falafel and various sauces into pita bread, or simply dip the pita bread into the sauces. Among all the meze, my favorite is the red qalayet bandora. Al Safir might be the only place in Beijing that serves it. This dish is made with tomatoes, onions, chili peppers, and olive oil. It is said to have originated in the villages near the Dead Sea, where the hot climate of the Jordan Valley is perfect for growing tomatoes. They also have muhammara, made with walnuts, red bell peppers, pomegranate molasses, and breadcrumbs. This meze is said to have originated in Aleppo, Syria.
Their main dishes are stewed lamb and roasted chicken. The lamb is tender and fragrant, and it tastes great with long-grain rice. I could not stop eating it. The roasted chicken is a bit tougher than the stewed lamb, but the flavor is still good.
I will take this opportunity to explain the different categories of Arab cuisine. First, the Arab world can be divided into two main parts: east and west. The North African region, excluding Egypt, is called the Maghreb, which means the land of the sunset. The food here is strongly influenced by the Berbers. The staple food is couscous, and specialties include North African sausages and tagine. The Tunisian restaurant La Medina on Liangma River is a representative of this style.
The eastern part of the Arab world is called the Mashriq, which means the land of the sunrise. The Arab regions east of Egypt belong to this area. The staple food here is long-grain rice rather than couscous. All Arab restaurants in Beijing except for La Medina belong to this region.
The Mashriq region can be further divided into several areas. First is the Arabian Peninsula. This region loves camel meat and various types of rice pilaf, with Yemeni cuisine being the most famous. There are several Yemeni restaurants in Guangzhou.
Cuisine in the Mesopotamia region, dominated by Iraq, is also very rich. This was once the court of the Abbasid Caliphate, and the earliest Arab cookbooks came from here. The owner of Taiba in Sanlitun is Iraqi. If you are interested, you can go and have a taste.
Among all Arab cuisines, Levantine cuisine has the most far-reaching influence. The Levant refers to the eastern Mediterranean coast, including Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and surrounding areas. Levantine cuisine is most famous for its meze, which has influenced the eating habits of the entire Middle East. Syrian restaurants like 1001 Nights and BRBR in Beijing, the Lebanese restaurant Al Ameen, and Palestinian restaurants like Al Safir and Zayton all belong to Levantine cuisine.
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Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. Compared to last year, there are two main changes. First, the Iraqi restaurant Taiba in Sanlitun expanded its space and now offers an Iftar buffet. Their lamb Mandi rice is delicious and comes highly recommended. The second change is that the Azerbaijani/Turkish restaurant Dardanelles on Ritan Shangjie has raised its prices and upgraded its menu. They added many hearty dishes, and the stewed lamb leg is so big and tender that it leaves you completely full.
Let me briefly explain two terms here.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and the month when the Quran was revealed. All eligible Muslims (excluding the elderly, young, sick, pregnant, or those traveling) must fast from food and drink between dawn and nightfall, avoid backbiting, and refrain from arguing. This is one of the five pillars of the faith.
Iftar is the meal eaten after sunset every day during Ramadan.
1. Azerbaijani/Turkish restaurant Dardanelles
Yabaolu, located outside Chaoyangmen in Beijing, used to be a major hub for China-Russia trade. Back when China-Russia trade was at its peak, the tricycle drivers in Yabaolu spoke fluent Russian. Because of this, Azerbaijani friends (dosti) who spoke fluent Russian started opening restaurants on the Ritan Shangjie food street near Yabaolu. Due to their neighboring locations and similar cultural customs, some Azerbaijani owners chose to open Turkish restaurants, and Dardanelles is one of them.
As a long-standing Turkish restaurant, I have been eating the Iftar buffet at Dardanelles for many years. They are always very popular every year, so I went early this year to avoid the crowds that come later in the month.
Compared to last year, there are even more hearty dishes this year. It is truly the heartiest Iftar buffet in Beijing. I think the best dish is the lamb leg. It is stewed until soft, and the meat falls off the bone with just a touch of a knife. The meat is very fresh, and you can tell it is high quality. The braised lamb spine (yangxiezi) is also very good. The meat is tender, and the flavor is even richer.
The classic kebab platter remains the same as in previous years, featuring a variety of grilled meats, including both minced meat and chunks. They also added Doner rotisserie meat this year, with both beef and chicken options. Personally, I think the thinly sliced meat isn't as satisfying as the grilled skewers.
There are various Ottoman appetizers (meze) from the Levant region, including chickpea dip (hummus), vegetable yogurt (haydari), spicy tomato paste (acili ezme), and strained thick yogurt (suzme), which are great for dipping bread. I especially recommend their thick yogurt, which has no added sugar and a very rich milky flavor.
For bread, you can have various Turkish pizzas (pide) with meat or cheese fillings. Since they are prepared in advance, they aren't as good as when they come straight out of the oven, but I still think they taste great.
Besides that, the stews are very rich. I highly recommend the Ottoman specialty vegetable rolls (sarma), which can be wrapped in grape leaves or cabbage. This is a classic Iftar food from the former Ottoman region. Sarma means 'wrapped' in Turkish, and this method is a type of traditional Ottoman stuffed dish (dolma). In winter, cabbage was the main vegetable for Ottoman farmers. People would wrap meat filling and rice in cabbage to eat, which is very delicious.
There are several different flavors of Ottoman pastry dessert (baklava). Baklava originated in the Ottoman imperial kitchens of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. Every year during Ramadan, the Ottoman Sultan would gift baklava on trays to the Janissaries, a ceremony known as the Baklava Procession (Baklava Alayı). Baklava in the Azerbaijan region usually contains almonds or walnuts and is cut into diamond shapes. It is a classic dessert for Iftar.
2. Pakistani restaurant Khan Baba
After tasting Ottoman-style food at the first stop, Dardanelles, the second stop is to try some Mughal specialties. Khan Baba is the first Pakistani restaurant I ever visited, and it has been over ten years now. They have a very good atmosphere, and every meal there is comforting. Having an Iftar buffet at Khan Baba is also a must-do every Ramadan.
Let me share a few dishes from their buffet. First is the grilled chicken chunks (tikka). Tikka comes from the Turkic word tikkü, which means "piece." The Mughal Empire brought this style of grilling spice-marinated boneless meat to South Asia, and chicken is the most common version.
Second is the bean curry (masala), a common way to prepare curry in northern South Asia. Masala is a spice blend. The ingredients vary by region, but it usually includes black and white pepper, cloves, bay leaves, nutmeg, cumin, cinnamon, coriander seeds, fennel, and chili powder.
Third is the minced beef curry, and fourth is the chicken clay pot (handi). Handi is a popular way to eat curry in northern South Asia. You slow-cook meat in a copper pot or clay pot, sealing the lid so the steam stays inside and keeps all the aroma in the food.
Fifth is the fried vegetable fritters (pakora). This is a classic South Asian street snack made by coating onions, eggplant, potatoes, or spinach in chickpea flour and frying them. It is often served as an appetizer with masala tea at South Asian weddings.
The main dish is the classic biryani rice. Biryani is a Persian loanword in Urdu. It likely started in the Mughal royal kitchens, where chefs supposedly combined spicy Indian rice with Persian pilaf. Mughal documents mention both biryanis and pulao (pilaf), and the terms were interchangeable back then. People generally think biryani has more spices and a stronger curry flavor than pilaf.
For dessert, there is milk pudding (kheer). Kheer comes from the Sanskrit word for milk, "kshira," and it has a history of over two thousand years. Kheer is made by boiling milk, sugar, and rice together. You can add toppings like shredded coconut, raisins, saffron, cashews, or pistachios.
The buffet features a classic South Asian Ramadan Iftar drink called Rooh Afza, a concentrated syrup made with various herbs and fruits. Rooh Afza was perfected in 1906 by a Delhi Muslim herbalist named Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed. Majeed’s ancestors moved from Kashgar, Xinjiang, to the Mughal Empire in the late 18th century and worked in the herbal medicine trade.
Majeed wanted to create a herbal blend to help the people of Delhi cool down during the summer. He chose various herbs and fruit syrups from traditional South Asian Muslim Unani medicine to make a drink that effectively prevents heatstroke and dehydration during Ramadan. After 1906, Majeed opened a herbal shop in Delhi, which became a factory with a full production line after 1920. He named the factory Hamdard, a Persian loanword in Urdu meaning "companion in pain."
After the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, Majeed’s eldest son, Hakim Abdul Hameed, stayed in India. His younger son, Hakeem Muhammad Saeed, moved to Karachi, Pakistan, in 1948 and later opened branches in East Pakistan (Bangladesh), making Rooh Afza popular across South Asia.
3. Iraqi Restaurant Taiba
At Taiba in Sanlitun SOHO, you can have an Iftar buffet. The owners are a couple from China and Iraq who serve authentic Arabic food.
Besides grilled chicken and various kebabs, their main dish is lamb and chicken mandi rice. Mandi is a classic Arabic staple. The most traditional way to eat it is to dig a pit in the ground to cook the rice, then spread out a mat, sit on the floor, and eat with your hands. Mandi originated in the Hadhramaut region on the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula (there is a Yemeni restaurant in Xiaobei, Guangzhou, with this name). It later spread to Egypt, the Levant, and other Arab regions, where it became very popular.
To make traditional mandi, you burn dry wood in a clay oven until it turns into charcoal, then hang meat (mostly lamb, camel, or chicken) rubbed with Hawaij spice inside the oven. The main ingredients of Hawaij spice are cumin, black pepper, turmeric, and cardamom. Once the meat is tender, you pour spiced broth into basmati rice, place the pot at the bottom of the oven, seal the oven with clay, and slow-cook it for up to 8 hours. The finished mandi meat is soft and tender, and the rice is full of the aroma of the meat and spices. It is delicious.
They also have Middle Eastern stuffed vegetables (dolma), which are green peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants stuffed with meat and rice and then stewed. The name dolma comes from the Ottoman era, and you can find recipes for stuffed eggplant in some medieval Arabic cookbooks. Beyond the Middle East, stuffed vegetables (dolma) are found across the Balkans, the South Caucasus, and North Africa under Ottoman rule, with different preparation methods in each place. For example, the Arab region prefers stuffed eggplant, Bosnia and Herzegovina prefers stuffed onions, and the Ottoman court also had a tradition of stuffing melons and fruits.
Another Middle Eastern snack they serve is kibbeh meatballs. These are made by wrapping minced meat, chopped onions, and Middle Eastern spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice in cracked wheat, and are usually deep-fried. Lebanon and Syria both consider kibbeh a national dish, but it is actually found in other Arab countries like Egypt and Iraq, as well as in Iran and Armenia.
They have a rich variety of desserts, and the most worth trying is the classic Arab Ramadan dessert, knafeh. According to a famous Arab legend, a physician in the court of the Fatimid or Umayyad Caliphate invented knafeh to satisfy the Caliph's hunger during Ramadan. Knafeh later became a classic Arab iftar dessert and even appeared in One Thousand and One Nights.
Knafeh is made of buttery pastry, stretchy cheese, and crushed pistachios, and is drizzled with a syrup called attar when eaten. Although it has a history of over a thousand years, the current fried, stretchy style formed in the mid-15th century during the Ottoman period and gradually spread throughout the Ottoman-ruled Middle East.
They also serve the classic Arab appetizer mezza, which is perfect for dipping with flatbread. The term mezza for an appetizer is borrowed from the Persian word "mazzeh," meaning "taste," which later entered the Middle East under Ottoman rule via Persian. When I visited, they served six appetizers, including two dips: hummus (chickpea puree) and baba ghanoush (roasted eggplant puree). Tabbouleh salad is made by mixing parsley, tomatoes, mint, onions, and soaked cracked wheat with olive oil and lemon juice. Fattoush salad is made by mixing toasted or fried pieces of khubz (Arab flatbread) with various vegetables.
4. Tunisian restaurant La Medina
I had the Ramadan iftar buffet at the Tunisian restaurant La Medina by the Liangma River. It is super crowded on weekends, which is likely the case for all iftar buffets in Beijing, so friends, it is better to choose a weekday.
First, let me introduce their restaurant name. Medina means "city" in Arabic. In North Africa, a medina usually refers to an old town built with city walls and many narrow, maze-like alleys. The Medina of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. It is one of the most famous medinas, containing 700 historical buildings including palaces, mosques, mausoleums, madrasas, and fountains.
Compared to last year, the variety at La Medina has decreased, which is truly a pity. Last year at the buffet, I had Tunisian harissa soup, merguez (North African sausage), and kibbeh, but I didn't get to eat them this time. I am not sure if it was just bad timing.
First, there were eight meze appetizers, including hummus, baba ghanoush, and tabbouleh, which can be found in every Arab restaurant. The most worth trying is the Tunisian-style mechouia salad, which you can only find at their place in Beijing. Mechouia means "grilled" in Arabic. It is made by roasting onions, green peppers, tomatoes, and garlic in an oven, seasoning them with caraway, salt, and black pepper, adding olive oil, and finally garnishing with olives, tuna, and boiled eggs.
The main course is the classic North African Berber dish, couscous, served with tajine (stew cooked in a clay pot). Couscous is a staple food for the Berbers. It is made by rubbing semolina flour into millet-sized grains, which are then dried. A clay pot (tajine) is a cooking vessel with a round, flat bottom and a conical or domed top. This design lets evaporated steam return to the bottom, and you can add water through the hole in the lid.
They also serve fried triangular pastries (sambousek) and chickpea fritters (falafel). Sambousek is a classic snack for Arabs during Ramadan. It originated from the Iranian sanbosag and later spread to various places with the spread of Persian culture. It entered Arab cuisine after the 10th century, reached South Asia with the Delhi Sultanate after the 13th century, and later spread to China, Indonesia, and across Africa. In some Hui Muslim communities in China, this snack is still called sanmosan.
For dessert after the meal, there is basbousa, which originated in Egypt. Basbousa is a semolina cake soaked in syrup. It is first baked in a pan and then soaked with orange blossom water, rose water, or syrup.
5. Palestinian restaurant Al Safir
I had the Ramadan iftar buffet at the Palestinian restaurant Al Safir in Sanyuanqiao. This is the fifth iftar buffet I have tried, following La Medina, Taiba, Dardanelles, and Khan Baba.
I make sure to eat at Al Safir's iftar buffet every year. Their 15 types of Levantine appetizers, known as meze, are their biggest highlight. The owner is also a very kind, hospitable person with strong faith, which makes dining there feel very comfortable. They have plenty of outdoor seating. It would be great to eat outside once the weather warms up next week, but we were worried about the crowds, so we specifically chose today because it was windy and less busy, which made the meal feel more relaxed.
For a traditional Arab iftar, you should follow the Sunnah by eating dates first, then having soup. They usually serve lentil soup or chicken soup. This year they added broccoli soup, which I am not quite used to, but you can give it a try. After the prayer, the main meal begins. Here you can eat sambousek, the classic lamb-filled fried pastry that Arabs enjoy during Ramadan.
The classic Levantine way to eat is to stuff falafel and various sauces into pita bread, or simply dip the pita bread into the sauces. Among all the meze, my favorite is the red qalayet bandora. Al Safir might be the only place in Beijing that serves it. This dish is made with tomatoes, onions, chili peppers, and olive oil. It is said to have originated in the villages near the Dead Sea, where the hot climate of the Jordan Valley is perfect for growing tomatoes. They also have muhammara, made with walnuts, red bell peppers, pomegranate molasses, and breadcrumbs. This meze is said to have originated in Aleppo, Syria.
Their main dishes are stewed lamb and roasted chicken. The lamb is tender and fragrant, and it tastes great with long-grain rice. I could not stop eating it. The roasted chicken is a bit tougher than the stewed lamb, but the flavor is still good.
I will take this opportunity to explain the different categories of Arab cuisine. First, the Arab world can be divided into two main parts: east and west. The North African region, excluding Egypt, is called the Maghreb, which means the land of the sunset. The food here is strongly influenced by the Berbers. The staple food is couscous, and specialties include North African sausages and tagine. The Tunisian restaurant La Medina on Liangma River is a representative of this style.
The eastern part of the Arab world is called the Mashriq, which means the land of the sunrise. The Arab regions east of Egypt belong to this area. The staple food here is long-grain rice rather than couscous. All Arab restaurants in Beijing except for La Medina belong to this region.
The Mashriq region can be further divided into several areas. First is the Arabian Peninsula. This region loves camel meat and various types of rice pilaf, with Yemeni cuisine being the most famous. There are several Yemeni restaurants in Guangzhou.
Cuisine in the Mesopotamia region, dominated by Iraq, is also very rich. This was once the court of the Abbasid Caliphate, and the earliest Arab cookbooks came from here. The owner of Taiba in Sanlitun is Iraqi. If you are interested, you can go and have a taste.
Among all Arab cuisines, Levantine cuisine has the most far-reaching influence. The Levant refers to the eastern Mediterranean coast, including Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and surrounding areas. Levantine cuisine is most famous for its meze, which has influenced the eating habits of the entire Middle East. Syrian restaurants like 1001 Nights and BRBR in Beijing, the Lebanese restaurant Al Ameen, and Palestinian restaurants like Al Safir and Zayton all belong to Levantine cuisine.
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Halal Travel Guide: Beijing Balizhuang Mosque — Ramadan and Community Life
Reposted from the web
Summary: Beijing Balizhuang Mosque — Ramadan and Community Life is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: In 2023, I made the intention to break my fast at several different mosques in Beijing during Ramadan to experience the atmosphere. The account keeps its focus on Balizhuang Mosque, Beijing Ramadan, Hui Muslims while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
In 2023, I made the intention to break my fast at several different mosques in Beijing during Ramadan to experience the atmosphere. The Balizhuang Mosque, located along Subway Line 6, was the sixth one I visited. As soon as I entered, I felt a wonderful atmosphere. The imam and the elders were very warm and cheerful, creating a harmonious and cozy environment that truly made passing dosts (friends) feel at home. Because of this, I spent the last few days of Ramadan breaking my fast at Balizhuang Mosque, where I experienced the Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr) and Eid al-Fitr. I am very grateful that some dosts came to the mosque to break their fast after seeing the photos I posted. May we meet again at Balizhuang Mosque next Ramadan to enjoy this blessing together.
April 11
On my first day at Balizhuang Mosque, I tasted the deep-fried fresh milk, fermented bean curd (madoufu), braised chicken wing tips, and stewed kelp strips with fried tofu puffs (doupo) made by the elders. I am so grateful!
Balizhuang got its name because it is eight li away from Chaoyang Gate. Between the reigns of the Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors, Hui Muslims with the surnames Jing, Li, and Jin lived along the stone road outside Chaoyang Gate. They grew vegetables to supply the capital, gradually forming the Balizhuang area outside the gate. Balizhuang Mosque was first built in the early years of the Qianlong reign. During its peak in the Qing Dynasty, the mosque owned thirteen mu of land. It was rebuilt between 1997 and 2000, reaching its current size.
Master Li, the third person from the left, is very skilled and can make all kinds of snacks.
On the left are Imam Ding and Imam Ma from Balizhuang Mosque, and on the right is the nearly ninety-year-old Elder Imam Yang.
In the evening, I bought walnut naan, rose naan, and spicy skin naan at the Asimu Naan Shop in the Balizhuang Life Plaza next to the mosque. I ate the walnut naan for my pre-dawn meal (suhoor); it wasn't dry, hard, or choking, and it tasted great on its own!
April 13
Today I tasted the donkey rolls (lvdagun), fermented bean curd (madoufu), braised meat strips (songrou), sweet yam rolls (tangjuanguo), and savory yam rolls (xianjuanguo) made by the elders. I listened to the elders talk about how to make braised meat strips, which was very educational. It turns out you need to add fried flour crisps (gezhi) to the meat filling, and it is best to use mung bean starch for the batter, which you can buy from Baoji at Niujie.
Donkey rolls (lvdagun)
Savory yam rolls (xianjuanguo)
Sweet yam rolls (tangjuanguo)
Braised meat strips (songrou)
I took a picture of the Erdao River in Balizhuang on the way. During the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, Hui Muslim households in Balizhuang drew water from the Erdao River for irrigation. The village was lush with green vegetables, bean trellises, and melon vines heavy with fruit.
I bought meat naan at the Asimu Naan Shop in Balizhuang Life Plaza and learned this time that they are from Kashgar. The landlady knew we were fasting, so she gave us a bag of naan as charity (niatie). I am very grateful. These naan slices, which are baked and then fried, are great as snacks. They come in both spicy and non-spicy versions.
April 14
It is a blessed Friday (Jumuah). During the sermon (wa'z), I heard the imam talk about the nobility of the Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr). Today is the fourth Friday of Ramadan, which is sometimes called Jumuat-ul-Wida, meaning the Farewell Friday. In South Asia and some other places, Muslims spend this day reciting the Quran, performing good deeds, giving charity (niatie), helping the poor, and hosting meals for family, relatives, and neighbors.
In the evening, I tasted fried rice and fried steamed bun slices. There were two kinds: those coated in egg and those that were not. The ones with egg were softer, which is better for the older elders to eat.
April 15
Today I ate fish head with flatbread (paobing) made by the elders. The fish came from Miyun Reservoir and the flatbread was freshly griddled. It was delicious.
Two elders gave out sesame flatbread (shaobing) and meat-filled flatbread (huoshao jiarou). These are perfect for eating during the fast.
April 17, Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr).
Celebrating the Night of Power, everyone gathered at Balizhuang Mosque to perform worship on this noble night. May the rewards be many.
Tonight is the busiest night of Ramadan. The elders made various Beijing snacks like sugar-filled rolls (tangjuanguo), savory rolls (xianjuanguo), pea flour cakes (wandouhuang), rolled soybean flour cakes (lvdagun), and sticky rice cakes (niangao). There were also fruits like cherries, strawberries, apples, papayas, and bananas, plus pastries like date cakes and fried flour crisps (sachima). It was such a feast!
For dinner, we had lamb dumplings (shaomai), stir-fried shrimp, and mashed mung bean curd (ma doufu). All four tables were full. It was lively and blessed. An 85-year-old elder had the intention to make lotus seed porridge for everyone. I am so grateful! After breaking my fast at Balizhuang Mosque for these past few days, I feel like I have joined this big family. I feel the warmth of home every day.
April 19.
Today the elders made a traditional Beijing halal snack together: fried meat-filled flatbread (zha rou huoshao). They used a filling of lamb and green onions with yellow soybean paste (huangjiang). The smell of the meat when fried was amazing. The texture of the scalded dough was unique, a bit like fried dough cakes (zha gaogao), but instead of sugar and fruit, these were filled with meat. Fried meat-filled flatbread and fried meat pockets (zha huitou) were classic Ramadan snacks for Hui Muslims in old Beijing, but they are rare now. I am very grateful to have eaten them at Balizhuang Mosque.
For dinner, we had traditional stir-fried dishes: braised beef tongue (pa koutiao) and braised beef brisket (pa xiongkou). They were perfect with rice, and I kept shoveling the fried rice into my mouth.
April 20.
Today the elders made steamed buns (baozi) and stewed beef with fried tofu. The mosque prepared various fried dough crisps (paicha) to go with the meat porridge for Eid.
Three international students from the University of International Business and Economics visited in the evening. They were from Uzbekistan, Jordan, and Russia. The girl from Russia is not a Muslim. She visited Balizhuang Mosque with her classmates, which I think was very meaningful. I hope everyone has an open and inclusive mindset. We welcome friends interested in our faith to come into the mosque to learn and experience it.
I taught them how to say Eid al-Fitr in Chinese, but I couldn't think of how to translate meat porridge at the time, which was a pity.
April 21.
Today is the 30th day of Ramadan, and the fast-breaking meal at Balizhuang Mosque was the most abundant. The steamed flower rolls (huajuan) made by the elders went so well with the stewed beef with kelp and chicken wings. It was so fragrant.
The mosque stewed a big pot of beef to prepare for the meat porridge for the next day's Eid. After long hours of stewing, the bone marrow from the beef bones melted into the broth, making the porridge extra flavorful.
April 22, Eid al-Fitr.
Eid Mubarak. I am very grateful to have volunteered for the Eid celebration at Balizhuang Mosque. The mosque served meat porridge with fried dough crisps, plus fried dough cakes (youxiang) and pickles. All the friends (dost) loved it. Special holiday food is not just a cultural tradition; it deepens memories of the holiday and attracts more people to the mosque. I think it is very meaningful.
This was the first Eid held at Balizhuang Mosque since it was renovated and reopened. Everyone was very excited. Finally, here are some snapshots of Eid: the director's speech, the imam reciting scripture, inviting the imam, the elders praising the Prophet, and handing out fried dough cakes (youxiang).
May you all be rewarded (thawab).
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Summary: Beijing Balizhuang Mosque — Ramadan and Community Life is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: In 2023, I made the intention to break my fast at several different mosques in Beijing during Ramadan to experience the atmosphere. The account keeps its focus on Balizhuang Mosque, Beijing Ramadan, Hui Muslims while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
In 2023, I made the intention to break my fast at several different mosques in Beijing during Ramadan to experience the atmosphere. The Balizhuang Mosque, located along Subway Line 6, was the sixth one I visited. As soon as I entered, I felt a wonderful atmosphere. The imam and the elders were very warm and cheerful, creating a harmonious and cozy environment that truly made passing dosts (friends) feel at home. Because of this, I spent the last few days of Ramadan breaking my fast at Balizhuang Mosque, where I experienced the Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr) and Eid al-Fitr. I am very grateful that some dosts came to the mosque to break their fast after seeing the photos I posted. May we meet again at Balizhuang Mosque next Ramadan to enjoy this blessing together.
April 11
On my first day at Balizhuang Mosque, I tasted the deep-fried fresh milk, fermented bean curd (madoufu), braised chicken wing tips, and stewed kelp strips with fried tofu puffs (doupo) made by the elders. I am so grateful!
Balizhuang got its name because it is eight li away from Chaoyang Gate. Between the reigns of the Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors, Hui Muslims with the surnames Jing, Li, and Jin lived along the stone road outside Chaoyang Gate. They grew vegetables to supply the capital, gradually forming the Balizhuang area outside the gate. Balizhuang Mosque was first built in the early years of the Qianlong reign. During its peak in the Qing Dynasty, the mosque owned thirteen mu of land. It was rebuilt between 1997 and 2000, reaching its current size.
Master Li, the third person from the left, is very skilled and can make all kinds of snacks.
On the left are Imam Ding and Imam Ma from Balizhuang Mosque, and on the right is the nearly ninety-year-old Elder Imam Yang.
In the evening, I bought walnut naan, rose naan, and spicy skin naan at the Asimu Naan Shop in the Balizhuang Life Plaza next to the mosque. I ate the walnut naan for my pre-dawn meal (suhoor); it wasn't dry, hard, or choking, and it tasted great on its own!
April 13
Today I tasted the donkey rolls (lvdagun), fermented bean curd (madoufu), braised meat strips (songrou), sweet yam rolls (tangjuanguo), and savory yam rolls (xianjuanguo) made by the elders. I listened to the elders talk about how to make braised meat strips, which was very educational. It turns out you need to add fried flour crisps (gezhi) to the meat filling, and it is best to use mung bean starch for the batter, which you can buy from Baoji at Niujie.
Donkey rolls (lvdagun)
Savory yam rolls (xianjuanguo)
Sweet yam rolls (tangjuanguo)
Braised meat strips (songrou)
I took a picture of the Erdao River in Balizhuang on the way. During the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, Hui Muslim households in Balizhuang drew water from the Erdao River for irrigation. The village was lush with green vegetables, bean trellises, and melon vines heavy with fruit.
I bought meat naan at the Asimu Naan Shop in Balizhuang Life Plaza and learned this time that they are from Kashgar. The landlady knew we were fasting, so she gave us a bag of naan as charity (niatie). I am very grateful. These naan slices, which are baked and then fried, are great as snacks. They come in both spicy and non-spicy versions.
April 14
It is a blessed Friday (Jumuah). During the sermon (wa'z), I heard the imam talk about the nobility of the Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr). Today is the fourth Friday of Ramadan, which is sometimes called Jumuat-ul-Wida, meaning the Farewell Friday. In South Asia and some other places, Muslims spend this day reciting the Quran, performing good deeds, giving charity (niatie), helping the poor, and hosting meals for family, relatives, and neighbors.
In the evening, I tasted fried rice and fried steamed bun slices. There were two kinds: those coated in egg and those that were not. The ones with egg were softer, which is better for the older elders to eat.
April 15
Today I ate fish head with flatbread (paobing) made by the elders. The fish came from Miyun Reservoir and the flatbread was freshly griddled. It was delicious.
Two elders gave out sesame flatbread (shaobing) and meat-filled flatbread (huoshao jiarou). These are perfect for eating during the fast.
April 17, Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr).
Celebrating the Night of Power, everyone gathered at Balizhuang Mosque to perform worship on this noble night. May the rewards be many.
Tonight is the busiest night of Ramadan. The elders made various Beijing snacks like sugar-filled rolls (tangjuanguo), savory rolls (xianjuanguo), pea flour cakes (wandouhuang), rolled soybean flour cakes (lvdagun), and sticky rice cakes (niangao). There were also fruits like cherries, strawberries, apples, papayas, and bananas, plus pastries like date cakes and fried flour crisps (sachima). It was such a feast!
For dinner, we had lamb dumplings (shaomai), stir-fried shrimp, and mashed mung bean curd (ma doufu). All four tables were full. It was lively and blessed. An 85-year-old elder had the intention to make lotus seed porridge for everyone. I am so grateful! After breaking my fast at Balizhuang Mosque for these past few days, I feel like I have joined this big family. I feel the warmth of home every day.
April 19.
Today the elders made a traditional Beijing halal snack together: fried meat-filled flatbread (zha rou huoshao). They used a filling of lamb and green onions with yellow soybean paste (huangjiang). The smell of the meat when fried was amazing. The texture of the scalded dough was unique, a bit like fried dough cakes (zha gaogao), but instead of sugar and fruit, these were filled with meat. Fried meat-filled flatbread and fried meat pockets (zha huitou) were classic Ramadan snacks for Hui Muslims in old Beijing, but they are rare now. I am very grateful to have eaten them at Balizhuang Mosque.
For dinner, we had traditional stir-fried dishes: braised beef tongue (pa koutiao) and braised beef brisket (pa xiongkou). They were perfect with rice, and I kept shoveling the fried rice into my mouth.
April 20.
Today the elders made steamed buns (baozi) and stewed beef with fried tofu. The mosque prepared various fried dough crisps (paicha) to go with the meat porridge for Eid.
Three international students from the University of International Business and Economics visited in the evening. They were from Uzbekistan, Jordan, and Russia. The girl from Russia is not a Muslim. She visited Balizhuang Mosque with her classmates, which I think was very meaningful. I hope everyone has an open and inclusive mindset. We welcome friends interested in our faith to come into the mosque to learn and experience it.
I taught them how to say Eid al-Fitr in Chinese, but I couldn't think of how to translate meat porridge at the time, which was a pity.
April 21.
Today is the 30th day of Ramadan, and the fast-breaking meal at Balizhuang Mosque was the most abundant. The steamed flower rolls (huajuan) made by the elders went so well with the stewed beef with kelp and chicken wings. It was so fragrant.
The mosque stewed a big pot of beef to prepare for the meat porridge for the next day's Eid. After long hours of stewing, the bone marrow from the beef bones melted into the broth, making the porridge extra flavorful.
April 22, Eid al-Fitr.
Eid Mubarak. I am very grateful to have volunteered for the Eid celebration at Balizhuang Mosque. The mosque served meat porridge with fried dough crisps, plus fried dough cakes (youxiang) and pickles. All the friends (dost) loved it. Special holiday food is not just a cultural tradition; it deepens memories of the holiday and attracts more people to the mosque. I think it is very meaningful.
This was the first Eid held at Balizhuang Mosque since it was renovated and reopened. Everyone was very excited. Finally, here are some snapshots of Eid: the director's speech, the imam reciting scripture, inviting the imam, the elders praising the Prophet, and handing out fried dough cakes (youxiang).
May you all be rewarded (thawab).
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