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Summary: This travel note introduces Central Asian Food in Moscow: a Halal Travel Guide for Muslim Food Lovers. The Moscow Cathedral Mosque was founded by Tatar merchants in 1904. It was originally called the "Tatar Mosque," and its primary congregation was initially the Tatar people. It is useful for readers interested in Moscow Halal Food, Central Asian Food, Muslim Travel.

Moscow Cathedral Mosque

The Moscow Cathedral Mosque was founded by Tatar merchants in 1904. It was originally called the "Tatar Mosque," and its primary congregation was initially the Tatar people. Before the 1980 Moscow Olympics, the mosque was planned to be demolished because it was adjacent to the Olympic Sports Center, but it was ultimately spared due to the efforts of Moscow's religious leaders and ambassadors from Arab countries.

In 2011, amidst huge controversy, the original historic mosque building was demolished, becoming the first religious building in Moscow to be demolished since 1978. The new mosque was completed in 2015.













There is a shop for Muslim supplies at the entrance of the Cathedral Mosque, where I bought a blue prayer cap commonly worn by Muslims in Moscow.







At the Cathedral Mosque's halal food shop, the halal label here in Russia is "халяль" (halal). Next to the checkout counter in the shop, there were rows of horse meat, as well as various pastries.

Muslims in Russia and Central Asia are accustomed to eating horse meat. (Sahih al-Bukhari) no. 5520 "Narrated Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him and his father): On the day of the Battle of Khaybar, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade the eating of donkey meat, but he permitted the eating of horse meat. "









I bought a magical Kyrgyz milk curd drink called Kurut, which is just milk curd (Kurut) mixed with salt and water. The taste is very strong, suitable for those who cannot stand the sourness of hard milk curds but still want to try them.



Then I bought a jam pie (Pirogi), which tasted very delicious.



There is also a small tea house set up in a tent in the courtyard of the Cathedral Mosque, where I drank tea and ate a cream bun.







Chaykhana (tea house)

The Moscow Cathedral Mosque also has its own canteen, selling pilaf, baked buns, and pulled noodles, but I ate at the Chaykhana opposite the Cathedral Mosque. The term Chaykhana refers to tea houses in Central Asia and the Caucasus region. Generally, tea houses in Central Asia offer a richer variety of food, while those in the Caucasus focus mainly on drinking tea. In addition to Central Asian food, Moscow's Central Asian tea houses also serve Caucasian food. This time I ordered the Azerbaijani specialty green pilaf, Syabzi plov, which can be translated as vegetable pilaf. I also ate grilled beef and Ayran (a Caucasian yogurt drink). This meal was the same as what I ate in the Old City of Baku.















UZBEKISTAN

In 1951, the Ministry of Trade of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic decided to open a restaurant in Moscow called "Uzbekistan." Today, it is a long-standing Uzbek establishment in Moscow, though it has been transferred to private ownership.





I ate stir-fried noodles and Shurpa (meat soup).





A photo of Nazarbayev from 20 years ago.



Chaihona No.1

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, a large number of Uzbeks have come to Moscow to work, and some of them have opened restaurants. Moscow has a chain of Uzbek tea houses called Chaihona No.1. I ate at one of them, having Tashkent pilaf with horse meat sausage and lamb skewers.











This picture clearly shows the difference between Kazan Tatar horse meat sausage and Uzbek horse meat sausage. Personally, I prefer eating Uzbek horse meat sausage; the Tatar one is too pungent.



Plov (pilaf)

At a Moscow Uzbek Tashkent restaurant, I had "Plov" (pilaf), broad bean soup, and eggplant salad.











There is a teapot inside for keeping it warm. view all

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Summary: This travel note introduces Eid al-Adha in Sanya: Hainan Muslim Travel Notes (Part 1). In July and August 2020, Zainab and I took our marriage leave to travel, and our first stop was Sanya to celebrate Eid al-Adha. It is useful for readers interested in Sanya Travel, Eid al-Adha, Muslim Travel.

In July and August 2020, Zainab and I took our marriage leave to travel, and our first stop was Sanya to celebrate Eid al-Adha. A few years ago, I visited the local Muslim community in Sanya on my own, but this time, having our good friend, the young Muslim artist Muning, guide us through the holiday made it much more interesting.

July 31st

We flew from Beijing on the night of July 30th and arrived in Sanya in the early hours of the 31st. Muning arranged for us to stay right next to the Southern Mosque in Huixin Village, a room with a pure view of the mosque. In winter, Muslims from all over the country come here to rent rooms, but in summer, there is almost no one.





On the wall is Arabic calligraphy by Muning.





After resting a little, we went downstairs to the Southern Mosque to perform the Fajr (dawn) prayer.





After the Fajr prayer, we rested for a while, and at 7 o'clock, we went back to the main hall to perform the Eid al-Adha prayer. The Imams here are all local Hui Muslims from the Huihui community, and the wa'z (sermon) is delivered in the Huihui language. To someone who doesn't understand the language, it sounds like a mixture of Malay, Chinese, and Arabic.

The Huihui language (Tsat language) is currently classified under the Chamic branch of the Malayo-Polynesian languages within the Austronesian language family. It is most closely related to the Roglai language of the Chamic branch in southern Vietnam, but it is also the most unique language in the Chamic branch, as it contains a large amount of Sino-Tibetan components. The language used by the Huihui people when they first entered Hainan was likely similar to the original Chamic language. However, with close interaction with the surrounding Chinese-speaking groups, the Huihui language has constantly changed. Its grammar has become closer to Chinese, its Chinese vocabulary has increased significantly, and it has developed a monosyllabic, multi-tonal system that does not exist in the Austronesian language family.

Professor Zheng Yiqing's book, Research on the Huihui Language, compares the Huihui language with the Rade language, a Chamic language in the mountainous areas of southern Vietnam, and concludes that the separation of the Huihui language and the Rade language should have occurred 1,000 years ago.







After the Eid prayer, Muning showed me the roof purlins and plaques from the Qing Dynasty that were stored in the warehouse of the Southern Mosque.

The roof purlins of traditional brick-and-tile houses of the Sanya Huihui people usually featured exquisite wood carvings of scriptures, but with the renovation and reconstruction of houses, there are very few left now.





















Minbar (pulpit) components and Qing Dynasty tombstones are piled up in every corner of the Southern Mosque.















After leaving the Southern Mosque, Muning took me to the home of a teacher who collects traditional Huihui scripture-inscribed roof purlins. Every purlin here was once part of a traditional brick-and-tile house of the Sanya Huihui people.

















Muning took us for breakfast, and we happened to run into a family hosting a banquet because their child had been admitted to Tsinghua University.





Rice porridge with chicken.





The soybean paste was delicious.



After breakfast, Muning took us to her home to pull the sheep. One of these two sheep was intended for sacrifice by Zainab and me, and the other was intended by Muning's family. They were Hainan Dongshan goats bought by Muning.



We took the sheep to the place of slaughter.



After the slaughter, we divided the meat into three parts: one for ourselves, one for friends, and one for the poor.



Cleaned sheep tripe and intestines.



We asked our neighbor to make us a dish of dry-fried mutton in the local Sanya style. Their family usually sells roast duck next to the Southern Mosque in Huixin Village, but they were closed for the Eid al-Adha holiday.









The Imam from Turpan, Xinjiang, who performed the sacrifice for us, made us Xinjiang-style clear-stewed mutton, which was super delicious, and the mutton soup was also very good.











Muning gave me an Arabic handicraft he carved by hand from a coconut shell; it was super beautiful.







After the meal, I went with Muning to distribute the other part of the meat to friends.





We prayed at the Nankai Mosque in Huixin Village, where mats, not carpets, were laid out in the main hall.



In the afternoon, Muning took me to see old houses in the Huihui village of Sanya, and for the first time, I saw old roof purlins with scripture inscriptions.



















This is the most beautiful set of scripture-inscribed roof purlins preserved in their original location in Huihui Village, with the gold-painted scripture characters shining under the light.



















The last old house in Huihui Village.



















In the evening, Muning's family treated Zainab and me to fresh fish soup at the entrance of Huixin Village in Sanya. The Huihui people's signature fresh fish soup is made with starfruit, tamarind, and tomatoes, giving it a very strong sour taste. You can choose from a variety of sea fish. When eating, you have to make your own dipping sauce. You must use the Hainan yellow lantern chili in moderation, as it is extremely spicy. We also ate coconut milk red rice, sweet potato vines, and stir-fried squid, all of which were quite delicious.









Yellow lantern chili.











In the evening, we went to the Guangbaina night market next to Huixin Village. Since the rise of the street stall economy this year, Guangbaina has become increasingly lively. There is no stall fee here, and many people sell fruit grown in their own homes, so the prices are the lowest in the area. We ate sugar-apple, jackfruit, and mango, all of which were cheap and delicious.









After visiting the night market, we returned to Huixin Village to eat Qingbuliang (a refreshing dessert with coconut milk and various toppings). The ingredients for Qingbuliang in every shop in Sanya are different, and you have to try them all to know which one you like.







Still wanting more, we went out again in the evening to ride an electric scooter.



After returning, I looked through the old books collected by Muning, which included records of Eid al-Adha in 1979.









August 1st

I woke up in the morning and had beef noodles made by the Huihui people in Huixin Village, then bought white fungus and lotus seed porridge and chicken porridge at the gate of the Southern Mosque to drink by the sea. After drinking, we took a walk in the coconut grove by the sea.



















After strolling by the sea, we went to Huihui Village to drink some coconut juice. view all

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Summary: This travel note introduces Eid al-Adha in Sanya: Hainan Muslim Travel Notes (Part 2). On a summer afternoon in Huixin Village, a coconut and a bowl of qingbuliang (a refreshing herbal dessert soup) are so pleasant. It is useful for readers interested in Sanya Travel, Eid al-Adha, Muslim Travel.



On a summer afternoon in Huixin Village, a coconut and a bowl of qingbuliang (a refreshing herbal dessert soup) are so pleasant.











Time to rest.



In the afternoon, I returned to the place that hosted the banquet for the Zhongzhuangyuan (a top scholar) to watch the Hui Muslims of Huihui village make traditional nasi lemak (coconut milk rice).

First, you must use old coconuts with thick meat, scrape all the coconut meat into shreds, and then use cheesecloth to squeeze out all the coconut oil.

The rice is steamed using a traditional Li ethnic group pottery steamer, and after the rice is cooked, the coconut milk and rice are thoroughly mixed together. At this stage, the coconut milk rice is very firm and chewy.

Then, the mixed coconut milk rice is steamed a second time in the pottery steamer; at this point, the rice is softer and stickier than in the first stage, and the coconut milk and rice are completely fused together.



















They used beef slaughtered the day before for Eid al-Adha, stewing the meat first and then adding wood ear mushrooms and dried bean curd sticks; this is a classic main dish at Huihui village banquets.











A Huihui family living downstairs from us slaughtered a sheep yesterday, and today they are stewing lamb offal soup. The Huihui people in Sanya rarely eat lamb, basically only eating the Dongshan goat they slaughter themselves once a year during Eid al-Adha. After slaughtering the sheep, the Huihui people scrape off the hair, as they believe lamb with the skin on is the most delicious.

When stewing the lamb offal, they include the sheep's feet, stewing from morning until afternoon, and also adding various meat seasonings. Finally, they add radishes, corn, and shiitake mushrooms; the taste is completely different from northern lamb soup, offering another unique delicious flavor.















In the evening, I had beef brisket noodles at Haxuanren in Huihui Village, and then had coconut milk ice jelly across the street.













August 2nd

In the morning, I went back to Haxuanren beef brisket noodles in Huihui Village to eat stewed beef feet. Due to the summer off-season and the Eid al-Adha holiday, most restaurants in Huixin Village were closed, so Haxuanren was very crowded because it was open every day. After eating, I continued to stroll through the coconut grove by the beach.

















In the afternoon, I went to visit the Guangbaina night market next to Huixin Village; the papayas, wax apples, small pineapples, and various other fruits were all fresh and delicious, and I also bought some pearl bracelets as gifts for the children at home.



















In the evening, Muning treated us to seafood at the seafood market near the beach in Huixin Village. We ordered crab, scallops, abalone, clams, octopus, fried calamari rings, and the specialty winged beans; everything was exceptionally delicious, with no fishy smell at all, only a fragrant aroma. I especially recommend the signature dipping sauce, made with ketchup, sweet chili sauce, minced garlic, and tamarind; it was so good with the seafood that I couldn't stop eating.

This seafood market in Huixin Village is likely the best value in the area; not only Hui Muslims but also the surrounding Han people love to come here to eat, and business is booming.



















August 3rd

In the morning, I had chicken rice noodles at Li's Rice Noodles in Huixin Village, Sanya; it was super fresh! After the three-day Eid al-Adha celebration ended, their shop finally opened.







Then, I reluctantly left Sanya. view all

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Summary: This travel note introduces Hong Kong Kowloon Muslim Travel Guide: City Walks, Mosques and Halal Food. During the National Day holiday in 2019, I passed through HK while traveling. Due to special circumstances, I only stayed in Kowloon for one night, which left me with many regrets. It is useful for readers interested in Hong Kong Travel, Kowloon, Muslim Travel.

During the National Day holiday in 2019, I passed through HK while traveling. Due to special circumstances, I only stayed in Kowloon for one night, which left me with many regrets. What I didn't expect was that this would be my last time leaving the country in two years.

Chungking Mansions

Chungking Mansions is my favorite place in Kowloon, and I visit it every time I come to Hong Kong.

Using words from Gordon Mathews' 'Ghetto at the Center of the World: Chungking Mansions, Hong Kong' to briefly introduce the legendary Chungking Mansions: Chungking Mansions is a seventeen-story dilapidated building containing many large and small budget hotels and shops, forming a sharp contrast with the surrounding bustling tourist areas. This building can be described as the most globalized building in the world, where businessmen and temporary workers from South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa come to seek their fortunes, international refugees come to seek asylum, and tourists come to find cheap accommodation and adventure. People from various social backgrounds rest in the building, fight for seats at food stalls, haggle in mobile phone shops, and walk through the corridors and aisles.



I first went to Hung Kee Restaurant, which stays open until 11:00 PM. My favorite is their signature crispy fried chicken, which is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Then I also ordered corn and fish fillet, dace with black bean sauce, and shredded chicken rice noodles.

















Right next to Hung Kee Restaurant is a small Pakistani shop. Every time I come to Hung Kee to eat, I browse their shop. This time I bought a Pakistani-style sequined hat called a Sindhi Topi (a traditional cap from the Sindh region).

Sindhi Topi literally translates to 'Sindh hat'; it is a hat worn by the Sindhi people of Pakistan and has spread among Muslims throughout South Asia. The biggest feature of the Sindhi Topi is that it leaves the forehead exposed and is often decorated with sequins. The Sindhi people regard the Sindhi Topi as a very precious gift and an important part of Sindhi culture. According to a 2008 statistic, there were 7,500 Sindhi people living in HK at that time.







After buying the hat, I ate Indian desserts at two other nearby shops.









The red one is the famous Indian dessert Jalebi (a sweet, deep-fried batter soaked in syrup), which is made by deep-frying dough and soaking it in sugar syrup. One theory suggests that India's Jalebi comes from Iran's Zolbiya, brought to India by Persianized Turks.









Kowloon Mosque

I performed Salah (prayer) at the Kowloon Mosque and saw beautiful South Asian hats.

After the Convention of Peking was signed in 1860, Kowloon was handed over to the British government. The British immediately began sending the British Indian Army to be stationed in Kowloon, which included many Indian Muslim officers and soldiers. In the 1890s, the British built the Whitfield Barracks for the British Indian Army at the current location of Kowloon Park. Due to the need for Indian Muslim soldiers to pray, the first Kowloon Mosque was built in the southeast corner of the barracks in 1896.

The early Kowloon Mosque remained a military facility of the barracks until it was handed over to the British Hong Kong government in 1967. In 1970, most of the Whitfield Barracks were demolished to build Kowloon Park, while the Kowloon Mosque was preserved.

Between 1975 and 1979, the Hong Kong MTR (formerly the Kwun Tong Line, now the Tsuen Wan Line) began construction. In 1978, the MTR Corporation conducted blasting next to the Kowloon Mosque, which seriously affected the building's structure, and the mosque was declared a dangerous building. With compensation from the MTR Corporation and donations from Muslims, the Kowloon Mosque was rebuilt at its current site in Tsim Sha Tsui in 1980 and opened in 1984. Currently, the Kowloon Mosque is mainly used by South Asian and Southeast Asian Muslims and is the cultural center for non-ethnic Chinese Muslims in Hong Kong.





Standing is the Imam.







Syrian restaurant Shabab

In the evening, due to special reasons, all shopping malls in Tsim Sha Tsui were closed, and buses and subways were suspended. We found a Syrian restaurant called Shabab inside the Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier and ate hummus (chickpea dip), falafel (deep-fried chickpea balls) wraps, and lamb wraps. At such a special moment, this Syrian restaurant was like a small harbor, allowing us travelers away from home to dock with peace of mind.















Went to Chungking Mansions again

The next morning, I ate Biryani (spiced rice dish), Tandoori Paratha (clay oven-baked flatbread), Chana Masala (chickpea curry), and some Indian desserts at an Indian restaurant on the ground floor of Chungking Mansions.













Then I went to the Turkish restaurant on the first floor to buy a kebab wrap to take away.





Then I took a boat to Lamma Island. This was my second time there. No matter how turbulent things are in HK, Lamma Island feels like a paradise, relaxing and comfortable.











I ate the kebab wrap I bought in the morning on the beach, which was very pleasant. view all

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Summary: This travel note introduces Chengde Halal Travel Guide: Mosques, Muslim Food and Qing History. Arrived in Chengde on Friday night and had dinner at the famous Quanshunlou restaurant. It is useful for readers interested in Chengde Mosques, Halal Food, Muslim Travel.

Arrived in Chengde on Friday night and had dinner at the famous Quanshunlou restaurant. Since the new high-speed railway opened, Chengde is only 50 minutes from Beijing, but the local halal food in Chengde is really quite different from Beijing. It features traditional Lu cuisine techniques like braising and quick-frying, while also incorporating specialties from the Northeast, Beijing-Tianjin, and Bashang regions, along with unique local Chengde dishes; just looking at the menu, you feel like you couldn't finish trying everything even after several visits. Such a rich variety of dishes is a reflection of Chengde being the premier city beyond the Great Wall during the mid-to-late Qing Dynasty.

Since there were only two of us, we only ordered the sesame lamb and the stewed small fish with tiebingzi (cornmeal flatbread). Actually, I really wanted to try their mushroom-braised youmian (oat noodles) and potato and green bean stewed rolls. The sesame lamb uses the local Shandong crispy-skin method, rather than just sprinkling sesame seeds over the lamb like many restaurants in Beijing. The stewed small fish with tiebingzi is truly made by sticking cornmeal dough directly onto the iron pot! The aroma of the small fish seeps directly into the bogo (cornmeal flatbread), and the bogo is especially fluffy, not hard at all.









Then we went to the Erxianju night market to eat fried wantuo. Fried wantuo is a famous Chengde snack made by grinding buckwheat kernels into a paste, steaming it in a bowl, and letting it cool until it sets into a wantuo (buckwheat jelly cake). To eat it, you cut it into triangular pieces, fry them in oil, and then pour sesame paste and garlic sauce over them. Chengde fried wantuo is said to have originated in the Erxianju area during the Qing Dynasty. Since the Qing Dynasty, Erxianju has been a bustling commercial street in Rehe, and it is still a lively night market today; it is very interesting to take a stroll there in the evening.

They also sell lvdagun (rolling donkey, a glutinous rice roll with bean flour), which looks the same as the one in Beijing; I feel it might be a reflection of the food customs of the Rehe Banner people back then.









In the morning, we had almond tea, meatball soup, shaomai (steamed dumplings), and steamed dumplings at the famous Tuojie Snacks in Chengde. Chengde produces almonds, so the almond tea is also very famous. Almond tea is made by soaking almonds in water to peel them, soaking out the bitterness, grinding them to remove the residue, and then boiling them with rice flour and white sugar. The meatball soup in Chengde uses fried vegetarian radish meatballs, which are also very delicious. Their guozi (fried dough) turned out to be youbing (fried dough cakes) rather than youtiao (fried dough sticks), and they are so huge that I feel one person couldn't finish a single one!













Then we went to Bai's Pingquan Lamb Soup in Shaanxiying to drink lamb soup; their premium lamb soup includes tongue, eye socket meat, and tripe, and you can also add lamb brain separately. The Bai family of Hui Muslims in Pingquan originally came from Baijiaji in Gaohe County, Shandong, and moved to Chengde during the Qing Dynasty.







After breakfast, we strolled through Shaanxiying, where Hui Muslims live in Chengde, and bought a shaobing (baked flatbread) at Yang Laoda Shaobing to eat. There are many halal snacks in Shaanxiying, including lamb soup, geluo noodles, menting roubing (meat-filled flatbread), shaomai, almond tea, tripe-wrapped meat, tripe-wrapped brain, lamb neck skewers, douzhi (fermented mung bean milk), and wantuo. There are really not many places outside of Beijing where you can drink douzhi and eat menting roubing, which is also a reflection of Chengde's culture.

Since the Qing Dynasty built the Mountain Resort in 1703, Hui Muslims have gradually begun to settle in Chengde. Every time Emperor Kangxi held the Mulan autumn hunt or came to the resort to escape the summer heat, Hui Muslim officers, soldiers, and merchants would follow him. In the early years of the Yongzheng reign, the Qing Dynasty stationed Green Standard Army troops in Chengde; because most of the officers and soldiers came from Shaanxi, it was called Shaanxiying (Shaanxi Camp), and the 'Left Camp' among them was mostly composed of Hui Muslims. From then on, Shaanxiying became a residential area for Hui Muslims in Chengde.

By the Qianlong period, Chengde had become a metropolis beyond the Great Wall, and Hui Muslims from the Shandong and Hebei regions came one after another to do business, engaging in the food industry and cattle and sheep slaughtering, which was known as 'chasing the imperial camp'. Today, the ten major surnames of Hui Muslims in Chengde, such as Wang, Ma, Shi, and Chen, all moved from Shandong, the Wu surname moved from Cangzhou, Hebei, and the Kong surname moved from Beijing.



















The earliest mosque in Chengde, the East Mosque, was built during the Kangxi reign and was occupied in 1958. The existing West Mosque was built during the Daoguang reign; the prayer hall consists of a front hall with a rolled shed roof, a middle hall, and a rear hall, with the minaret located on top of the middle hall, topped with a finial. view all

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Summary: This travel note introduces Langzhong Ancient City Muslim Travel Guide: Mosques, Hui Muslims & Halal Food. Along the Jialing River, Langzhong is the place where Muslim culture is best preserved and the community is relatively the most complete. It is useful for readers interested in Langzhong Ancient City, Hui Muslims, Muslim Travel.

Along the Jialing River, Langzhong is the place where Muslim culture is best preserved and the community is relatively the most complete. In addition to the Gedimu (a traditional school of Islam in China) religious community formed by the Langzhong Mosque and Mosque Street, there is also the Baba Mosque, a gongbei (shrine) for the first-generation ancestor of the Sufi Qadiriyya menhuan (Sufi order), as well as the Boshu Hui Muslim township in the mountains.

Langzhong Mosque

Langzhong Mosque was built in 1669 (the eighth year of the Kangxi reign) with funds raised by Hui Muslim Bao Tianzuo, and was completed in 1672 (the eleventh year of the Kangxi reign). The mosque originally covered an area of more than ten mu (a unit of land area), but after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the primary school and kindergarten were separated, and it now only covers four mu. The mosque is a siheyuan (courtyard house) enclosed by the gate, north and south wing rooms, and the main prayer hall. The main hall has five visible bays and three hidden ones, with suspended pillars, appearing ancient and grand.



















Because it has been raining in Langzhong, everyone was at home performing namaz (prayer) during the day, and I only met the elders at the mosque in the evening. Because the ahong (imam) returned to his hometown for personal matters, a dost (friend/fellow believer) who had studied religious texts in Yunnan was leading the prayer. The dost is from Guangyuan. After marrying a wife from Langzhong, he settled here and opened the Wenxian Baozi Shop across from the mosque. I had a very pleasant chat with everyone, and the next day I went back to the Wenxian Baozi Shop to eat baozi (steamed stuffed buns) and beef noodles. At the entrance of the mosque in the early morning, there is a morning market selling various fresh vegetables and halal food.



















There are many halal restaurants in the ancient town of Langzhong. At one of them, I ate twice-cooked pork made with yanyeziniurou (salt-leaf beef), as well as Chuanbei liangfen (Sichuan-style mung bean jelly) and baitang zhengmo (steamed buns with white sugar). Baitang zhengmo is also a specialty delicacy of the Hui Muslims in Langzhong. It was created by the Hui Muslim pastry chef Ha Gongkui during the Qianlong period. It does not use lye but is fermented with naturally cultivated enzymes, and it also contains some osmanthus flowers; it can be steamed again.















Hui Muslims in Langzhong are famous for their braised beef. The most famous time-honored brand is Huazhen Beef, and their yanyeziniurou has been listed as a Sichuan provincial intangible cultural heritage.

In 1883 (the ninth year of the Guangxi reign), Hui Muslim Ma Xiao opened a halal beef shop on Libaisi Street, specializing in making braised beef and dried beef. Because he always used lotus leaves or mulberry leaves to wrap the braised beef when selling it, it was called 'yanyeziniurou' (salt-leaf beef). Compared with dried beef, yanyeziniurou is softer and more fragrant. The famous educator Yan Yangchu praised Ma Xiao's beef as 'Huaxia Zhenxiu' (a rare delicacy of China) after tasting it, so Ma Xiao later adopted the name 'Huazhen'.

Later, Ma Xiao passed the business to his son Ma Boliang. After the public-private partnership in 1958, Ma Boliang worked at the Langzhong Beef Processing Factory (the predecessor of Zhangfei Beef), specializing in making dried beef and yanyeziniurou, until he retired at nearly eighty years old in 1980. After retirement, Ma Boliang passed the craft to his daughter Ma Huazhen, and then to his grandson Ma Limin, who is the fourth-generation successor.

In 1988, Ma Limin restarted selling beef on Libaisi Street in Langzhong, supervised by his grandfather Ma Boliang, using traditional methods. Huazhen Beef has grown bigger and bigger since then. Now you can buy Huazhen Beef everywhere in Langzhong, but the old shop is still on Libaisi Street.

I bought a bag of yanyeziniurou at the Huazhen Beef shop on Libaisi Street, took it home, and made twice-cooked beef, which tasted very good.













I bought 'Ahong Youxiang' (fried dough) and tea snacks at the Mulin Halal Pastry Shop. It was the first time I had eaten youxiang that tasted like a tea snack. Mulin has been open for nearly thirty years. It was initially next to the Langzhong Mosque, then moved to the Muslim Home on Jingsheng'an Street, and now they have opened a new workshop on Jingsheng'an Street. Their shop is considered a relatively large halal pastry shop in Langzhong, specializing in osmanthus mooncakes, which many people buy before the Mid-Autumn Festival every year.













The largest halal restaurant in Langzhong is Gulan Gulang. I ordered steamed pork with rice flour and Hui-style guozha (deep-fried dough) here.









Street view of Libaisi Street in Langzhong, where the whole street is filled with Hui Muslims selling braised beef.





There are still many other places in the ancient city of Langzhong that sell halal beef.



The ancient city of Langzhong at dusk and dawn.











The inn where I stayed.







The Jialing River after the rain.





Baba Mosque.

Langzhong Baba Mosque is the tomb of Huazhe Abudonglaxi, the first-generation ancestor of the Qadiriyya menhuan. Qadiriyya is one of the four major Sufi menhuan in China, introduced to China by Huazhe Abudonglaxi in 1673. In 1684, Abudonglaxi was invited to Langzhong to preach, and he passed away in Langzhong in 1689. In 1691, his disciple Qi Jingyi and others built a gongbei for their master, naming it 'Jiuzhao Pavilion'. Since then, the Baba Mosque has been guarded by the Da Gongbei system founded by Qi Jingyi.

The Baba Mosque was expanded during the Qianlong period and has been well preserved ever since, until 1991 when the Jiuzhao Pavilion was rebuilt and heightened into its current three-tiered, four-cornered helmet-roof structure. Jiuzhao Pavilion is the most important building in the Baba Mosque. The inner chamber is the tomb of Abudonglaxi, and the southwest corner of the outer chamber is the tomb of Abudonglaxi's disciple Ma Shenyi, who guarded the gongbei for more than twenty years.









Next to the Jiuzhao Pavilion are the tombs of the past masters.





Directly facing the Jiuzhao Pavilion is a wooden memorial archway with four pillars, three bays, and three stories. The dougong (bracket sets) are complex and overlapping. The front plaque reads 'Ben Di Yuan Zu' (The Origin of the True Path), and the back plaque from the Daoguang period reads 'Yang Zhi' (Look Up with Respect).







The screen wall faces a brick-imitation-wood chuihua gate (a decorative gate with hanging pendants), which is exquisitely carved.









Outside the chuihua gate is a water-polished large screen wall built during the Qianlong period, ten meters long and eight meters high, with a dougong pavilion roof. The front is carved with openwork landscapes, and the back features pine, bamboo, and flowers, taken from the paintings of Zhang Zao of the Tang Dynasty and Tang Yin of the Ming Dynasty, respectively.











To the northeast of the Jiuzhao Pavilion is a courtyard consisting of a stele corridor, a prayer hall, the Qianhua Hall, and guest rooms. In the courtyard, there is a 'rootless tree' hanging high in the air brought back by Qi Jingyi from Xixiang, and a large camellia tree with a history of more than 200 years. The Qianhua Hall displays a series of plaques and calligraphy and paintings by famous artists.



















The prayer hall of the Baba Mosque.



















Boshu Mosque.

In addition to the ancient city of Langzhong, there is also a Boshu Hui Muslim township in the mountains outside the city. In 1741, more than 100 local Hui Muslim households, mainly with the surname Pu, raised funds to build the Boshu Mosque.







Two nearly century-old osmanthus trees are planted in the courtyard.













When I went there, the ahong happened to be out, so the imam's wife received me. The imam's wife is from Bazhong and, like me, is a convert to Islam. She came to this ancient mosque in the mountains with the ahong. The imam's wife gave me pears that the local villagers had just picked and sent over; they were crisp, sweet, and very delicious. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Hanzhong Halal Food Guide: Xianyinsi Lamb and Muslim Travel. In 2020, while traveling along the Han River, we transferred from Shaanxi to Sichuan by train, stopping in Hanzhong along the way. It is useful for readers interested in Hanzhong Travel, Halal Food, Muslim Travel.

In 2020, while traveling along the Han River, we transferred from Shaanxi to Sichuan by train, stopping in Hanzhong along the way. We made a special trip to visit Xianyin Mosque, and while visiting the ancient mosque, we also ate some delicious lamb.

Xianyin Mosque is located not far northwest of Hanzhong Railway Station. Like the Baba Mosque in Langzhong and the Luling Mosque in Xixiang, it belongs to the Qadiriyya Sufi order's Da Gongbei tradition, though it is not as famous as the first two. One day in 1685, Ma Ziyun, the Hanzhong garrison commander, was hunting in a forest in Shimayan in the northern suburbs of Hanzhong. He shot a rabbit, but it escaped. As Ma Ziyun chased it, he discovered an old Shaykh sitting in meditation where the rabbit had been. This was the first-generation ancestor of the Qadiriyya order, Khwaja Abdullah. Ma Ziyun held the Khwaja in high esteem, so he invited him back to his residence and treated him with the respect due to a teacher. Later, when Ma Ziyun was promoted to the garrison commander of northern Sichuan, he invited the Khwaja to Langzhong to preach.

To commemorate the meeting between Ma Ziyun and the Khwaja here, later generations built Xianyin Mosque during the Guangxu reign. Therefore, this is a commemorative Gongbei (shrine), also known as the Shimayan Gongbei.

Xianyin Mosque was originally a small, elegant siheyuan (courtyard house). The main hall was the prayer hall, with three rooms on both the north and south sides, and a living room opposite. The side rooms and living room were hung with calligraphy and paintings by famous people from ancient and modern times. In the courtyard, there was a small pavilion called the "Hermit's Pavilion," along with various flowers and bonsai, and behind the courtyard was the Gongbei. After the religious reforms in 1958, Xianyin Mosque was severely damaged, and none of the original buildings remained. After the religious policy was implemented, Yang Shijun, the head of the Da Gongbei, sent his disciple Yang Qifang to rebuild Xianyin Mosque. Construction began in 1992 and was completed in 1994. All the brick and wood carvings were made in Linxia and then transported to Hanzhong for assembly, with an architectural style consistent with the Da Gongbei in Linxia.

The road to Xianyin Mosque was quite winding. It had just rained heavily that day, and the only dirt road leading to the mosque was muddy and almost impassable. We tried several times and almost gave up, but finally decided to push forward through the mud, which allowed us to reach Xianyin Mosque.

The couplet on the gate of Xianyin Mosque is very poetic: "After the immortal leaves, clouds seal the mosque; when the hermit returns, the moon serves as a lamp."



















Next to the Shimayan Gongbei is the Kashi Taiye Gongbei. Kashi Taiye, whose religious name was Habibullah and Chinese name was Ha Huiyi, was a disciple of Khwaja Abdullah and passed away in Hanzhong in 1709. The Kashi Taiye Gongbei was also rebuilt between 1992 and 1994 by Yang Qifang, a disciple of Yang Shijun, the head of the Da Gongbei.





The courtyard and the mihrab (niche in the wall indicating the direction of prayer) of the prayer hall.











The two ascetics guarding the Gongbei at Xianyin Mosque welcomed us warmly. In addition to following the scriptures and traditions, the Qadiriyya order's Da Gongbei tradition believes that one must shed the temptations of secular life and achieve the goal of knowing and drawing near to Allah through ascetic practice. Therefore, disciples of the Da Gongbei tradition enter the Gongbei from a young age, living a life of seclusion, never marrying, and are known as "ascetics." According to the rules, ascetics must take turns every three years to guard the various Gongbei under the jurisdiction of the Da Gongbei, which is called "guarding the Gongbei." The two ascetics at Xianyin Mosque were both sent from the Da Gongbei in Linxia and will return to Linxia after their three-year term is up.

When we visited Xianyin Mosque, we happened to meet a large family from Linxia who had come to hold a khatm al-Qur'an (a gathering for reciting the Quran), and we were able to eat some delicious Hezhou food in Hanzhong. The shouzhuarou (hand-grabbed lamb) made from lamb freshly slaughtered by the ascetics was very tender. We also had stir-fried lamb liver and deep-fried tangmian youxiang (leavened dough fritters). view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Pingquan Halal Food Guide: Lamb Soup in a Small Town Beyond the Great Wall. In July 2021, I went to Pingquan, a small city at the junction of Hebei, Inner Mongolia, and Liaoning provinces, which is famous for its Pingquan yangtang (mutton soup). It is useful for readers interested in Pingquan Travel, Halal Food, Muslim Travel.

In July 2021, I went to Pingquan, a small city at the junction of Hebei, Inner Mongolia, and Liaoning provinces, which is famous for its Pingquan yangtang (mutton soup).

Pingquan City was formerly known as Bagou Town. It was an important market town for trade from Beijing through the Xifengkou Pass to the Northeast during the Qing Dynasty. From the Qianlong era to the early Republic of China, camel transport was very prosperous, and shops were gathered there. Pingquan was also on the imperial road for Qing emperors to travel to the North Tomb in Shenyang to pay respects to their ancestors. Emperor Kangxi passed through Pingquan seven times during his northern tours, and there is an origin story about Kangxi drinking the mutton soup in Pingquan.

I took the early high-speed train from Beijing Chaoyang to Pingquan North for over an hour, then took a taxi directly to Erzi Yangtang, the most famous mutton soup restaurant in Pingquan, where I had the top-tier mutton soup and shaobing jia rou (flatbread with meat filling). The Pingquan mutton soup is very generous with ingredients, the taste is very pure, and the soup is very fragrant. Every once in a while, an auntie will come out and ask if anyone needs a soup refill; it is hard not to get a refill when the soup is this delicious! Their shaobing (baked flatbread) is also very delicious; it is large in size, has a chewy texture, and is not hard at all. I also saw for the first time at their place the grand scene of a dozen or twenty people coming over early in the morning to drink mutton soup together in a private room.













Like most Hui Muslims outside the Great Wall, the Hui Muslims in Pingquan also migrated from Hebei and Shandong areas during the Qing Dynasty. The Hui Muslims in Pingquan are gathered near the South Street of Bagou. The South Street mosque was first built in 1647 (the fourth year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty), and initially, it only had three thatched rooms. With the increase of Hui Muslims in Pingquan during the Qianlong reign, in 1742 (the seventh year of the Qianlong reign), the imam of the Pingquan mosque, Zhang Hongye, and his son Zhang Jin went to Beijing. They made a model out of straw stalks, imitating the mosque outside Qihuamen (it has not been verified whether it was the south uphill or south downhill one), and brought it back to Pingquan to hire craftsmen to build it. In 1915, Wu Zijian, the president of the Pingquan branch of the Islamic Promotion Association, presided over the renovation. Currently, the mosque is a cultural relic protection unit at the Hebei provincial level.



















Li Duosi (a term of address for a Muslim brother) from the mosque management committee warmly received me. Behind him was calligraphy written by his uncle Zhang Huishen, who is a descendant of Imam Zhang Hongye, who rebuilt the Pingquan South Street mosque during the Qianlong reign.

















There is a 1.5-kilometer-long Hui Muslim residential area on South Street in the ancient town of Bagou, and the environment is very good. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Eating South Asian and Middle Eastern Food in Beijing (Part 1). I have been to many Middle Eastern and South Asian restaurants in Beijing in the past few years, some of which have closed. It is useful for readers interested in Beijing Halal Food, Muslim Travel, Middle Eastern Food. Section 4B of 4.

On July 4, 2020, we ate at Rumi’s Secret, a Turkish restaurant on Ritan Street, at noon. Although their restaurant just opened in June, most of my dusty friends have tried it several times! The environment of their home is very good, suitable for chatting, and there are performances in the evening.

At their house, we had hummus hummus, carrot puree, cream of mushroom soup, lentil soup, black tea, yogurt aylan, rice pudding, grilled lamb roast beef, and minced meat pie Lahmacun.

















4. The beautiful western courtyard of the Turkish restaurant

On May 6, 2021, Iftar ate the Ramadan set meal at Xiting Xiuse in Xinyuanli. There are two types of chicken and mutton, which are different every day. The lamb we caught yesterday was Karabakh Pilaf, and the chicken was grilled chicken wings.

Karabakh is an area on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Its name comes from the Turkic word "Kara (black)" and the Persian word "Bagh (garden)". Most of the people living here are Azerbaijanis. The Karabakh pilaf we ate was stewed lamb with apricots, and the rice was yellow because it was dyed with saffron juice. I had eaten this kind of apricot + saffron pilaf while listening to Azerbaijani Muqam when I was playing in Baku. It was very friendly this time.

In addition to the main course, the soup in the set menu is the classic red lentil soup. The side dishes are hummus with hummus, yogurt tomato sauce and carrot cheese sauce, as well as nut and pepper salad. The main dish is spinach Pide pancake, which is delicious with spinach and cheese. The drinks are Ayran and black tea. Their Ayran is not particularly sour. Finally there was rice pudding and Semolina for dessert. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Eating South Asian and Middle Eastern Food in Beijing (Part 1). I have been to many Middle Eastern and South Asian restaurants in Beijing in the past few years, some of which have closed. It is useful for readers interested in Beijing Halal Food, Muslim Travel, Middle Eastern Food. Section 1A of 4.

I have been to many Middle Eastern and South Asian restaurants in Beijing in the past few years, some of which have closed. I have been thinking about sorting it out in the past few days. Next, I will try all the restaurants I have not been to. Now I will share with you the restaurants I have been to.

First, let’s list the South Asian and Middle Eastern restaurants in Beijing that I know: Al Ameen (Lebanon), Al Safir (Jordan), BRBR (Syria), One Thousand and One Nights (Arabia), Taiba Guijie Store (Arabia), Turkish Mama (Turkey), Rumi's Secret (Turkey), Xiting Xiuse (Turkey), Dardaniel (Azerbaijan/Turkey) (It), Desert Rose (Azerbaijan/Turkey), Doner&Kebab (Azerbaijan/Turkey), Kavkaz (Azerbaijan), Iranian Food (the Iranian boss has returned to China and is currently run by Chinese), Khan Baba (Pakistan), Zam Zam (Pakistan), Lahore Restaurant (Pakistan), Benjabi (India), Indian Chef (India), Land of Masala (India), Sadhuli (India).

Newly opened in 2021: Zayton (Palestine), Istanbul (Türkiye), Qubbe (Türkiye), Taiba Sanlitun Store (Arabia).

One that was written in 2020 but closed in 2021: Meza (Tunisia).

I have eaten at restaurants that are closed: Camel Restaurant (Morocco), Nayir (Azerbaijan), Shashi Castle (Uzbekistan), Enchant (Turkey), and Bata Pancake (Israel).

1. Arabia

1. Jordanian restaurant Al Safir

On April 18, 2021, Ramadan Iftar had a buffet at the Jordanian restaurant Al Safir in Sanyuanqiao. It was a good opportunity to experience Levantine salads and various sauces! Now you can try all the things you wouldn’t normally order. The most classic ones are of course Hummus and Falafel. The most authentic way to eat them is to eat them with pita bread, sandwiching various sauces and falafel. The main courses include fish, lamb chops, chicken stewed rice, fried chicken, adzuki bean soup and various juices, including grape juice. Their lamb chops are so delicious, it feels like they were grilled first? The taste is particularly good. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Eating South Asian and Middle Eastern Food in Beijing (Part 1). Over the past few years, I have visited many Middle Eastern and South Asian restaurants in Beijing, some of which have already closed down. It is useful for readers interested in Beijing Halal Food, Muslim Travel, Middle Eastern Food.

4. Turkish restaurant Xitingxiuse

On May 6, 2021, I had the Ramadan set meal for Iftar at Xiting Xiuse in Xinyuanli. There were chicken and lamb options, and the menu changed every day. The lamb dish we had yesterday was Karabakh Pilaf, and the chicken dish was grilled chicken wings.

Karabakh is a region on the border of Azerbaijan and Armenia; its name comes from the Turkic word 'Kara' (black) and the Persian word 'Bagh' (garden), and it is currently inhabited mostly by Azerbaijanis. The Karabakh pilaf we ate was lamb stew with apricots, and the rice was yellow because it was stained with saffron juice. I had eaten this apricot and saffron pilaf before while listening to Azerbaijani mugham when I was traveling in Baku, so eating it this time felt very familiar.

Besides the main course, the set meal includes classic red lentil soup, side dishes of hummus, yogurt eggplant dip, and carrot cheese dip, as well as a walnut bell pepper salad, and the main staple is spinach Pide, which is quite delicious with the spinach and cheese. The drinks are Ayran and black tea; their Ayran is not particularly sour. Finally, there are desserts of rice pudding and semolina.

Overall, this set meal is quite good value for money for the embassy district!



















On June 24, 2020, I ate lentil soup, cucumber yogurt, stuffed grape leaves (dolma), meat patties (kofte), beef and cheese pide, ayran yogurt, and pomegranate chicken at the Turkish restaurant Xiting Xiuse in Xinyuanli. The restaurant has been open for a year, and the manager is a Turkmen from Turkmenistan who stayed in Beijing after graduating from the Communication University of China. The head chef is an Azerbaijani from Istanbul who never misses his five daily prayers, and there is also a Kazakh staff member from Kazakhstan working at the shop. I really feel their food is quite delicious; the pide bread is especially fragrant when fresh out of the oven, and the meat quality is also very good. The last photo is a nice picture of the head chef that the manager sent to us. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Eating South Asian and Middle Eastern Food in Beijing (Part 1). Over the past few years, I have visited many Middle Eastern and South Asian restaurants in Beijing, some of which have already closed down. It is useful for readers interested in Beijing Halal Food, Muslim Travel, Middle Eastern Food.

3. The secret of Rumi's Turkish restaurant

On February 18, 2021, I had an Ottoman breakfast at Rumi's Secret on Ritan Shangjie, pretending to be in Turkey.









On September 25, 2020, our family held a welcome dinner for Zainab's mother at Rumi's Secret, a Turkish restaurant on Ritan Upper Street. Since opening this summer, Rumi's Secret has become a popular spot for friends in Beijing, especially among our Uyghur friends. Because they do not sell alcohol, I find it to have the most comfortable atmosphere among the many halal restaurants on Ritan Upper Street, making it very suitable for family gatherings.

For appetizers, we ordered carrot puree and yogurt eggplant puree; for soup, we ordered lentil soup and cream of mushroom soup; then we also ordered grilled chicken, kebabs, and Pide. The owner also gave us complimentary black tea and dessert after the meal. Zainab's mother tried Middle Eastern lentil soup for the first time and thought it tasted very good. Their grilled chicken and kebabs were also quite delicious, but the one I recommend most is the mixed Pide, which had cheese, meat, and vegetables. I think it was even more fragrant than the Pide I had at several shops in Turkey. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Eating South Asian and Middle Eastern Food in Beijing (Part 1). Over the past few years, I have visited many Middle Eastern and South Asian restaurants in Beijing, some of which have already closed down. It is useful for readers interested in Beijing Halal Food, Muslim Travel, Middle Eastern Food.

On July 17, 2019, I enjoyed having lentil soup, lamb hummus, falafel, labneh, cucumber yogurt, and a mixed grill platter at Al Safir.

Hummus and falafel are both specialty foods from the Levant region on the eastern Mediterranean coast, and all kinds of ways to prepare hummus are super delicious. I have also loved lentil soup ever since I started eating at the Palestinian restaurant at my university, although it is a bit hot to eat in the summer.

I love their roasted lamb so much! It is very tender, and it is so satisfying to dip it in the onion and tomato sauce and wrap it in pita bread. Their roasted meat is so delicious that there was an incident where I ate several pieces as soon as it was served before I remembered to take a photo lol.











On January 10, 2019, I had lentil soup, lamb hummus, grilled fish, and mint tea for lunch at the Jordanian restaurant Al Safir in Sanyuanqiao. I especially love their onion sauce! I have to order an extra serving every time. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Eating South Asian and Middle Eastern Food in Beijing (Part 1). Over the past few years, I have visited many Middle Eastern and South Asian restaurants in Beijing, some of which have already closed down. It is useful for readers interested in Beijing Halal Food, Muslim Travel, Middle Eastern Food.













On May 20, 2020, it was Zainab's birthday, and we went to Al Safir for Iftar. Ever since Zainab ate with their family last year, she has fallen in love with Arabic food, especially Levantine cuisine. We were originally going to take our honeymoon in the Middle East this year, but now we have to satisfy our cravings by eating at an Arabic restaurant instead.

They offer both à la carte and Iftar buffet, and they also have dates for Iftar. We had a buffet with a wide variety of salads, and we could drink cup after cup of Arabic lentil soup. We ordered the garlic hummus, falafel, and a mixed grill platter; their grilled meat is incredibly delicious!

A more unique dish is yogurt-sauce Kibbeh, which is a small patty made from ground wheat, onions, beef, lamb, and various Middle Eastern spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc.), with a fried beef exterior and a lamb filling. The word Kibbeh comes from North Levantine Arabic and means ball; this dish originated in the Levant region and is popular throughout the Middle East. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Eating South Asian and Middle Eastern Food in Beijing (Part 1). I have been to many Middle Eastern and South Asian restaurants in Beijing in the past few years, some of which have closed. It is useful for readers interested in Beijing Halal Food, Muslim Travel, Middle Eastern Food. Section 2 of 2.

On January 17, 2021, Taiba, a new Arabic fast food restaurant, was recently opened on Guijie Street. I ate Arabic pizza Lahmacun, hummus, and chickpea croquettes Falafel, and drank Middle Eastern black tea with strong spices. Their little brother is from Sudan and speaks Chinese very well. In addition, they mainly serve takeout, and if you want to dine in, you can only eat at the noodle shop next to it.

Lahmacun comes from Arabic (لحم بعجين), which literally translates to "meat and dough". During the Ottoman era, Lahmacun spread from Arabia to pre-Ottoman regions such as Turkey and Armenia, so it was also called "Turkish pizza" or "Armenian pizza", but the basic method is to make thin pancakes with minced meat.















5. Syrian Restaurant BRBR

On March 7, 2021, we ate at BRBR, a Syrian restaurant in Wudaokou, at noon. I have heard about their restaurant for a long time, but I have never eaten there since I live too far away from the city. This is the first time I have eaten there. I feel deeply that their family is so popular! We went there after two o'clock and had to wait for a long time to be seated. All the young people came to eat.

Syrian cuisine is also a relatively standard Levantine cuisine. The most classic ones are hummus and falafel, but we didn’t order them this time. Ordered lentil soup, grilled meat platter (Shuqaf mutton skewers, traditional Kabab, chicken skewers and chicken wings), half grilled chicken, chickpea broad beans with tahini sauce, lemon mint.

What was special this time was the traditional Arab Mandi mutton rice. Mandi originated from Yemen and is popular in the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt and the Levant. Mandi is usually made of rice, meat (mutton, camel or chicken) and Hawaij spices. Hawaij is also a special spice originating from Yemen. It can be used for cooking, soup and coffee. The main ingredients are cumin, black pepper, turmeric and cardamom. The taste of Mandi is drier than ordinary curry rice.



















2. Türkiye and Azerbaijan

1. Turkish Mom

On January 10, 2020, after getting married, I went to Sanlitun's Turkish mother with Zainab. I ordered lentil and wheat soup, "Sultan's favorite", barbecue platter and rice pudding, and then drank tea and smoked shisha to talk about things. Turkish Mama is much better than the Iranian food next door. The grilled lamb and toasted bread are especially delicious. The wheat rice we originally ordered was returned because the bread was so delicious.

The Sultan's Favorite (Hünkar Heğendi) is a snack that originated in the Ottoman court. It uses rich stewed lamb with creamy roasted eggplant puree. It is quite rare in Beijing.













On October 19, 2019, Turkish mothers smoked hookah, drank tea, and ate baklava and rice pudding in the west of Changhong Bridge.





2. Turkish Restaurant Dardanelle

On August 11, 2019, after the Eid al-Adha celebrations, I went out to eat at the Turkish restaurant Dardanir in the Temple of Heaven. I ordered lentil soup, cream of chicken soup, assorted salads (hummus, yellow pepper puree, chili puree), mint yogurt, roasted lamb liver, tomato lamb kebabs, Lahmachun pizza, yogurt Ayran and rice pudding.



















On June 6, 2018, my friends and I went to Dardanelle on Shenlu Street to eat cream chicken soup, assorted barbecue, lamb cheese Pide, Mediterranean salad, rice pudding and Turkish black tea. I liked the lamb cheese Pide, it was really huge!

















3. The secret of Rumi in Turkish restaurant

On February 18, 2021, have an Ottoman breakfast at Rumi’s Secret in the Temple of the Sun and pretend to be in Türkiye.









On September 25, 2020, in the evening, our family welcomed Zainab’s mother and had a secret dinner at Rumi’s, a Turkish restaurant on Ritan Street. Since its opening this summer, Rumi’s Secret has become a popular place to visit in Jindosti, especially among Uyghur friends. Because they don't sell alcohol, I think their environment is the most comfortable among the many halal restaurants on Ritan Street, and it's very suitable for family gatherings.

This time we ordered carrot puree and yogurt and eggplant puree as appetizers, lentil soup and cream of mushroom soup as soup, and then ordered grilled chicken, skewers and Pide. The boss also gave us black tea and dessert after the meal. Zainab's mother drank Middle Eastern lentil soup for the first time and found it delicious. Their grilled chicken and grilled skewers are also quite delicious, but the most recommended thing is the three-piece Pide pancake, which is a combination of cheese, meat and vegetables. I think it is even more delicious than the Pide in several restaurants I have eaten in Turkey.



















On July 4, 2020, we ate at Rumi’s Secret, a Turkish restaurant on Ritan Street, at noon. Although their restaurant just opened in June, most of my dusty friends have tried it several times! The environment of their home is very good, suitable for chatting, and there are performances in the evening.

At their house, we had hummus hummus, carrot puree, cream of mushroom soup, lentil soup, black tea, yogurt aylan, rice pudding, grilled lamb roast beef, and minced meat pie Lahmacun.

















4. The beautiful western courtyard of the Turkish restaurant

On May 6, 2021, Iftar ate the Ramadan set meal at Xiting Xiuse in Xinyuanli. There are two types of chicken and mutton, which are different every day. The lamb we caught yesterday was Karabakh Pilaf, and the chicken was grilled chicken wings.

Karabakh is an area on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Its name comes from the Turkic word "Kara (black)" and the Persian word "Bagh (garden)". Most of the people living here are Azerbaijanis. The Karabakh pilaf we ate was stewed lamb with apricots, and the rice was yellow because it was dyed with saffron juice. I had eaten this kind of apricot + saffron pilaf while listening to Azerbaijani Muqam when I was playing in Baku. It was very friendly this time.

In addition to the main course, the soup in the set menu is the classic red lentil soup. The side dishes are hummus with hummus, yogurt tomato sauce and carrot cheese sauce, as well as nut and pepper salad. The main dish is spinach Pide pancake, which is delicious with spinach and cheese. The drinks are Ayran and black tea. Their Ayran is not particularly sour. Finally there was rice pudding and Semolina for dessert.

In general, this package is quite cost-effective in the embassy area!



















On June 24, 2020, I ate Lentil soup, cucumber yogurt, grape coconut meat roll Dolma, meat pie Kofte, beef cheese Pide pie, Ayran yogurt and pomegranate juice chicken at the Turkish restaurant Xiting Xiuse in Xinyuanli. Their store has been open for a year, and the store manager is a Turkmen from Turkmenistan. He stayed in Beijing after studying abroad at Communication University. The head chef is an Azerbaijani from Istanbul and works at five o'clock every day. The waiters in the store are also Kazakhs from Kazakhstan. I think theirs is really delicious. The Pide pancakes are very fragrant fresh out of the oven and the meat quality is also very good. The last photo is a beautiful photo of the chef sent to us by the store manager. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Eating South Asian and Middle Eastern Food in Beijing (Part 1). I have been to many Middle Eastern and South Asian restaurants in Beijing in the past few years, some of which have closed. It is useful for readers interested in Beijing Halal Food, Muslim Travel, Middle Eastern Food.

I have been to many Middle Eastern and South Asian restaurants in Beijing in the past few years, some of which have closed. I have been thinking about sorting it out in the past few days. Next, I will try all the restaurants I have not been to. Now I will share with you the restaurants I have been to.

First, let’s list the South Asian and Middle Eastern restaurants in Beijing that I know: Al Ameen (Lebanon), Al Safir (Jordan), BRBR (Syria), One Thousand and One Nights (Arabia), Taiba Guijie Store (Arabia), Turkish Mama (Turkey), Rumi's Secret (Turkey), Xiting Xiuse (Turkey), Dardaniel (Azerbaijan/Turkey) (It), Desert Rose (Azerbaijan/Turkey), Doner&Kebab (Azerbaijan/Turkey), Kavkaz (Azerbaijan), Iranian Food (the Iranian boss has returned to China and is currently run by Chinese), Khan Baba (Pakistan), Zam Zam (Pakistan), Lahore Restaurant (Pakistan), Benjabi (India), Indian Chef (India), Land of Masala (India), Sadhuli (India).

Newly opened in 2021: Zayton (Palestine), Istanbul (Türkiye), Qubbe (Türkiye), Taiba Sanlitun Store (Arabia).

One that was written in 2020 but closed in 2021: Meza (Tunisia).

I have eaten at restaurants that are closed: Camel Restaurant (Morocco), Nayir (Azerbaijan), Shashi Castle (Uzbekistan), Enchant (Turkey), and Bata Pancake (Israel).

1. Arabia

1. Jordanian restaurant Al Safir

On April 18, 2021, Ramadan Iftar had a buffet at the Jordanian restaurant Al Safir in Sanyuanqiao. It was a good opportunity to experience Levantine salads and various sauces! Now you can try all the things you wouldn’t normally order. The most classic ones are of course Hummus and Falafel. The most authentic way to eat them is to eat them with pita bread, sandwiching various sauces and falafel. The main courses include fish, lamb chops, chicken stewed rice, fried chicken, adzuki bean soup and various juices, including grape juice. Their lamb chops are so delicious, it feels like they were grilled first? The taste is particularly good.













It was Zainab’s birthday on May 20, 2020. Iftar and I went to Al Safir. Ever since Zainab ate with their family last year, we have fallen in love with Arabic food, especially Levantine food. We were originally going to divorce and go to the Middle East together this year, but now we have to eat at Arabic restaurants to satisfy our cravings.

They can order a la carte and eat Iftar's buffet, as well as Iftar's dates. We had a buffet with a variety of salads and cups of Arabic bean soup. I ordered Beirut Hummus with garlic flavor, Falafel with fried chickpeas, and a barbecue platter. Their barbecue is delicious!

The more distinctive one is the yogurt sauce Kibbeh, which is a small scone made by grinding wheat, onions, beef, lamb and various Middle Eastern spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc.). It has fried beef on the outside and lamb filling on the inside. The word kibbeh comes from the North Levantine Arabic word meaning ball, and the dish originated in the Levant region and is popular throughout the Middle East.

















On July 17, 2019, I had adzuki bean soup, mutton Hummus, Falafel, thick yogurt, cucumber yogurt and grilled meat platter at Al Safir. I really enjoyed it.

Hummus and Falafel are both specialty delicacies of the Levant region on the east coast of the Mediterranean. Hummus is super delicious in various ways. I have also been a fan of adzuki bean soup since I ate it in the Palestinian restaurant on campus when I was in college, but it is a bit too hot to eat in the summer.

I love their roast lamb so much! It's very tender, and it's so satisfying to wrap it in Arabic pancakes dipped in tomato sauce. Their barbecue is so delicious that there was an incident where I ate several pieces of the barbecue before I even remembered to take a photo www











On January 10, 2019, we had adzuki bean soup, mutton hummus, grilled fish and mint tea at Al Safir, a Jordanian restaurant in Sanyuanqiao. I especially like their Pi Ya Zi sauce! Have to add another portion each time.







2. Lebanese restaurant Al Ameen

On September 24, 2020, when my mother-in-law came to Beijing for her first meal, we ate at Al Ameen, a Lebanese restaurant next to the German Embassy outside Dongzhimen. I have eaten there for many years. It was closed for renovation for a period of time, and it reopened last year. This year, I feel that their family is obviously not as big as before YQ, and the dishes have become less. I hope their family can survive this difficult time.

I ordered the more classic appetizer platter (Hummus hummus, carrot puree, yogurt, Mutebbel eggplant yogurt sauce)\cream of mushroom soup, lentil soup, vegetable soup, chicken soup, barbecue platter and grilled vegetable platter. What’s more special is the Mahashi, a rice dumpling with lamb bone and vegetables.

Mahashi is made of Lebanese zucchini (Kusa) and eggplant stuffed with meat and rice, and cooked with tomato sauce, cumin and broth. Mahashi is a classic Ottoman dish that can be found throughout the pre-Ottoman regions from the Balkans to the Levant (eastern coast of the Mediterranean) and Egypt, and is prepared differently in each region. Mahashi is a common dish served at banquets at weddings, family gatherings and Eid.













On September 26, 2019, I went to the Lebanese restaurant Alameen in Sanlitun. After the renovation, it became a lot bigger and some new dishes were added. I will try it when I have time in the future. This time I had a platter of chickpea hummus sauce, eggplant sauce, yogurt, adzuki bean soup, cream of mushroom soup, lamb naan, lamb chops, fried fish and lemongrass mint tea. One of the more distinctive ones is Kibbeh, a Levantine barbecue.













On May 26, 2019, I ate roasted lamb leg, lentil soup and hummus at the Lebanese restaurant Alameen outside Dongzhimen in the evening.



3. Meza, a Tunisian restaurant (closed)

On the evening of December 21, 2020, I went to the Tunisian restaurant Mesa, which was newly opened in November. After the Moroccan restaurant Camel Team Restaurant and Bar closed due to the epidemic (the owner ran away), there is a North African restaurant in Beijing. (Unfortunately it will be closed again in 2021).

I ordered Brik with Tuna, sizzling Shakshuka with eggs, grilled chicken skewers, Tunisian sausage (Merguez), Baba Ganoush, pickle platter, lentil soup, and also ordered Tajine Couscous with various grilled meats, which was not on the menu.

Brik pie is a North African Berber dish that was later brought to Israel by Tunisian Jews. The filling is usually filled with eggs, tuna, harissa, parsley, etc., and then wrapped in crispy noodles called Malsouka or Warka and fried.

Shakshuka is a stew of eggs, tomatoes and onions, usually with olive oil, chili, garlic, cumin, nutmeg and other spices. Shakshouka, which means "mixture" in Arabic, is widely distributed in the former Ottoman lands and Andalusia, and was brought to Israel by Tunisian Jews. The dish was originally just a stew of minced meat or liver. Tomatoes and peppers were later introduced from the Americas, and eggs are often added to the Tunisian version.

Merguez is a North African sausage made from lamb and beef, mixed with cumin, harissa, chili peppers and other spices, and is usually grilled. Merguez sausage was first seen in Andalusia in the 12th century, that is, southern Spain under Arab rule. At that time, it was pronounced as mirkās or merkās in Andalusian Arabic. Later it spread throughout North Africa and then to France and Germany.

Baba ghanoush is a Middle Eastern Levantine appetizer, which is made of cooked eggplant puree mixed with sesame sauce and olive oil, lemon juice and other seasonings. It is usually dipped in pita.

Tajine is a North African Berber specialty. Tajine in North African Arabic originates from ancient Greek, and its original meaning is pan. The tagine can be traced back to Harun al-Rashid, the fifth generation caliph of the Bassi Dynasty in the 8th-9th century, and appears in the 9th-century masterpiece "One Thousand and One Nights". Today's tagines are made of pottery, sometimes glazed, with a rounded flat bottom and a cone or dome on top. This design allows all evaporated water vapor to return to the bottom, and water can be added from the hole in the lid.

Couscous, a staple of Berber cuisine, is made from semolina rolled into millet-sized particles and then dried in the sun. Couscous was first seen in North Africa from the 11th to the 13th century. In the 13th century, Ibn Razin al-Tuyibi, a famous Andalusian scholar and gourmet, first recorded the recipe of couscous in his book "Andalusian Cookbook".



















4. Arabic fast food restaurant Taiba

On January 17, 2021, Taiba, a new Arabic fast food restaurant, was recently opened on Guijie Street. I ate Arabic pizza Lahmacun, hummus, and chickpea croquettes Falafel, and drank Middle Eastern black tea with strong spices. Their little brother is from Sudan and speaks Chinese very well. In addition, they mainly serve takeout, and if you want to dine in, you can only eat at the noodle shop next to it.

Lahmacun comes from Arabic (لحم بعجين), which literally translates to "meat and dough". During the Ottoman era, Lahmacun spread from Arabia to pre-Ottoman regions such as Turkey and Armenia, so it was also called "Turkish pizza" or "Armenian pizza", but the basic method is to make thin pancakes with minced meat.















5. Syrian Restaurant BRBR

On March 7, 2021, we ate at BRBR, a Syrian restaurant in Wudaokou, at noon. I have heard about their restaurant for a long time, but I have never eaten there since I live too far away from the city. This is the first time I have eaten there. I feel deeply that their family is so popular! We went there after two o'clock and had to wait for a long time to be seated. All the young people came to eat.

Syrian cuisine is also a relatively standard Levantine cuisine. The most classic ones are hummus and falafel, but we didn’t order them this time. Ordered lentil soup, grilled meat platter (Shuqaf mutton skewers, traditional Kabab, chicken skewers and chicken wings), half grilled chicken, chickpea broad beans with tahini sauce, lemon mint.

What was special this time was the traditional Arab Mandi mutton rice. Mandi originated from Yemen and is popular in the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt and the Levant. Mandi is usually made of rice, meat (mutton, camel or chicken) and Hawaij spices. Hawaij is also a special spice originating from Yemen. It can be used for cooking, soup and coffee. The main ingredients are cumin, black pepper, turmeric and cardamom. The taste of Mandi is drier than ordinary curry rice.



















2. Türkiye and Azerbaijan

1. Turkish Mom

On January 10, 2020, after getting married, I went to Sanlitun's Turkish mother with Zainab. I ordered lentil and wheat soup, "Sultan's favorite", barbecue platter and rice pudding, and then drank tea and smoked shisha to talk about things. Turkish Mama is much better than the Iranian food next door. The grilled lamb and toasted bread are especially delicious. The wheat rice we originally ordered was returned because the bread was so delicious.

The Sultan's Favorite (Hünkar Heğendi) is a snack that originated in the Ottoman court. It uses rich stewed lamb with creamy roasted eggplant puree. It is quite rare in Beijing.













On October 19, 2019, Turkish mothers smoked hookah, drank tea, and ate baklava and rice pudding in the west of Changhong Bridge.





2. Turkish Restaurant Dardanelle

On August 11, 2019, after the Eid al-Adha celebrations, I went out to eat at the Turkish restaurant Dardanir in the Temple of Heaven. I ordered lentil soup, cream of chicken soup, assorted salads (hummus, yellow pepper puree, chili puree), mint yogurt, roasted lamb liver, tomato lamb kebabs, Lahmachun pizza, yogurt Ayran and rice pudding.



















On June 6, 2018, my friends and I went to Dardanelle on Shenlu Street to eat cream chicken soup, assorted barbecue, lamb cheese Pide, Mediterranean salad, rice pudding and Turkish black tea. I liked the lamb cheese Pide, it was really huge!

















3. The secret of Rumi in Turkish restaurant

On February 18, 2021, have an Ottoman breakfast at Rumi’s Secret in the Temple of the Sun and pretend to be in Türkiye.









On September 25, 2020, in the evening, our family welcomed Zainab’s mother and had a secret dinner at Rumi’s, a Turkish restaurant on Ritan Street. Since its opening this summer, Rumi’s Secret has become a popular place to visit in Jindosti, especially among Uyghur friends. Because they don't sell alcohol, I think their environment is the most comfortable among the many halal restaurants on Ritan Street, and it's very suitable for family gatherings.

This time we ordered carrot puree and yogurt and eggplant puree as appetizers, lentil soup and cream of mushroom soup as soup, and then ordered grilled chicken, skewers and Pide. The boss also gave us black tea and dessert after the meal. Zainab's mother drank Middle Eastern lentil soup for the first time and found it delicious. Their grilled chicken and grilled skewers are also quite delicious, but the most recommended thing is the three-piece Pide pancake, which is a combination of cheese, meat and vegetables. I think it is even more delicious than the Pide in several restaurants I have eaten in Turkey.



















On July 4, 2020, we ate at Rumi’s Secret, a Turkish restaurant on Ritan Street, at noon. Although their restaurant just opened in June, most of my dusty friends have tried it several times! The environment of their home is very good, suitable for chatting, and there are performances in the evening.

At their house, we had hummus hummus, carrot puree, cream of mushroom soup, lentil soup, black tea, yogurt aylan, rice pudding, grilled lamb roast beef, and minced meat pie Lahmacun.

















4. The beautiful western courtyard of the Turkish restaurant

On May 6, 2021, Iftar ate the Ramadan set meal at Xiting Xiuse in Xinyuanli. There are two types of chicken and mutton, which are different every day. The lamb we caught yesterday was Karabakh Pilaf, and the chicken was grilled chicken wings.

Karabakh is an area on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Its name comes from the Turkic word "Kara (black)" and the Persian word "Bagh (garden)". Most of the people living here are Azerbaijanis. The Karabakh pilaf we ate was stewed lamb with apricots, and the rice was yellow because it was dyed with saffron juice. I had eaten this kind of apricot + saffron pilaf while listening to Azerbaijani Muqam when I was playing in Baku. It was very friendly this time.

In addition to the main course, the soup in the set menu is the classic red lentil soup. The side dishes are hummus with hummus, yogurt tomato sauce and carrot cheese sauce, as well as nut and pepper salad. The main dish is spinach Pide pancake, which is delicious with spinach and cheese. The drinks are Ayran and black tea. Their Ayran is not particularly sour. Finally there was rice pudding and Semolina for dessert.

In general, this package is quite cost-effective in the embassy area!



















On June 24, 2020, I ate Lentil soup, cucumber yogurt, grape coconut meat roll Dolma, meat pie Kofte, beef cheese Pide pie, Ayran yogurt and pomegranate juice chicken at the Turkish restaurant Xiting Xiuse in Xinyuanli. Their store has been open for a year, and the store manager is a Turkmen from Turkmenistan. He stayed in Beijing after studying abroad at Communication University. The head chef is an Azerbaijani from Istanbul and works at five o'clock every day. The waiters in the store are also Kazakhs from Kazakhstan. I think theirs is really delicious. The Pide pancakes are very fragrant fresh out of the oven and the meat quality is also very good. The last photo is a beautiful photo of the chef sent to us by the store manager. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Eating South Asian and Middle Eastern Food in Beijing (Part 1). I have been to many Middle Eastern and South Asian restaurants in Beijing in the past few years, some of which have closed. It is useful for readers interested in Beijing Halal Food, Muslim Travel, Middle Eastern Food. Section 1 of 2.

I have been to many Middle Eastern and South Asian restaurants in Beijing in the past few years, some of which have closed. I have been thinking about sorting it out in the past few days. Next, I will try all the restaurants I have not been to. Now I will share with you the restaurants I have been to.

First, let’s list the South Asian and Middle Eastern restaurants in Beijing that I know: Al Ameen (Lebanon), Al Safir (Jordan), BRBR (Syria), One Thousand and One Nights (Arabia), Taiba Guijie Store (Arabia), Turkish Mama (Turkey), Rumi's Secret (Turkey), Xiting Xiuse (Turkey), Dardaniel (Azerbaijan/Turkey) (It), Desert Rose (Azerbaijan/Turkey), Doner&Kebab (Azerbaijan/Turkey), Kavkaz (Azerbaijan), Iranian Food (the Iranian boss has returned to China and is currently run by Chinese), Khan Baba (Pakistan), Zam Zam (Pakistan), Lahore Restaurant (Pakistan), Benjabi (India), Indian Chef (India), Land of Masala (India), Sadhuli (India).

Newly opened in 2021: Zayton (Palestine), Istanbul (Türkiye), Qubbe (Türkiye), Taiba Sanlitun Store (Arabia).

One that was written in 2020 but closed in 2021: Meza (Tunisia).

I have eaten at restaurants that are closed: Camel Restaurant (Morocco), Nayir (Azerbaijan), Shashi Castle (Uzbekistan), Enchant (Turkey), and Bata Pancake (Israel).

1. Arabia

1. Jordanian restaurant Al Safir

On April 18, 2021, Ramadan Iftar had a buffet at the Jordanian restaurant Al Safir in Sanyuanqiao. It was a good opportunity to experience Levantine salads and various sauces! Now you can try all the things you wouldn’t normally order. The most classic ones are of course Hummus and Falafel. The most authentic way to eat them is to eat them with pita bread, sandwiching various sauces and falafel. The main courses include fish, lamb chops, chicken stewed rice, fried chicken, adzuki bean soup and various juices, including grape juice. Their lamb chops are so delicious, it feels like they were grilled first? The taste is particularly good.













It was Zainab’s birthday on May 20, 2020. Iftar and I went to Al Safir. Ever since Zainab ate with their family last year, we have fallen in love with Arabic food, especially Levantine food. We were originally going to divorce and go to the Middle East together this year, but now we have to eat at Arabic restaurants to satisfy our cravings.

They can order a la carte and eat Iftar's buffet, as well as Iftar's dates. We had a buffet with a variety of salads and cups of Arabic bean soup. I ordered Beirut Hummus with garlic flavor, Falafel with fried chickpeas, and a barbecue platter. Their barbecue is delicious!

The more distinctive one is the yogurt sauce Kibbeh, which is a small scone made by grinding wheat, onions, beef, lamb and various Middle Eastern spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc.). It has fried beef on the outside and lamb filling on the inside. The word kibbeh comes from the North Levantine Arabic word meaning ball, and the dish originated in the Levant region and is popular throughout the Middle East.

















On July 17, 2019, I had adzuki bean soup, mutton Hummus, Falafel, thick yogurt, cucumber yogurt and grilled meat platter at Al Safir. I really enjoyed it.

Hummus and Falafel are both specialty delicacies of the Levant region on the east coast of the Mediterranean. Hummus is super delicious in various ways. I have also been a fan of adzuki bean soup since I ate it in the Palestinian restaurant on campus when I was in college, but it is a bit too hot to eat in the summer.

I love their roast lamb so much! It's very tender, and it's so satisfying to wrap it in Arabic pancakes dipped in tomato sauce. Their barbecue is so delicious that there was an incident where I ate several pieces of the barbecue before I even remembered to take a photo www











On January 10, 2019, we had adzuki bean soup, mutton hummus, grilled fish and mint tea at Al Safir, a Jordanian restaurant in Sanyuanqiao. I especially like their Pi Ya Zi sauce! Have to add another portion each time.







2. Lebanese restaurant Al Ameen

On September 24, 2020, when my mother-in-law came to Beijing for her first meal, we ate at Al Ameen, a Lebanese restaurant next to the German Embassy outside Dongzhimen. I have eaten there for many years. It was closed for renovation for a period of time, and it reopened last year. This year, I feel that their family is obviously not as big as before YQ, and the dishes have become less. I hope their family can survive this difficult time.

I ordered the more classic appetizer platter (Hummus hummus, carrot puree, yogurt, Mutebbel eggplant yogurt sauce)\cream of mushroom soup, lentil soup, vegetable soup, chicken soup, barbecue platter and grilled vegetable platter. What’s more special is the Mahashi, a rice dumpling with lamb bone and vegetables.

Mahashi is made of Lebanese zucchini (Kusa) and eggplant stuffed with meat and rice, and cooked with tomato sauce, cumin and broth. Mahashi is a classic Ottoman dish that can be found throughout the pre-Ottoman regions from the Balkans to the Levant (eastern coast of the Mediterranean) and Egypt, and is prepared differently in each region. Mahashi is a common dish served at banquets at weddings, family gatherings and Eid.













On September 26, 2019, I went to the Lebanese restaurant Alameen in Sanlitun. After the renovation, it became a lot bigger and some new dishes were added. I will try it when I have time in the future. This time I had a platter of chickpea hummus sauce, eggplant sauce, yogurt, adzuki bean soup, cream of mushroom soup, lamb naan, lamb chops, fried fish and lemongrass mint tea. One of the more distinctive ones is Kibbeh, a Levantine barbecue.













On May 26, 2019, I ate roasted lamb leg, lentil soup and hummus at the Lebanese restaurant Alameen outside Dongzhimen in the evening.



3. Meza, a Tunisian restaurant (closed)

On the evening of December 21, 2020, I went to the Tunisian restaurant Mesa, which was newly opened in November. After the Moroccan restaurant Camel Team Restaurant and Bar closed due to the epidemic (the owner ran away), there is a North African restaurant in Beijing. (Unfortunately it will be closed again in 2021).

I ordered Brik with Tuna, sizzling Shakshuka with eggs, grilled chicken skewers, Tunisian sausage (Merguez), Baba Ganoush, pickle platter, lentil soup, and also ordered Tajine Couscous with various grilled meats, which was not on the menu.

Brik pie is a North African Berber dish that was later brought to Israel by Tunisian Jews. The filling is usually filled with eggs, tuna, harissa, parsley, etc., and then wrapped in crispy noodles called Malsouka or Warka and fried.

Shakshuka is a stew of eggs, tomatoes and onions, usually with olive oil, chili, garlic, cumin, nutmeg and other spices. Shakshouka, which means "mixture" in Arabic, is widely distributed in the former Ottoman lands and Andalusia, and was brought to Israel by Tunisian Jews. The dish was originally just a stew of minced meat or liver. Tomatoes and peppers were later introduced from the Americas, and eggs are often added to the Tunisian version.

Merguez is a North African sausage made from lamb and beef, mixed with cumin, harissa, chili peppers and other spices, and is usually grilled. Merguez sausage was first seen in Andalusia in the 12th century, that is, southern Spain under Arab rule. At that time, it was pronounced as mirkās or merkās in Andalusian Arabic. Later it spread throughout North Africa and then to France and Germany.

Baba ghanoush is a Middle Eastern Levantine appetizer, which is made of cooked eggplant puree mixed with sesame sauce and olive oil, lemon juice and other seasonings. It is usually dipped in pita.

Tajine is a North African Berber specialty. Tajine in North African Arabic originates from ancient Greek, and its original meaning is pan. The tagine can be traced back to Harun al-Rashid, the fifth generation caliph of the Bassi Dynasty in the 8th-9th century, and appears in the 9th-century masterpiece "One Thousand and One Nights". Today's tagines are made of pottery, sometimes glazed, with a rounded flat bottom and a cone or dome on top. This design allows all evaporated water vapor to return to the bottom, and water can be added from the hole in the lid.

Couscous, a staple of Berber cuisine, is made from semolina rolled into millet-sized particles and then dried in the sun. Couscous was first seen in North Africa from the 11th to the 13th century. In the 13th century, Ibn Razin al-Tuyibi, a famous Andalusian scholar and gourmet, first recorded the recipe of couscous in his book "Andalusian Cookbook".



















4. Arabic fast food restaurant Taiba view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Eating South Asian and Middle Eastern Food in Beijing (Part 1). I have been to many Middle Eastern and South Asian restaurants in Beijing in the past few years, some of which have closed. It is useful for readers interested in Beijing Halal Food, Muslim Travel, Middle Eastern Food. Section 4 of 4.

On February 18, 2021, have an Ottoman breakfast at Rumi’s Secret in the Temple of the Sun and pretend to be in Türkiye.









On September 25, 2020, in the evening, our family welcomed Zainab’s mother and had a secret dinner at Rumi’s, a Turkish restaurant on Ritan Street. Since its opening this summer, Rumi’s Secret has become a popular place to visit in Jindosti, especially among Uyghur friends. Because they don't sell alcohol, I think their environment is the most comfortable among the many halal restaurants on Ritan Street, and it's very suitable for family gatherings.

This time we ordered carrot puree and yogurt and eggplant puree as appetizers, lentil soup and cream of mushroom soup as soup, and then ordered grilled chicken, skewers and Pide. The boss also gave us black tea and dessert after the meal. Zainab's mother drank Middle Eastern lentil soup for the first time and found it delicious. Their grilled chicken and grilled skewers are also quite delicious, but the most recommended thing is the three-piece Pide pancake, which is a combination of cheese, meat and vegetables. I think it is even more delicious than the Pide in several restaurants I have eaten in Turkey.



















On July 4, 2020, we ate at Rumi’s Secret, a Turkish restaurant on Ritan Street, at noon. Although their restaurant just opened in June, most of my dusty friends have tried it several times! The environment of their home is very good, suitable for chatting, and there are performances in the evening.

At their house, we had hummus hummus, carrot puree, cream of mushroom soup, lentil soup, black tea, yogurt aylan, rice pudding, grilled lamb roast beef, and minced meat pie Lahmacun.

















4. The beautiful western courtyard of the Turkish restaurant

On May 6, 2021, Iftar ate the Ramadan set meal at Xiting Xiuse in Xinyuanli. There are two types of chicken and mutton, which are different every day. The lamb we caught yesterday was Karabakh Pilaf, and the chicken was grilled chicken wings.

Karabakh is an area on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Its name comes from the Turkic word "Kara (black)" and the Persian word "Bagh (garden)". Most of the people living here are Azerbaijanis. The Karabakh pilaf we ate was stewed lamb with apricots, and the rice was yellow because it was dyed with saffron juice. I had eaten this kind of apricot + saffron pilaf while listening to Azerbaijani Muqam when I was playing in Baku. It was very friendly this time.

In addition to the main course, the soup in the set menu is the classic red lentil soup. The side dishes are hummus with hummus, yogurt tomato sauce and carrot cheese sauce, as well as nut and pepper salad. The main dish is spinach Pide pancake, which is delicious with spinach and cheese. The drinks are Ayran and black tea. Their Ayran is not particularly sour. Finally there was rice pudding and Semolina for dessert.

In general, this package is quite cost-effective in the embassy area!



















On June 24, 2020, I ate Lentil soup, cucumber yogurt, grape coconut meat roll Dolma, meat pie Kofte, beef cheese Pide pie, Ayran yogurt and pomegranate juice chicken at the Turkish restaurant Xiting Xiuse in Xinyuanli. Their store has been open for a year, and the store manager is a Turkmen from Turkmenistan. He stayed in Beijing after studying abroad at Communication University. The head chef is an Azerbaijani from Istanbul and works at five o'clock every day. The waiters in the store are also Kazakhs from Kazakhstan. I think theirs is really delicious. The Pide pancakes are very fragrant fresh out of the oven and the meat quality is also very good. The last photo is a beautiful photo of the chef sent to us by the store manager. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Eating South Asian and Middle Eastern Food in Beijing (Part 1). I have been to many Middle Eastern and South Asian restaurants in Beijing in the past few years, some of which have closed. It is useful for readers interested in Beijing Halal Food, Muslim Travel, Middle Eastern Food. Section 1 of 4.

I have been to many Middle Eastern and South Asian restaurants in Beijing in the past few years, some of which have closed. I have been thinking about sorting it out in the past few days. Next, I will try all the restaurants I have not been to. Now I will share with you the restaurants I have been to.

First, let’s list the South Asian and Middle Eastern restaurants in Beijing that I know: Al Ameen (Lebanon), Al Safir (Jordan), BRBR (Syria), One Thousand and One Nights (Arabia), Taiba Guijie Store (Arabia), Turkish Mama (Turkey), Rumi's Secret (Turkey), Xiting Xiuse (Turkey), Dardaniel (Azerbaijan/Turkey) (It), Desert Rose (Azerbaijan/Turkey), Doner&Kebab (Azerbaijan/Turkey), Kavkaz (Azerbaijan), Iranian Food (the Iranian boss has returned to China and is currently run by Chinese), Khan Baba (Pakistan), Zam Zam (Pakistan), Lahore Restaurant (Pakistan), Benjabi (India), Indian Chef (India), Land of Masala (India), Sadhuli (India).

Newly opened in 2021: Zayton (Palestine), Istanbul (Türkiye), Qubbe (Türkiye), Taiba Sanlitun Store (Arabia).

One that was written in 2020 but closed in 2021: Meza (Tunisia).

I have eaten at restaurants that are closed: Camel Restaurant (Morocco), Nayir (Azerbaijan), Shashi Castle (Uzbekistan), Enchant (Turkey), and Bata Pancake (Israel).

1. Arabia

1. Jordanian restaurant Al Safir

On April 18, 2021, Ramadan Iftar had a buffet at the Jordanian restaurant Al Safir in Sanyuanqiao. It was a good opportunity to experience Levantine salads and various sauces! Now you can try all the things you wouldn’t normally order. The most classic ones are of course Hummus and Falafel. The most authentic way to eat them is to eat them with pita bread, sandwiching various sauces and falafel. The main courses include fish, lamb chops, chicken stewed rice, fried chicken, adzuki bean soup and various juices, including grape juice. Their lamb chops are so delicious, it feels like they were grilled first? The taste is particularly good.













It was Zainab’s birthday on May 20, 2020. Iftar and I went to Al Safir. Ever since Zainab ate with their family last year, we have fallen in love with Arabic food, especially Levantine food. We were originally going to divorce and go to the Middle East together this year, but now we have to eat at Arabic restaurants to satisfy our cravings.

They can order a la carte and eat Iftar's buffet, as well as Iftar's dates. We had a buffet with a variety of salads and cups of Arabic bean soup. I ordered Beirut Hummus with garlic flavor, Falafel with fried chickpeas, and a barbecue platter. Their barbecue is delicious!

The more distinctive one is the yogurt sauce Kibbeh, which is a small scone made by grinding wheat, onions, beef, lamb and various Middle Eastern spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc.). It has fried beef on the outside and lamb filling on the inside. The word kibbeh comes from the North Levantine Arabic word meaning ball, and the dish originated in the Levant region and is popular throughout the Middle East.

















On July 17, 2019, I had adzuki bean soup, mutton Hummus, Falafel, thick yogurt, cucumber yogurt and grilled meat platter at Al Safir. I really enjoyed it.

Hummus and Falafel are both specialty delicacies of the Levant region on the east coast of the Mediterranean. Hummus is super delicious in various ways. I have also been a fan of adzuki bean soup since I ate it in the Palestinian restaurant on campus when I was in college, but it is a bit too hot to eat in the summer.

I love their roast lamb so much! It's very tender, and it's so satisfying to wrap it in Arabic pancakes dipped in tomato sauce. Their barbecue is so delicious that there was an incident where I ate several pieces of the barbecue before I even remembered to take a photo www











On January 10, 2019, we had adzuki bean soup, mutton hummus, grilled fish and mint tea at Al Safir, a Jordanian restaurant in Sanyuanqiao. I especially like their Pi Ya Zi sauce! Have to add another portion each time.







2. Lebanese restaurant Al Ameen

On September 24, 2020, when my mother-in-law came to Beijing for her first meal, we ate at Al Ameen, a Lebanese restaurant next to the German Embassy outside Dongzhimen. I have eaten there for many years. It was closed for renovation for a period of time, and it reopened last year. This year, I feel that their family is obviously not as big as before YQ, and the dishes have become less. I hope their family can survive this difficult time. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Eating South Asian and Middle Eastern Food in Beijing (Part 1). Over the past few years, I have visited many Middle Eastern and South Asian restaurants in Beijing, some of which have already closed down. It is useful for readers interested in Beijing Halal Food, Muslim Travel, Middle Eastern Food.

4. Taiba Arabic fast food restaurant

On January 17, 2021, a new Arabic fast food restaurant called Taiba recently opened on Guijie Street. I ate Arabic Lahmacun pizza, Hummus, and Falafel, and also drank some Middle Eastern black tea with a rich spiced flavor. The young man working there is Sudanese, and his Chinese is quite good. Also, their business is mainly for takeout; if you want to dine in, you can only eat at the noodle shop next door.

Lahmacun originates from the Arabic language (لحم بعجين), which literally translates to "meat with dough." During the Ottoman era, Lahmacun spread from the Arab world to former Ottoman regions like Turkey and Armenia, so it is also called "Turkish pizza" or "Armenian pizza," though the basic preparation is always a thin crust topped with minced meat.















5. Syrian restaurant

On March 7, 2021, I had lunch at the Syrian restaurant BRBR in Wudaokou. I had heard about this place for a long time, but since I live in the city and it's too far away, I had never eaten here before; this was my first time. I have to say, this place is so popular! We went after two o'clock and still had to wait a long time for a table; it was full of young people.

Syrian cuisine is also a fairly standard Levantine cuisine, with the most classic dishes being hummus and falafel, though we didn't order those this time. We ordered lentil soup, a mixed grill platter (Shuqaf lamb skewers, traditional Kabab, chicken skewers, and chicken wings), half a roasted chicken, hummus with tahini and fava beans, and lemon mint.

A special highlight of this trip was eating traditional Arabic Mandi lamb rice; Mandi originated in Yemen and is popular in the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, and the Levant region. Mandi is usually made with rice, meat (lamb, camel, or chicken), and Hawaij spices. Hawaij is also a specialty spice blend from Yemen that can be used for cooking rice, soups, and coffee; its main ingredients are cumin, black pepper, turmeric, and cardamom. The texture of Mandi is drier than regular curry rice.



















2. Turkey and Azerbaijan

1. Turkish mother

On January 10, 2020, after getting married, I went to Turkish Mama in Sanlitun with Zainab. We ordered lentil soup, 'Sultan's Delight,' a mixed grill platter, and rice pudding, then drank tea, smoked shisha, and had a heart-to-heart talk. Turkish Mama is much tastier than the Persian food next door; the grilled lamb and bread were especially delicious. We originally ordered rice, but because the bread was so good, we canceled the rice.

Sultan's Delight (Hünkar Beğendi) is a snack that originated in the Ottoman palace, featuring rich lamb stew served with creamy roasted eggplant puree, which is quite rare in Beijing.













On October 19, 2019, I smoked shisha, drank tea, and ate baklava and rice pudding with a Turkish mother west of Changhong Bridge.





2. Dardanelles Turkish Restaurant

On August 11, 2019, after the Eid al-Adha prayer, I ate at the Turkish restaurant Dardanelles on Ritan Upper Street. I ordered lentil soup, cream of chicken soup, assorted salads (hummus, yellow pepper dip, chili dip), mint yogurt, grilled lamb liver, tomato lamb skewers, Lahmacun flatbread, Ayran yogurt, and rice pudding.



















On June 6, 2018, after work, I went to Dardanelles on Shenlu Street with a friend and had cream of chicken soup, mixed grill, lamb and cheese pide, Mediterranean salad, as well as rice pudding and Turkish black tea. I must praise the lamb and cheese pide; it was truly huge! view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Eating South Asian and Middle Eastern Food in Beijing (Part 1). Over the past few years, I have visited many Middle Eastern and South Asian restaurants in Beijing, some of which have already closed down. It is useful for readers interested in Beijing Halal Food, Muslim Travel, Middle Eastern Food.

2. Lebanese restaurant Al Ameen

On September 24, 2020, for my mother-in-law's first meal after arriving in Beijing, we ate at the Lebanese restaurant Al Ameen next to the German Embassy outside Dongzhimen. I have been eating there for many years; they were closed for renovations for a while, but reopened last year. Visiting this year, I felt that there were clearly fewer people than before the pandemic, and the menu options had also decreased. I hope they can get through these difficult times.

We ordered the classic appetizer platter (hummus, carrot puree, yogurt, and mutabbal eggplant yogurt dip), cream of mushroom soup, lentil soup, vegetable soup, chicken soup, a grilled meat platter, and a grilled vegetable platter. A special dish we ordered was the Mahashi, which is lamb shank with vegetable-stuffed rice.

Mahashi is made by stuffing Lebanese zucchini (Kusa) and eggplant with a mixture of minced meat and rice, then cooking them in a sauce of tomato paste, cumin, and broth. Mahashi is a classic Ottoman dish found throughout former Ottoman regions from the Balkans to the Levant and Egypt, with each region having its own unique way of preparing it. Mahashi is a common dish served at weddings, family gatherings, and Eid al-Fitr feasts.













On September 26, 2019, I went to the Lebanese restaurant Alameen in Sanlitun. It has become much larger after the renovation and some new dishes have been added, so I will try them when I have time in the future. This time I had a platter with hummus, baba ghanoush, yogurt, etc., along with lentil soup, cream of mushroom soup, lamb flatbread, lamb chops, pan-fried fish, and lemongrass mint tea. Among them, the most distinctive dish was the Levantine meat pie, Kibbeh.













On May 26, 2019, I had roasted lamb leg, lentil soup, and hummus at the Lebanese restaurant Alameen outside Dongzhimen in the evening.



3. Tunisian restaurant Meza (closed)

On the evening of December 21, 2020, I went to Mesa, a Tunisian restaurant that opened in November. After the Moroccan restaurant Caravan closed due to the pandemic (the owner ran away), Beijing finally has a North African restaurant again. (Unfortunately, it closed again in 2021).

We ordered Brik with Tuna, sizzling Shakshuka with eggs, grilled chicken skewers, Merguez, Baba Ganoush, a platter of pickles, and lentil soup, and we also ordered Tajine and Couscous with various grilled meats that were not on the menu.

Brik is a North African Berber dish, which was later brought to Israel by Tunisian Jews. The filling usually contains eggs, tuna, Harissa, and parsley, and is then wrapped in a crispy pastry called Malsouka or Warka and deep-fried.

Shakshuka is a dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes and onions, usually seasoned with olive oil, chili peppers, garlic, cumin, nutmeg, and other spices. The word Shakshouka means "mixture" in Arabic; it is widely found across the former Ottoman regions and Andalusia, and was brought to Israel by Tunisian Jews. This dish was originally a stew of minced meat or liver, with tomatoes and chili peppers added later after being introduced from the Americas, and the Tunisian version typically includes eggs.

North African Merguez sausage is made with lamb and beef, mixed with cumin, harissa, chili, and various other spices, and is usually eaten grilled. Merguez sausage was first seen in the 12th century in Andalusia, which was southern Spain under Arab rule, and was pronounced mirkās or merkās in Andalusian Arabic at the time. Later, it spread throughout North Africa, and subsequently to France and Germany.

Baba ghanoush is a Middle Eastern Levantine appetizer made of mashed cooked eggplant mixed with tahini and olive oil, along with lemon juice and other seasonings, and is usually eaten by dipping pita bread into it.

Tajine is a specialty dish of the North African Berbers, and the word Tajine in North African Arabic originates from Ancient Greek, originally meaning a shallow pan. The tajine can be traced back to Harun al-Rashid, the fifth caliph of the Abbasid Dynasty in the 8th-9th centuries, and it appeared in the famous 9th-century work 'One Thousand and One Nights'. Modern tajines are made of pottery, sometimes glazed, with a round, flat bottom and a conical or domed top; this design allows all evaporated steam to return to the bottom, and water can be added through a hole in the lid.

Couscous is a staple of Berber cuisine, made by rolling semolina into millet-sized grains and then drying them in the sun. Couscous first appeared in North Africa between the 11th and 13th centuries, and the 13th-century Andalusian scholar and gourmet Ibn Razin al-Tuyibi was the first to record the method for making couscous in his book, 'The Andalusian Cookbook'. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Twenty Traditional Mosques in Dali (Part 1). I traveled to Dali twice, in July 2017 and August 2020, and visited 20 traditional mosques there. It is useful for readers interested in Dali Mosques, Chinese Muslims, Muslim Travel.

I traveled to Dali twice, in July 2017 and August 2020, and visited 20 traditional mosques there. The mosques in Dali are very distinctive, strongly influenced by the traditional architectural arts of the local Bai and Han ethnic groups. It is commendable that although they underwent large-scale reconstruction in the 1980s and 1990s, the new mosques still follow the traditional architectural style, only with an increased scale. In particular, the more than twenty Hui villages around Yongjian Town in Weishan County preserve what I believe to be the densest concentration of traditional mosque architecture in Yunnan, and it is worth a visit for anyone interested in traditional mosque architectural art.

1. Weishan County

1. Dingjiachang Mosque

2. Xiaowumaolin Mosque

3. Dawumao Mosque

4. Baisha Village Mosque

5. Xiaoweigeng Mosque

6. Yanqichang Mosque

7. Daweigeng Mosque

8. Xishulong Mosque

9. Qingmenkou Mosque: 1906

10. Huihui Mosque: 1944

11. Hedi Street Mosque

12. Maminchang Ma Family Mosque

13. Mami Chang Mi Family Mosque

14. Shenhe Village Mosque: 1946

15. Dianzhong Huiying Mosque

16. Donglianhua Mosque: 1921, 87 years

2. Dali City

1. Keli Village Mosque: 1908

3. Eryuan County

1. Sanmei Mosque: 1908

2. Jiming Mosque

3. Shipang Mosque

1. Weishan County

1. Dingjiachang Mosque

The Dingjiachang Mosque in Weishan County was rebuilt in 1995.



















2. Xiaowumaolin Mosque

The main prayer hall was rebuilt in 1976, and the minaret was built in 1989.













3. Dawumao Mosque

The minaret was built in 1988 and is a very typical example of Dali traditional style. This building is a masterpiece by the carpenter Ma Shaowu from Xiaowumaolin, who was a famous mosque architect in the Weishan area.













The main hall was rebuilt in 1982, and the mihrab inside is traditional and beautiful.















4. Baisha Village Mosque

The main prayer hall was rebuilt in 1987, and the minaret was built in 1993.



















5. Xiaoweigeng Mosque

The minaret of Xiaoweigeng. Many minarets were locked during this trip, but I was lucky enough to climb this one.



















The main hall was rebuilt in 1990, and the Weishan-style traditional Yunnan Arabic calligraphy on the mihrab is very beautiful.











6. Yanqichang Mosque

The main prayer hall was rebuilt in 2014. Since the 21st century, mosques built in Weishan County prefer to place the main prayer hall on the second floor.











7. Daweigeng Mosque

The main hall was rebuilt in 1990, and the minaret was first built in 1944. The builder of the main hall was Master Luo Jiajing from Xiatian'er Mountain in Weishan County.



















8. Xishulong Mosque

The main hall was rebuilt in 1990.

















9. Qingmenkou Mosque: 1906

Because of its relatively remote location, the minaret built in 1906 has been preserved to this day, which is very rare.













The main hall was rebuilt in 1983, and the pears in the mosque are delicious.



















10. Huihui Mosque: 1944

The front part of the main hall is a reinforced concrete structure built in 1993, while the back part is a wooden structure built in 1944; therefore, it looks like a new mosque from the front and an old mosque from the back.

There is an interesting story about the Huihui Deng Mosque. In the 1960s, when the Workers' Propaganda Team moved into Huihui Deng, the local people wrote a slogan on the mosque wall in the popular language of the time: 'Whoever dares to oppose M-Z-X's ethnic policy will have their dog head smashed.' The Workers' Propaganda Team was very annoyed, but they could not openly oppose it, so they had to write a quote from M-Z-D next to the slogan: 'The national question is, in essence, a question of class struggle.'















11. Hedi Street Mosque

The current mosque is newly built, but the mihrab features traditional Yunnan-style Arabic calligraphy in the Weishan style.







12. Maminchang Ma Family Mosque

The main prayer hall was rebuilt in 1996, and the minaret was rebuilt in 1991.



















13. Mami Chang Mi Family Mosque

The mosque is on a hillside, overlooking the surrounding scenery.

















14. Shenhe Village Mosque: 1946

The main prayer hall was rebuilt in 1995, and the minaret was built in 1946.











15. Dianzhong Huiying Mosque

The main prayer hall was rebuilt in 1995, and the minaret was built in 1990. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Twenty Traditional Mosques in Dali (Part 2). 16. Donglianhua Mosque: 1921. It is useful for readers interested in Dali Mosques, Chinese Muslims, Muslim Travel.



















16. Donglianhua Mosque: 1921

Donglianhua Mosque was first built during the Qing Dynasty and was expanded twice in 1921 and 1987. From east to west, the mosque consists of the main gate, the minaret, and the prayer hall, with the minaret dividing the courtyard into two parts.

The minaret was raised to four stories in 1987, with a five-five-three-one structure; the first, second, and third floors are classrooms for holiday study groups, and the fourth floor is the place for calling the adhan.











The main hall was expanded into a five-by-seven bay structure in 1921, and in 1987, it was further expanded into a nine-by-eleven bay structure. The mihrab features traditional Arabic calligraphy in the distinctive Yunnan style.













Main gate



2. Dali City

1. Keli Village Mosque: 1908

The main hall of the Keli Village Mosque in Xizhou Town was rebuilt in 1908, with a significant portion of the funding coming from overseas Chinese in Myanmar. Keli Village Mosque is a famous 'hometown of overseas Chinese'; historically, it had powerful horse caravans that traveled throughout Yunnan province to places like Kunming, Simao, and Zhongdian, and connected southward to cities in Myanmar such as Mandalay, Mawlamyine, and Lashio. Since the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China era, hundreds of households from Keli Village have migrated to Myanmar, and the Chinese mosque in Yangon's Chinatown has often been led by imams from Keli Village.















The minaret and side rooms were rebuilt in 1926, with funding provided not only by local community members and overseas Chinese in Myanmar, but also by surrounding Bai villagers and various merchants. Back then, the north side room was where Ma Yin'an and his son Ma Xin taught Islamic studies, training a group of Imams for western Yunnan and even the Tibetan region. The south side room hired Bai intellectual Yang Handing to teach Chinese studies. Today, the minaret and side rooms are still used as classrooms for study groups.















The main gate of the mosque can be said to be a representative of the traditional Dali style of mosque architecture.













3. Eryuan County

1. Sanmei Mosque: 1908

The three mosques on the Dengchuan Basin were built in 1908. The Hui people here speak the Bai language and wear Bai clothing, and their architectural style is also very similar to that of the Bai people, so they are called "Bai Hui" by the outside world.



















2. Jiming Mosque

The two neighborhoods where the Jiming Mosque and Shipang Mosque are located on the Dengchuan Basin are the areas with the highest concentration of the so-called "Bai Hui" people. Jiming Mosque was built in 1894, and the current minaret was built in 1992. When I visited, it was undergoing renovations.









3. Shipang Mosque

The Sepang Mosque was built in 1896, and the minaret was built in 1920. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Eating South Asian and Middle Eastern Food in Beijing (Part 2). On November 7, 2018, after work, I went to a Turkish kebab shop run by Azerbaijanis on the first floor of Sanlitun SOHO. It is useful for readers interested in Beijing Halal Food, Muslim Travel, Middle Eastern Food.









5. Azerbaijani/Turkish restaurant Doner & Kebab

On November 7, 2018, after work, I went to a Turkish kebab shop run by Azerbaijanis on the first floor of Sanlitun SOHO. I had Lahmacun, an Ottoman delicacy originating from the Levant, served with kebabs and lentil soup. They also had pide bread and classic Azerbaijani stuffed grape leaves. The shop had a picture of the Maiden Tower, a landmark in the Old City of Baku, Azerbaijan, located by the Caspian Sea, and Azerbaijani songs were playing on the TV. Besides the two young Azerbaijani men, there was also an auntie from Northeast China who speaks Russian. The young men were actively learning Chinese from her, and I hope their Chinese gets better and better!











6. Kavkaz restaurant

On August 2, 2019, I ate Caucasian salad, cheese khachapuri with honey, pan-fried trout, dolma, borscht, Russian chicken soup, and Ayran at the Caucasian restaurant Kavkaz on Ritan Shangjie.



















On April 14, 2019, I had garlic chicken, grilled lamb chops, meat pies, traditional Caucasian soup, traditional Caucasian salad, and steamed buns at the Caucasian restaurant Kavkaz near the North Gate of Ritan Park in the evening. Except for the thick bun skins, everything else was super delicious, especially the soup and the garlic chicken; it was so satisfying after eating.















On December 8, 2018, I went to the Caucasian restaurant Kavkaz on Ritan Shangjie in the evening and ordered lamb flatbread, garlic roasted chicken, lamb in a clay pot, stuffed grape leaves, and Ayran yogurt with fennel; everything was quite good!









7. Azerbaijani/Turkish restaurant Desert Rose

On February 17, 2021, we had lunch at Desert Rose on Ritan Shangjie; it is the most affordable among the several Turkish restaurants on Ritan Shangjie. Ten years ago, my childhood friend and I had Turkish food for the first time right here, and in the blink of an eye, ten years have passed and the place still hasn't changed.

There were 6 of us eating together this time, so we ordered one 4-person set meal and one 2-person set meal, which included lentil soup and chicken soup, Mediterranean salad, mixed grill, yogurt marinated chicken, assorted Pide, chicken Shawarma wrap, lamb shank pilaf, rice pudding, Ayran yogurt drink, Puf ekmek bread, and Baklava dessert; we also ordered Izmir meatballs and Lahmacun. Their Puf ekmek bread is so delicious! It was grilled to be extra fragrant, and it still tasted great even after bringing it home and letting it cool.



















3. South Asia

1. Pakistani restaurant ZAM ZAM

On April 4, 2020, I had a Tandoori mixed grill platter at the Pakistani restaurant ZAM ZAM near the East Gate of Tsinghua University. The platter included Haryali Tikka (mint chicken), lamb tikka, beef tikka, Malai Seekh Kabab, and fish tikka. The grilled meat was quite spicy, and it was especially refreshing when dipped in mint sauce. I also ordered chicken corn soup, chickpea Achari curry, and garlic naan, and drank my favorite freshly squeezed mint juice. When they have their buffet, the mint juice is the most popular item, and I can never stop drinking cup after cup. Their South Asian naan is also truly super delicious and especially crispy.

Currently they don't have a buffet, only a la carte; I hope to come back for the buffet in the future.



















On September 21, 2019, I had a buffet dinner at the Pakistani restaurant Zam Zam in Kaishi Plaza. The first plate was Biryani fried rice with chicken Tikka, fried fish, and the South Asian street food specialty, vegetable Pakora. The second plate consisted of naan with beef stew, chickpea sauce, mint sauce, and custard, a dessert of European origin. And their best drink is still the South Asian mint water; I can never get enough of it!















On June 23, 2019, I had the buffet at Zam Zam for dinner, it was very authentic! The Pakistani pulao, roasted chicken, and stew were all excellent, and that cheese and egg soup was also incredibly delicious. My favorite was their mint sauce with bread, it was so tasty.









2. Saduri restaurant in Kolkata, India

On December 22, 2020, I went to Saduri, an Indian Kolkata Muslim restaurant in Beiluoguxiang, in the evening. They were closed for 8 months this year, and the owner only returned to China from India in November; it really hasn't been easy for them.

We ordered Samosas, mixed grill, Goan fish curry, fried chicken legs, Chana Masala, Aloo Paratha, and Kabli Naan, as well as Shahi Kheer and carrot Halwa, and finally ordered almond and fig flavored Lassi.

Samosas were brought to South Asia from Persia by Central Asian Muslim merchants in the 13th and 14th centuries. The Delhi Sultanate scholar Amir Khusro wrote around 1300 that the princes and nobles of the Delhi Sultanate enjoyed 'samosas prepared with meat, ghee, and onions'.

Goan fish curry is made by cooking boneless fish marinated in a ginger-garlic paste with coconut milk and spices, then seasoned with coconut powder. Goa is an ancient city on the coast of the Arabian Sea that was under Portuguese rule for a long time; the Portuguese introduced many South American foods such as potatoes, tomatoes, guavas, cashews, and chili peppers to India through Goa. Goan cuisine is primarily based on seafood, with a preference for using chili peppers and coconut oil.

Aloo Paratha originated in the Punjab region and is made from unleavened dough mixed with mashed potatoes and spices, then cooked on a Tava griddle using butter or ghee.

Kheer is a pudding made from boiled milk, rice, and sugar, usually with added shredded dried coconut, cardamom, raisins, saffron, cashews, pistachios, and almonds.

Gajar ka halwa is made by grating carrots and drying them, then heating and stirring them with milk and sugar, adding raisins, pistachios, or other dried fruits, and finally cooking them with ghee. This sweet was brought to South Asia during the Mughal period, and "halwa" means "sweet" in Arabic. It is eaten during major Hindu and Islamic festivals in South Asia, such as Diwali, Holi, and Eid al-Fitr.



















On November 28, 2019, I ate Tandoori chicken, Masala lamb, green pea and mushroom curry, butter naan, Pudina Paratha, Masala chai, and Gajar ka halwa at Sadri, an Indian Kolkata Muslim restaurant in Beiluoguxiang. Their South Asian naan is truly super delicious; I will never get tired of eating it. This time I basically ate classic South Asian dishes; I have introduced Tandoori chicken and Masala lamb many times before.

Paratha comes from Sanskrit and has a history of thousands of years; it is one of the most classic unleavened breads in South Asia, made by first baking and then pan-frying. Paratha is thicker and firmer than another South Asian bread called Roti, because Paratha is layered with ghee, folded repeatedly, and then flattened.



















On March 13, 2019, I had beef Samosa at the Indian restaurant Saduli in Beiluoguxiang in the evening (the mint sauce was so delicious!). ), Masala lamb, Tandoori mushrooms, Iranian grilled fish, Aloo Paratha potato flatbread, vegetable soup, and masala chai.

Their restaurant is my favorite Indian place in Beijing. After this year's urban renovation project, I almost thought it had been demolished when I arrived, but later I found that only the part facing the hutong was torn down, and the area has become much smaller. I hope they can keep running so that I can always have delicious Indian food!















On June 23, 2018, I ate at Sadri, a restaurant run by Muslims from Kolkata, near Beiluoguxiang. The Iranian boneless grilled sea bass was incredibly tender, and I really liked the sweet coconut milk flavor of the shahi korma chicken curry. The most amazing thing was the naan; it was crispy fresh out of the oven and tasted even better than what I had in India. I have always liked Kheer, a dessert made with rice, fresh milk, and cream, and I finished with a cup of masala tea; overall, this place is really good.







3. Khan Baba Pakistani Restaurant (Sanlitun Branch)

On April 17, 2021, I had a Ramadan Iftar buffet at Khan Baba, and the atmosphere was really great. I ate mutton curry, chickpea curry, kebabs, roasted chicken, fried vegetables, Biryani, garlic naan, salad with mint and yogurt sauce, and pudding. There was quite a variety and it was all delicious, especially the naan dipped in curry, which was very satisfying! A reminder to all my fellow brothers and sisters (dostis) that you need to book in advance, otherwise there won't be any seats.



















On July 24, 2019, I had chicken and mushroom samosas, mutton Yakhni soup, chicken corn soup, fish masala, mutton handi, garlic naan, chana dal, and badami lassi for dinner at Khan Baba in Sanlitun.

The Samosa they made this time was a bit thick, but the chicken and mushroom flavor was actually quite good. The classic Indian Samosa is made by mixing vegetable oil, melted butter, warm water, salt, and wheat flour for the dough, then deep-frying it until golden brown. In the 13th or 14th century, Central Asian Muslim merchants brought the Samosa from Persia to South Asia, where it was favored by the Delhi Sultanate royalty and subsequently became popular across South Asia.

The mutton Yakhni soup has a lot of pepper and a very strong mutton flavor; it feels like it would be especially warming to drink in winter.

The fish in the Masaala fish stew is very tender. Masaala is a famous South Asian spice blend, with garlic, ginger, onion, chili, and tomato as the main ingredients.

Mutton Handi is my favorite; it is so satisfying to eat with naan. Mutton Handi is a popular style of curry in northern South Asia, made with many rich spices like cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves. The biggest difference from regular South Asian curry is that ginger is not used when making Handi; instead, garlic and onions are used.

The chickpea curry (Dall Chana) also has a very rich flavor, and it is quite interesting to eat chickpeas this way. In Sanskrit, 'Dal' means 'split,' and in South Asia, it refers to hulled legumes, including chickpeas, peas, and lentils, which can be eaten dry or with gravy.

The garlic naan is baked very fluffy, which suits my taste. The almond yogurt was blended in a mixer and tastes sweet.















Khan Baba Pakistani Restaurant (Wudaokou Branch)

On June 26, 2017, I had Khan Baba in Wudaokou for dinner, and the lamb Biryani was delicious! The chicken Achari Handi was also great, and while the grilled beef was not as good as Dardanelles, it is still a rare find in Wudaokou. There was also the famous snack, Samosa.









4. Indian Kitchen

On July 4, 2020, we had dinner at Indian Kitchen on Ritan Shangjie in the evening. It is a restaurant run by Hindus, but they provide entirely halal food, and the chef is from Chennai, a famous city on the east coast of South India. We ordered Mughlai fried rice, Paneer Tikka, Beef Kurma with coconut milk, Dosa with potato sauce and masala curry, Mango Lassi, pan-fried mackerel, and Masala Tea.

The Mughlai culinary culture of South Asia was formed by the fusion of Indian and Persian cultures during the Mughal period; it was strongly influenced by Turko-Persian cuisine in its early stages, and after taking shape, it in turn influenced the cuisine of Afghanistan, North India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

Learn some Indian food terms by following the menu at Indian Kitchen on Ritan Shangjie.

1. Madras is a spicy dish.

2. Kurma is a mild coconut milk curry.

3. Dopiaza means double onions, which is a type of onion curry.

4. Basmathi is Indian long-grain rice.

5. Naan is naan, which is an important tool for Indians when eating curry with their hands.

6. Roti is a type of flatbread, and it is also used to scoop up curry.

7. Dhal is lentils.

8. Cumin is a spicy spice.

9. A tandoor is a type of oven.



















5. Pakistani restaurant, Lahore Restaurant

On January 29, 2021, I ate mutton Biryani and stewed lamb trotters at the Pakistani restaurant Lahore Restaurant on Qingnian Road West; the lamb leg and trotters were stewed until tender and full of flavor! The lamb trotters melted in my mouth, and wrapping them in a flatbread was so satisfying.











On November 18, 2020, I went to the Pakistani restaurant Lahore Restaurant at Gome First City on Qingnian Road after work. It is the rebranded Tiffin, and the environment is much better than before. I ordered the Tandoori Chicken Biryani, which was half-price for the opening, and also ordered the Peshawar beef patties; the beef patties were quite flavorful. I plan to go back after work today to try the curry with naan. view all