China Food Trail – Part 1 of 3

China Food Trail – Part 1 of 3

After being to various parts of China for over half a dozen of times, and going to different cities even – Beijing, Shanghai, and the so-called food capital Guangzhou, I was under the impression that I have completely conquered the food scene there. It is like going to Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata respectively.

But then last December I had to travel once again to the land of Kung-Fu Panda (another misconception), and oh boy, I realized how far from reality my perception was.

There are reasons for this new-found revelation. Until now, I had always traveled in the top tier cities, stayed at the so-called ‘international’ hotels, and eaten at ‘proper’ restaurants. I had also always traveled for work, with hardly any time to explore the gastronomic options over the weekends, which – as you know – are always better. Thirdly, I did not have sufficient trust in the choices and tastes of the locals who would take me around for meals.

But this time it was all different. Firstly, I went to Xi’an in Shaanxi province, one of the oldest cities in China, and in fact in the world. Known as the starting point of the Silk Road, it is a city that has thousands of years of history embedded in its soil – literally, as the Emperor Qin and his Terra-Cotta army lies hidden in the mausoleum under it. The city reminds me of Agra and Fatehpur Sikri.

More importantly to the nomad and the foodie, it has its own tradition of cuisine, mainly based on mutton (rather than pork and seafood as one finds in most other, especially southern, parts of China) due to the influence from Inner Mongolia and due to the sizable population of Muslims (the Uyghur influence).

Then I went to Wuxi in Jiangsu province, which is not even a top tier town, but a small suburb, about two and a half hours’ drive from Shanghai. Several people from the large cities travel to Wuxi over the weekend, as it is a good base if you plan to travel to the nearby mountains or visit the places near Lake Tai and Yangtze river delta. It is a rather relaxed place, known for some industry, lots of tourism and good river and lake fish. It is rather like Pune, or Nashik, for those who stay in Mumbai. I also had some great company this time, so we could try different cuisines, types of food, and cooking styles, which was all great.

Moreover, this time I got to spend some time over weekends at China, which allowed me time to go around the places and try different things. Among all the things that I could do, there was a visit to the Emperor’s Tomb at Xi’an.

A day will come, I hope, when I will have words that will be able to express the emotions that one goes through, when one sees a battery of 6,000 soldiers made of mud and cloth some 2,200 years ago staring up at you from the pits of the huge underground necropolis. Although miles and miles of the mausoleum is still buried deep within the mountain, even what is excavated till now in the last 40 years is already overwhelming.

No words or pictures can truly capture the place and its vibes, but we try and make some pathetic attempts nevertheless.

1 The first pit. The ground gaps open and reveals two thousand centuries of history in front of you

2 Horses and chariots and warriors and souls from ancient times. Eerie yet charming.

3 The kneeling archer

4 The general

So today, rather than the profound and the transcendental, let us focus on the more mundane and existential – the food in these places. What I plan to do here is present to you a picture trail of most of the food that I tried during these several weeks along with the places that we went to.

1. Mutton stew and crumbled flatbread, Xi’an

There are several mutton things that are famous in the Shaanxi province, the most popular among them is the Yang Rou Pao Mo; a nice, warm mutton stew that comes with unleavened bread. The bread is served in a bowl. You are supposed to break this bread in tiny pieces, while the stew is simmering in the kitchen. The process is lengthy, and is meant to be that way, to give you an opportunity to talk to your friends at the meal table. 

5 Unleavened bread for Pao Mo, work in process of the crumbling of the flatbread

6 Pao Mo - crumbled flatbread with mutton stew

The longer you take to crumble the flatbread, the tinier the pieces, which increases both the quality of the stew as well as that of the conversation on the table. Then they take the bowl into the kitchen, pour the liquid in, and bring it back after a few minutes.

The whole experience is quite unique, although a bit time-taking. So not good for a weekday quick lunch, but certainly recommended for a lazy Sunday brunch. Some restaurants offer a pre-made Pao Mo stew, but as expected it is not as much fun as the real thing as you don’t feel like you earned it.

7 Pre-made Pao Mo, not quite the thing. One needs to earn it.

2. Automated turning bar-be-que, Xi’an

Most popular with the young and hip crowd, this one goes rather well with a sporting event on a big screen and lots of beer. The bar-be-que design is such that there is a grill at the bottom, then some grooves on two sides that keep moving with a motor, and a hanging stand on the top for the skewers once the meat is done. The novelty is more in the stand than in the food, although the one I tried was great.

8 Turning bar-be-que

9 Army of chicken wings

10 Egg plant and oysters

Look out for the next two posts in the series, coming right up.

Best,

Shreekant

First written: December 2017