China Food Trail – Part 2 of 3


China Food Trail – Part 2 of 3
Continuing …

3. Hot pot, Beijing style

There are several varieties of hot pots famous in China. The Beijing style hot pot is known for the fresh meat and veggies, and the special sesame paste. Some hotpot restaurants mix it with peanut paste to make it taste better (edited thanks to a subject matter expert). You pick the meat and veggies and mushrooms from the cooler, put in fresh hot water that is simmering in front of you, and then mix the food in the special sesame paste while eating. Quite excellent for a cold winter evening.


11 Step 1 - grab the stuff from the cooler

12 Step 2 - make your own sauce

13 Step 3 - get going with the boiling pot

14 Step 4 – Savour it. And keep adding meat to your platter



4. A really-long single cold noodle soup, Xi’an


Another thing that Xi’an is famous for is this hand-pulled noodle soup. These usually come in family size bowls, and the whole bowl contains a single, really long, hand-pulled piece of noodle, along with beef tendon and a silky, spicy broth.




15 Such a big bowl of soup …

15 Such a long noodle



5. Muslim Quarter (Huimin Food Street) and dumplings, Xi’an


The bell tower at Xi’an is a historic place. Built during the rule of Ming dynasty, it is considered the official starting point of the Silk Route. It is here where apparently the Chinese legend Hsuan-tsang (Xuanzang) returned from his Journey to the West. Today this is a major tourist attraction. Just behind the tower is a food street, which is an even more interesting site.



17 Spice shop at the food street

18 Sweet shop at the street

19 Sweets made of persimmon flowers


20 Pulling the candy

21 Pounding the candy

There are some excellent eateries on the Huimin street. One of them looks almost like our Karim’s. It is famous for mutton and beef dumplings, which were excellent.



22 The local influence

23 Classic mutton and beef dumplings



6. Inner Mongolia Mutton Hot Pot, Xi’an


The greatest thing that has happened due to the influence from Silk Route is this hot pot mutton from inner Mongolia, where the mutton is put on ice and cooked in front of you. Of all the tastes I had during these weeks, this one was unique in its taste, texture and aroma.






For the final post on this, keep tuned in.


Regards,
Shreekant
First written in December 2017



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