A Chef's Chopstick Challenge {Beijing Street Food} - #Part 2
Welcome back to this Beijing
food series, in my previous post, I covered a minute fraction of the various foods
that Beijing has to offer for breakfast. Now, it’s time for Lunch and there’s
no need to flock down to those expensive restaurants for some good and tasty cuisine,
just follow this guide to get a quick, cheap and delicious meal from the thriving
hutong alleyways of Beijing.
Lunch
1. Baozi (包子)
Don’t think about the normal uncleanliness of street food or the scary antipodes which people munch on in delight. These steamed stuffed buns usually packed with steamed pork are a great belly-filler. Ever wondered what the stacks and stacks of bamboo steamers were doing sitting outside of eateries? This delicious savoury snack is much loved by the locals around Beijing. Why, you ask? All you need to know is that so long as the food’s fresh - it's good –and this is exactly what Baozi are. Make a request for one of the lower levels, and the steam plumes up from the traditional stacked bamboo steamers in such dense fog that for a moment you are completely blinded. What does this tell you? : The heat is so intense that bacteria cannot survive. Buy it fresh and eat it hot and you'll be right as rain.
My favourite place to eat Baozi is:
Qing
Feng Stuffed Bun House – Although Baozi can be found on the streets, rest assured that
this is one great place for your first taste of the delicacy.
Address
Qingfeng
Stuffed Bun House 慶豐包子鋪
Qunli
Hutong 群力胡同
Xicheng
District 西城区
Beijing 北京
*If travelling by Taxi, make sure that you print out that address and show it to your driver.
Bus
Take buses 83 | 105 | 111 | 608 | to:
Ping’An North
Intersection.
(平安里路口北)
**Then walk up the street and turn right into Qunli Hutong (It’s marked by a big traditional arch that’s pretty hard to miss).
Walk down the road until you see Qingfeng Stuffed Bun House. (慶豐包子鋪)
The
restaurant has a big ‘Q’ followed by Chinese characters.
Subway
Take either Subway line 6 or Subway line 4 to Ping’Anli Station (平安里站).
Once
you’ve exited the station, follow the instructions which start with (**) above.
2. Malatang (麻辣汤)
Malatang to Beijing locals is as customisable pizzas to us.
Except there’s no dough. Or tomato
sauce.
It’s miles better.
You’ve most likely come across this street scene: a bunch of
people crowded around a street vendor, picking out skewers from a bubbling hot
red broth. Others are standing around munching on their bounty with a look of
ecstasy on their faces. Passers-by, drawn by the sight or smells or possibly
even the pheromones of the people in ecstasy, join the crowd. You wonder, what
all this is?
Most likely it’s because of the number of choices you get.
Shrimp, fish balls, tofu, bean curd, lotus root, mushrooms, chicken, beef
tendon, noodles, and much more get cooked in a pot of steaming broth laced with
Sichuan peppers and sesame oil. Once faced with a plate or foil container, it’s
time to make your selection, either blindly or informed, by asking nicely and
trying to remember if there’s a chapter on animal parts in your phrasebook.
Regardless of all that, everything is cooked through and more often than not,
delicious. At 1RMB or 0.5RMB (Half a Yuan) per
skewer, you can have a light snack for 3RMB or stuff yourself for 10RMB.
My favourite place to eat Malatang is:
Jing’anli
Restaurant.
– Unfortunately, Malatang is best served off the streets and any stalls which do sell it are pretty rare. Don’t despair! Try this amazing hole in the wall for any type of meat including the delightful Malatang.
– Unfortunately, Malatang is best served off the streets and any stalls which do sell it are pretty rare. Don’t despair! Try this amazing hole in the wall for any type of meat including the delightful Malatang.
Jing’anli 静安庄
Zuojiazhuang East Road 左家庄东街
Chaoyang District 朝阳区
Beijing 北京
*If travelling by Taxi, make sure that you print out that address and show it to your driver.
Bus
Take the 367 bus
which takes you to Jinganzhuang (静安庄). Then continue going
down the road (In the direction that the bus is going). Once you pass the parking lot, turn left onto Zuojiazhuang East Road (左家庄东街).
Subway
Take Subway
Line 13 to Liufang Station (柳芳站).
After that, exit and walk up the road towards 21st Century Real Estate.
Turn right onto Liufang North Street (柳芳北街).
Keep
walking down the road until you see the turning for Zuojiazhuang East Road. (
左家庄东街). Turn
onto the road and walk for a bit until you see Jing’anli (静安庄).
Make
sure that you follow this series for more scrumptious and authentic Beijing
Street Food!
Any
questions, just drop a line!
