Skip to main content

When In.. Beijing!

For the past 10 years, I've called Beijing my home. I've eaten in a lot of restaurants, been to a lot of places and experienced life living like a local. If you plan to visit Beijing, the top 4 places to visit would be Forbidden City, Great Wall (Mutianyu section please!), Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace. However, if you talk about food, I give you fast 5 of Chinese cuisine you must try in Beijing: 

1. Beijing roast duck (aka Peking Duck): a must-eat food when you visit Beijing. The duck is roasted with wood in a stone oven rubbed with spices and no oil. Best to order this dish when you reserve a seat as it take quite some time to cook. The duck will be carved right in front of you for Instagram shots!  Notable restaurants are: Quanjude (Hepingmen Branch only, don't bother with the other branches), Da Dong, Duck De Chine, Made In China (Grand Hyatt hotel). 



2. Jianbing and soy milk: the Beijing's version of the breakfast of the champions. You can find them at street corners near office buildings. You have the option to go vegetarian or loaded with meat.   You may think it's not too hygienic but nobody died yet!  Pair your jianbing with a hot soy milk.  


3.  Hotpot:  there are a lot of hotpot places that you can try in Beijing.  For the budget-conscious traveler,  Xiabu Xiabu (呷哺呷哺) offers the best deal.  For mid-range, go for Haidilao (海底捞) or Dong Lai Shun (东来顺).  Haidilao offers entertainment if you ordered their handmade noodles.  Dong Lai Shun serve their hotpot in a traditional pot.  There are different soup base to choose from (clear, spicy, tom yum, tomato), meats (lamb, pork, beef, seafood), vegetables, noodles/dumplings, sauces.


4.  Dumplings (饺子):  if noodles are considered the staple of the south, dumplings are considered the staple of the north.  A must-eat dish especially during Chinese New Year.  Families prepare their own dumplings and boil them to cook.  I miss the Chinese dumpling restaurant in front of our office building which serves good dumplings.  You can opt for vegetarian, meat lovers, seafood lovers or mixed fillings.  Some dumplings are wrapped in different colors from the usual white.


5.  Lamb Skewers (羊肉串):  the days where you can find in every corner a lamb skewer vendor who grills them as you wait are slowly dying.  My friends and I sometimes just sit outside on a warm balmy day with a bottle of cold beer and just these lamb skewers for dinner.  However, as the local government wanted to ensure the cleanliness and authenticity of the skewers, they are now mostly available in restaurants.  



There you have it!  Enjoy your stay in Beijing!

Photo credits:  Vivian Tang, thebeijinger

Labels:
Location: Beijing, China

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Breakfast Egg Cups Recipe

With only 30 minutes of lunch break, going out to grab something to eat is not possible.  What's breakfast egg cups got to do with lunch?  Well.. last week, there were a couple of days that I didn't had time to bring leftovers for lunch.  I had these breakfast egg cups made on a Sunday at the fridge in the office and we only had cooked rice left, so I brought some rice and ate a couple of the egg cups for my instant lunch!  Make ahead meals are becoming a norm now especially for people who like to eat something healthy and save some money.  I've had a hand making overnight oats but I didn't like the taste.  I've been chopping some red, yellow and orange bell peppers for snacks.  I'm trying to expand my repertoire of food that I can make ahead and edible. In my search for recipes online to try, I have adapted a recipe from Healthy Idea for Kids on their breakfast egg cups.  I used my favorite veggies and bake away! BREAKFAST EGG CUPS Makes 12 egg cup
Post a Comment
Read more

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip

After attending my cookie class and saw how easy it was to make cookies, I searched for recipes online to experiment on.  Initially, I was planning on recreating my cousin's white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies but ended up with a chocolate chip cookie due to the cost of macadamia nuts. I have baked this cookie several times with different results each time.  The only thing that is consistent is the soft and chewy texture in the middle and the slightly crunchy texture in the edges.  It's one of the most requested items by my friends during parties. Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients:  (yield 24 medium-sized cookies) 2/3 cup butter (151g) 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1-2/3 cup all purposed flour 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 6 ounces chocolate chip (I just pour whatever amount I want)
Post a Comment
Read more

Jalapeño and Cilantro Sauce

Two weeks ago, our department hosted a potluck burrito bar.  My colleague, who's Mexican-American, is famous for her sauces.  She made several types of sauce for this event, the cilantro jalapeno sauce, members only sauce and a burrito sauce.  Of the three sauces, the cilantro jalapeno sauce caught my eye due to it's lime green color.  It has a mild jalapeno kick and a rich cilantro goodness.  A lot of people asked for the recipe and she graciously shared it with us.  She mentioned getting the recipe from the America's Test Kitchen show. Jalapeño and Cilantro Sauce Ingredients:  (makes 1 cup) 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves , and stems, trimmed and chopped coarse 3 jalapeño chiles , stemmed, seeded, and minced ½ cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon lime juice 2 garlic cloves , minced ½ teaspoon kosher salt 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Post a Comment
Read more