I lived in Beijing for one year and this was street food heaven. I gained around 15 lbs spending less than $1 per meal so these street vendors officially beat out McDonald's and any other fast food chains in terms of empty calories per cost and yumminess. Thanks to my year here, I think I also got a pretty iron clad stomach (fingers crossed) and a werid affinity to eating food out of plastic bags.
Here are some of my Beijing favorites in the Zhuang Yu Shu area where I lived and worked. I came to these places every day and when I visited again in 2008, they still remembered me!
Ro Jia Mio
These guys made the yummiest pork sandwich buns ever. They would take out a piece of pork (you would specify how fat you wanted your piece), add some cilantro, jalapeno and pork juice, and throw it into that brown cutting board where they would hack up the mixture and put it into this english muffin type bread. They were located in this "food stand" that also sold dumplings, pork buns, and jiang bings that the picture on the right shows. Pretty popular place!
These guys made the yummiest pork sandwich buns ever. They would take out a piece of pork (you would specify how fat you wanted your piece), add some cilantro, jalapeno and pork juice, and throw it into that brown cutting board where they would hack up the mixture and put it into this english muffin type bread. They were located in this "food stand" that also sold dumplings, pork buns, and jiang bings that the picture on the right shows. Pretty popular place!
Ma La
This is a to-go version of hot pot. They supply the boiling water, sauces (sesame, spicy, and garlic) and you just pick your ingredients and into the pot they go. They had blood cubes and tripe but the best thing were those yellow tofu like balls you see floating in the top-they soaked up every bit of sauce. Amazing! Happy to say that these guys had expanded to include seating for their customers in 2008.
Below is a ready to eat picture of Ma La . . .I believe it is the hollow-stemmed veggies on one plate and moo ur ( a type of fungus) and napa with meatballs on the other plate. A garlic sesame sauce is drizzled over the top.
This is a to-go version of hot pot. They supply the boiling water, sauces (sesame, spicy, and garlic) and you just pick your ingredients and into the pot they go. They had blood cubes and tripe but the best thing were those yellow tofu like balls you see floating in the top-they soaked up every bit of sauce. Amazing! Happy to say that these guys had expanded to include seating for their customers in 2008.
Below is a ready to eat picture of Ma La . . .I believe it is the hollow-stemmed veggies on one plate and moo ur ( a type of fungus) and napa with meatballs on the other plate. A garlic sesame sauce is drizzled over the top.
Jian Bing
This is a classic Beijing dish. Like a crepe with a fried dough stick, scallions, and egg, and a myriad of sauces (there are 4 that she has-hot sauce, sweet spice, garlicy!) all wrapped up in an easy to go breakfast burrito. Perfect for hangovers.
This is a classic Beijing dish. Like a crepe with a fried dough stick, scallions, and egg, and a myriad of sauces (there are 4 that she has-hot sauce, sweet spice, garlicy!) all wrapped up in an easy to go breakfast burrito. Perfect for hangovers.
Speaking of hangovers, below are pictures of drinking food!
The local beer garden (dominated by korean exchange students usually for some reason), lamb skewers, and snails. (You just stick a toothpick in and pop them out-very salty and spicy-like seafood peanuts perhaps?)
Seafood . . .
These were made in restaurants
Some type of mussel like shell-fish
This seafood restaurant was very popular (lines outside always) and part of why customers loved it is because they bring you your fish ALIVE in a net and than you can watch them thump it to death behind the glass counter top. PROOF that your catch was fresh! And the finished product? A whole fish in a spicy torture broth that numbs, tingles, and makes you sweat.
Seafood at my local supermarket.A BBQ grill stand on Wang Fu Jing street with lots to choose from-starfish, intestinal parts, squid, stinky tofu.
Kung Pao Fish
Fine, this one is a bit western in flavor but it can't be beat for presentation and ease of EATING. The fish is breaded, scored, and fried up. Even people that detest bones loves this, you can pick off the huge chunks of meat like your eating fish nuggets.
Fine, this one is a bit western in flavor but it can't be beat for presentation and ease of EATING. The fish is breaded, scored, and fried up. Even people that detest bones loves this, you can pick off the huge chunks of meat like your eating fish nuggets.
Yes, that is fresh dough! and yes, those are the awesomest texture of noodles ever. (Sorry batali!)
Zuai Jian Bao (Water Fried Dumplings)
These were found on the streets of Shanghai. The skin is of a more bready texture than found in dumplings and the meat stuffing was usually with pork and leeks.
Zuai Jian Bao (Water Fried Dumplings)
These were found on the streets of Shanghai. The skin is of a more bready texture than found in dumplings and the meat stuffing was usually with pork and leeks.
Dessert time
If there is a heaven, they'll be serving Dan Ta (egg tart). And yes! There is healthy street food too . . .
Lastly, here are some random pictures of the time spent here . . .
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