Street Food of Beijing

Photo by zhang kaiyv on Unsplash

Street food in China is a big deal. There are entire snack streets in almost every city from Beijing to Shenzhen and every city along the way. Without the street food stalls of Beijing, I wonder if I would have ever grown to like the city. Food carts have completely disappeared from the streets, a relic from another era. And so my list of favourite Beijing street food has become somewhat nostalgic for a time of three kuai (30 pence) jiang bings and street meat you’d rather not know anything about. I now just order these for delivery.

Cold Noodles (Liang pi 凉皮)

Traditionally a summer dish from Xi’an, liang pi means ‘cold skin’ referring to the wide flat noodles that are thin, slippery and chewy. The old street vendors used to throw the long list of ingredients together in seconds, a bit of this and a bit of that:  noodles, chilli oil (with plenty of sediment), a splash of vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, a touch of salt, sugar and spice, crushed garlic, wheat gluten, coriander and matchsticks of cucumber added to a metal bowl, tossed and served.

Stuffed Pie (Xian bing 馅饼)

A simple and hearty snack. Stuffed bread the size of a saucer that is usually pan-fried so the outside is crispy, but the dough inside is still soft. The stuffing can be beef, pork or egg and jiu cai (garlic chives).

You can read my recipe here.

Breakfast Pancake (Jian bing 煎饼)

One of the great breakfast foods of the world: a typical batter made of wheat flour (and sometimes mung bean too) is swirled onto a round crepe stove. An egg is cracked on top with a spoonful of fresh coriander, green onions and crunchy mustard pickles. Once it’s set, the pancake is flipped and the other side is smeared with hoisin and chilli sauce followed by a crispy sheet of deep fried dough (薄脆 báo cuì), then folded into quarters and served piping hot.

Steamed Buns (Baozi 包子)

More clunky clichés have been written about baozi than any other Chinese food. Despite this, the celebration is justified - a good baozi is a splendid thing. I prefer the bread to be as thin as possible, like it might burst at any second. I don’t want a pure white bun at all - I’ll always choose the brown, tainted dough where the juice has seeped into the stuffing.

Tea Eggs (Cha ji dan) 茶鸡蛋

I’ve had many a bad tea egg; over marinated so it tastes bitter and stewed with an egg so rubbery I could bounce it off the floor. But a good one is worth hunting out, or even making yourself. Boil an egg, crack the shell slightly, and then cook in a robust black/red tea for a good while. You can read my recipe here.

Candied Hawthorn (Tang hu lu 糖葫芦)

For many locals, Tang hu lu brings a wave of nostalgia - the bright red fruits a happy memory in many a childhood. Similar to a toffee apple, but made with five hawthorn fruits, skewered on a long stick.

Stuffed Flatbreads (Mei gan cai rou bing 梅干菜肉饼)

Around the hutongs of an older Beijing, it was common to see big clay tandoori ovens for rou bing (meat-stuffed flatbreads). Gruff men would stretch out a dough, stuff with a smattering of minced meat and pickles before slapping it against the side of the oven. In minutes the dough would blister, char and fall off the side - a sign it was ready as the cooks would pick it out with long iron tongs. The last time I saw those bread ovens was in a mall staffed by young guys. The flatbread was still great, but it didn’t feel quite right eating it next to a Tesla store. I suppose that’s old meets new.