Nanjing Haochi

Posted on December 8, 2012 by christine

How many photos of curing meat does one blog need?  Even as a bona fide SF faux-flexitarian these days, one cannot help but be impressed by sausage stalactites.

One half of Beijing Haochi came back to Beijing and promptly decamped to a couple other cities for flying visits.  Not planned on the Nanjing itinerary was this market of meat and hairy crabs (dazhaxie 大闸蟹), which just goes to show what you can discover on the way to looking for a pair of sneakers, nor did I eat the famous Nanjing specialty of duck blood with cellophane noodles (yaxue fensi 鸭血粉丝), paired with a bowl of crispy puffed rice, to be cracked up and sprinkled upon the herbally and healthy soup, where presumably they soften and lend textural interest.  My stomach wasn’t too excited about this after an unpleasant run-in with the fleetingly delicious greasybomb of a mala xiangguo, although I understand the soup is excellent for tonification. Continue reading →

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…They’re Back: Shaanxi Noodles (油泼扯面) at Miss Little Shan (小陕娃)

Posted on May 20, 2012 by jen

When Yellow River Noodles (黄河陕西面名小吃)  at Meishuguan shut down and got chai-ed, it left a sad little hole in my heart (or stomach?). Their biang biang mian (or 油泼扯面 you po che mian) was the inspiration for Beijing Haochi, and our culinary sleuthing and epic blog posts (four!) on this delight was born from our adoration of Yellow River’s chewy, slippery, fragrant noodle deliciousness (see ode to noodles, post on restaurants, recipe for noodles, and recipe for biang biang mian at home.)

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Smack that Cuke Up: Smashed Cucumbers with Garlic (<i>Pai Huang Gua</i> 派黄瓜)

Posted on May 3, 2012 by jen

The two scant weeks of Beijing's Spring flew by in a wink and though we are barely into May, its 30 degrees outside and I think I can safely say it's summer in the 'Jing. Summer means stifling heat, sweaty days (and nights), and the start of my 3 month craving for only cold, refreshing foods. And right at the top of my list of favorite summertime foods is the marvelously simple yet ridiculously good pai huang gua (派黄瓜) or smashed cucumbers. Continue reading →

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Best of 2011: A Feast at Blue Hill at Stone Barns

Posted on March 14, 2012 by jen

…And we're back! My utter lack of computer savvy and a malware scare led to few months hiatus of the blog, but I managed to learn me just enough internets to patch things up. In celebration, I can finally write this post originally intended to go up at the new year to commemorate the best meal of the last year. Now, in 2011 I had many a fine meal in Beijing, all sorts of yummy street snacks in Burma, and binged on Cowgirl Creamery cheese in San Francisco. But if I had to pick the most memorable, it would be the spectacular 8-course-with-wine-pairing “Farmer's Feast” at Blue Hill at Stone Barns last fall. Yes, a mildly pretentious name for what is usually called dinner, but in this case, it was simply that, a feast from the farm. Continue reading →

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Nothing Says Winter Like Two Tons of Da Baicai (Cabbage)

Posted on November 17, 2011 by jen

Nothing else in Beijing declares winter like the arrival of the city’s piles ‘o cabbage. My first year here, I thought snowfall on Old Hallow’s Eve heralded the dreaded Beijing winter; my second, no snow in November, but wretchedly freezing winds told me it was time to haul out my down jackets; this year, it’s mid-November, and – dare I say it? – it’s still relatively mild (i.e. I am not clamouring for government heating yet). What has yet to fail me though, as a marker of the season, is the sight, and smell, of the city’s hoard of government-subsidized cabbage. Continue reading →

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Travels in San Francisco: Ode to Food One Cannot Eat in Beijing (or, Farewell Christine!)

Posted on October 31, 2011 by jen

Apologies for the long hiatus readers, life has been a whirl of activity of late. I managed to escape the last of Beijing's summer sweats with a long sojourn in the U.S. The good news is that while we didn't blog it, I got to eat some amazing meals with Christine. The bad news is that these mealsoffood were in San Francisco, where Christine has returned in pursuit of that pesky phD. And so, the Beijing Haochi team is down one, and we have lost the brains behind the operation, not to mention our food stylist extraordinaire. In the spirit of viewing the glass as half full, we did get to pig out in my favorite food city in America. In honor of Christine, this post is entitled “Ode to Food One Cannot Eat in Beijing.” Continue reading →

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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: King’s Mutton Soup

Posted on July 28, 2011 by jen

In defiance of the revolting pollution soup that we must wade through daily this summer to go about our Beijing business, I resist the temptation to write on cool drinks and icy treats, and will instead talk some hot, steamy mutton.  I wish I could claim to be contrairian, but this post on long-time favorite King's Mutton Soup was actually spurred by some pleasant dinner conversation on … dissecting eyeballs. Talking about anything I've eaten, even utterly out of context, always fires up some memories. Besides, why dissect eyeballs for science when you can eat them for sustenance? (Ah, yummy. Ah, sarcasm. See picture above for a preview. )  But I run ahead of myself. Mutton is what this Shaanxi canteen is known for, and if the name leaves any doubt, the gamy aroma upon entering this gem of a restaurant makes obvious its specialty. The menu is short and simple, headlined by a dozen mutton specialties. Let's run through some favorites, shall we? Continue reading →

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Crack Dumplings: Recipe for Crispy Rice (<i>Guoba</i> 锅巴) <i>Jiaozi</i>

Posted on June 30, 2011 by the ladies

Ah yes, unabashed dumpling porn. But seriously folks, this dumpling (jiaozi 饺子) is nothing short of awesome – our instant addiction made clear why a friend dubbed it nothing less than “crack jiaozi.” Not only does this little nugget taste fantastic, the red-cabbage-stained purple wrapper makes it nearly as lovely to look at as to eat. Unlike other parts of China, Beijing dumplings are typified by an astounding variety of fillings beyond the common shrimp-pork-cabbage combo. Most restaurants serving dumplings will have dozens of fillings available, including tomato-and-egg, the Muslim-influenced lamb-and-cilantro, eggplant-and-egg, zucchini-and-egg, preserved vegetable-and-green beans, peanut-bacon-and-green pepper (another favorite), and so forth. Continue reading →

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Travels in Yunnan: On Eating Flowers

Posted on June 18, 2011 by jen

In a debate over what to eat in Yunnan, it'll always be a tough call. So many glorious options! So little time. On a recent and tragically food-deficient trip to Yunnan, I was denied the chance to stuff my face in a manner that paid proper respect to this region's culinary cornucopia. There are, after all, only 24 hours in a day, and much of my five days was spent zooming around in a car looking for commodities and stopping too late to eat, or stuck with a conference buffet. My obvious go-to choice here would be mushrooms, but I won't speak here of the stunning variety of wild mushrooms that this Southwestern province is famous for.  Partly because it's not the season, partly because it pains me that I didn't get to eat mushroom hotpot. Instead, in honor of springtime in this land of eternal Spring, I'll post an ode to the edible art growing about the region that I found plucked and ready to fry. As flowers are fragile, they ship poorly and taste best when cooked the same day – making these ingredients hard to come by in the desert that is Beijing. Continue reading →

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Deep-Fry Your Chili: Stir-Fried Cabbage (炒卷心菜)

Posted on June 7, 2011 by jen

Is there an easier dish to cook that's this ridiculously addictive? I'd say…no. And will have words with anyone who dare say otherwise.  I had a craving for this simple fare one day, bought two heads of cabbage and ate nothing else for three meals straight. Yet after I demolished both heads, I found myself hankering for another plate on day three. A tad embarrassing, but honestly, what's not to love? The cabbage is sweet and salty, juicy but still mildly crunchy, and it's even undeniably good for you. But if I am to be honest, the crux of the addiction is the hint of chili – not enough to make the dish spicy, yet leaves a tinge of fragrance on your tongue and in the air. Continue reading →

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