Author Archives: the ladies

Crack Dumplings: Recipe for Crispy Rice (Guoba 锅巴) Jiaozi

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in COOK | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Toaster Oven Part III: Beijing Bagels

Posted on April 27, 2011 by the ladies

Just when you thought I was done waxing poetic about the joyous versatility of a toaster oven, we embarked on a bagel adventure. Probably due to the sudden at-home bagel craze evident throughout the blogosphere, a number of our Beijing … Continue reading →

Posted in COOK | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

The Genius of a French Fry Salad: Recipe for Xiang La Tudousi (香辣土豆丝)

Posted on March 29, 2011 by the ladies

The genius of this dish is undeniable. Let’s call it a salad. But a salad made mostly from shoestring fries, tossed with leeks, ginger, green onion, cilantro and chilies, laced with the unmistakable zing of Sichuan peppercorns. The best version … Continue reading →

Posted in COOK | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Shaanxi(esque) Carrot Salad: Orange on Orange Action

Posted on March 19, 2011 by the ladies

Sometimes, you just get the urge to shred something. Particularly as it (almost) feels like spring, and the markets around Beijing are finally filling back up with a loads of fresh vegetables, a sight for sore eyes after a winter … Continue reading →

Posted in COOK, PREP | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Recipe for an Egg Crepe (jianbing 煎饼), part 4 of 4

Posted on April 9, 2010 by the ladies

Our love and near-obsession with the jianbing is well documented (for a total of six posts on this one simple street food). We’ve made the pilgrimage to Tianjin, birthplace of the jianbing, we’ve pestered numerous jianbing vendors around Beijing for … Continue reading →

Posted in COOK | Tagged , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Unrecipe for Egg Crepe Batter: (jianbing 煎饼), part 3 of 4

Posted on April 1, 2010 by the ladies

In Chen Kaige’s Forever Enthralled, the biopic on the dan performer Mei Lanfang, Mei’s children are welcomed after they escape from wartime Beijing with a ribbon-wrapped cake.  His patron greets them with, “There may not be jianbing guozi in Shanghai, … Continue reading →

Posted in COOK | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Recipes for Egg Crepe Innards (jianbing 煎饼), part 2 of 4

Posted on March 16, 2010 by the ladies

When devouring a jianbing, the biggest question usually is – just what is that crispy thing in the middle? In Tianjin guozi (果子) is used – usually translated as a Chinese doughnut (youtiao 油条) – but the youtiao recipes were very intimidating.  Plus … Continue reading →

Posted in COOK | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Recipes for Egg Crepe Sauces (jianbing 煎饼), part 1 of 4

Posted on March 11, 2010 by the ladies

How many jianbing photos does a blog need, really? We think it’s important that the unabated love affair with jianbing on Beijing Haochi continues with these photos from a vendor located off the corner of Jiaodaokou Dajie and Gulou Dajie.  … Continue reading →

Posted in COOK | Tagged , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Beijing Street Food: egg crepe (jianbing 煎饼)

Posted on January 4, 2010 by the ladies

Tianjin is the birthplace of jianbing, but here in Beijing there is no shortage of this street food. In researching how to make our own version of this street snack, we are shamelessly eating jianbing as we see fit (which … Continue reading →

Posted in EAT, PREP | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Recipe for Hand-Pulled Noodles (chemian 扯面), biangbiang noodles (youpo chemian 油泼扯面)

Posted on December 17, 2009 by the ladies

The first step to making a good bowl of biangbiang mian, is, of course, making some good mian. At the Shaanxi restaurants we visited, the noodles were hand-pulled right before cooking, and the belt-strap wide chewy noodles of charmingly uneven … Continue reading →

Posted in COOK | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment