In Xi’an, the Muslim Quarter is home to some of the most amazing street foods in China. This massive outdoor market of roads and alleyways contains some of the most tasty, unique and interesting street foods.
Shaanxi Sandwich 牛肉夹馍 (Niúròu jiā mó) – 8 RMB
The first street food that I eat in this video is Nui Rou Jia Mo (beef sandwhich). Due to its origins in the Shaanxi Province, it’s often called the “Shaanxi Sandwich.”
Mutton soup with bread 泡馍 (Pào mó) – 38 RMB
This one isn’t so much a street food as it is a full meal in a bowl. Pao mua is mutton soup with bread, and it requires a little bit of work to prepare. It’s one of the hardiest dishes you can eat in Xi’an, and it’s absolutely amazing. For 38 Yuan, it’s more expensive than most dishes you’ll find around here, but it’s worth it.
Street Yoghurt 酸奶 (Suānnǎi) – 8 RMB
Sua nai, which literally means “sour milk,” is a sweet yoghurt drink sold in little white cups, and it’s especially satisfying on a hot day like today.
Beef jerky 牛肉干 (Niúròu gān) Price varies per kilo
Niu roy gan, or dried beef, is another delicious street snack available in all parts of the Muslim market place. Unlike similar looking beef jerky in the west, the variety that I bought in Xi’an has a much more distinct meaty flavor than any other beef jerky I’ve ever eaten.
Bread 楠 (Nán) – 5 RMB
Hailing originally from the XinJiang Province is a hardy flat bread that’s sold all over Xi’an. The Uyghur people who bake this bread call it ‘nan,’ but Han Chinese call it ‘nang.’
Skewered mutton 羊肉串 (Yángròu chuàn) 10 RMB/2 skewers
Thanks to vendors like the one in this video, the tempting aroma of juicy grilled meat permeates the entire marketplace. This snack is dripping with fat and seasoned to perfection, making this a rich, hardy Xi’an street snack.
Peanut Candy 花生糖 (Huāshēng táng) – 20 RMB/box
A few varieties of this sweet snack are available, and each requires an interesting method of preparation, such as pounding the candy with a mallet and stretching it out over a hook. The process of making this delicious street treat is even more fun to watch than it is to eat.
Top Comments:
- Kevin Cook Dude, awesome video, just found it. That Ro Jia Mo is such a nice snack, so juicy and satisfying.
- Just came back from 2 weeks vacation in China; including 4 days in Xian. This was the best part of the trip; so many things to see….An awesome experience !
- Kevin Cook Amazing video about Xi’an, well done Kevin. All that food looks great, I’d especially want to try that bowl of pao mo, that looks hearty and marvelous.
- My Hometown. I have been to this street so many times. But now overseas for two years. Miss this amazing city.
- Love these videos — not only learning about dishes that never show up in America, but the bits of history and scenes of China today. You make it like being there! Thanks.
- Great video, but wish you had included these iconic foods of Xi’an: liangpi (a type of noodle; absolutely delish; featured in NY Times), jinggao (sweet rice with dates and other goodies in it), persimmon cake, gun gun noodles, shitoumo (stone bread; very tasty but only sold around Chinese New Year), chao liangfen (stir-fried bean jello), heluo (buckwheat noodles), doufunao (spicy soft tofu), and xunchang (smoked lamb intestines).
- I have lived Xi’an for two years, while my hometown is Hangzhou. I like the food there, food is very famous in China
- Most of the foods introduced here are Muslim foods which were brought to the ancient capitcal from west of China or even middle Asia a thousand years ago. There are whole lot more local snacks than that. I’m sure you’ll be stunned if you try to discover more. Greetings from a resident of Xi’An
- watching this video has brought back my memories, used to live xi’an for 7 yrs…
- The thing is thousand years ago ,in the Tang Dynasty, xi’an was the largest ,and most diversified city in the world .it’s like NYC today and you can see people from worldwide gathered in xi’an there are Lots of international students from Japan and businessmen from Middle East even Italy .lots of them actually applied for “green card” and stayed lol so Muslim were like staying together in that Muslim quarter . It’s not only about foods its also a wonderful picture about history . I like your video dude and I love my hometown xi’an!
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