Dumplings in Beijing

[MiFi]

A new position has me in Beijing once a month or so, and I'm looking to broaden my culinary experiences. I was particularly enamored by a local dumpling house I was taken to last November - it was all they served and was definitely off the beaten path. I'll be in Beijing next week and looking for any suggestions on places to eat dumplings and other local cuisine.

Also, if anyone can suggest a good market where I can stock up on Chinese ingredients (Schezuan Peppercorns, tea, vinegars, etc) I would be grateful.

[Pan]

I really enjoyed dumplings both times I was in Beijing (summers of 1987 and 2004). I also really enjoyed the sweet/sour/lightly salty pickles that I had in both dumpling houses and restaurants. So while it's probably been too long since I've been to Beijing for any recommendations of mine to be reliable, I would definitely recommend ordering different kinds of pickled vegetables.

[jo-mel]

Look for Jian Bing carts on the street. One of my favorite snack foods in Beijing!

http://www.plateoftheday.com/17/

[hzrt8w]

Look for Jian Bing carts on the street. One of my favorite snack foods in Beijing!

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The price is great too! RMB2.00 = US $0.30 for one Jian Bing...

[LuckysticksPRC]

Yeah, I don't think you'll have any problem finding dumplings, aka 饺子 (pronounced jiao zi or "geeow dzi"), in Beijing. The trick is finding a place that does them just right and has a larger offering than just beef and mutton-filled. A place near me (sorry, in Southern China) does very nice shrimp, mushroom and lotus root dumplings as well as their mutton and beef (which for the beef, they balance out just enough moisture and fat inside when they stuff them, creating a rich broth inside after boiling).

Dumpling places usually have great cold dishes too. Even if you can't speak Chinese, you can learn how to order dumplings easy enough (they'll remember you if you go to a small enough place a few times), and then you could literally go in and pick anything on the cold dish menu. It's usually all worth trying.

Although I didn't see the point when I first came to China, I even like the free drinking soup they give you before your food comes out. And I see the point, especially during winter.

[LuckysticksPRC]

As for the other things you'd like to find in Beijing, let me know whereabouts you usually stay and I can can maybe recommend a good market or two.

[hzrt8w]

Although I didn't see the point when I first came to China, I even like the free drinking soup they give you before your food comes out. And I see the point, especially during winter.

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Wow! I thought this is a Cantonese thing. Didn't know they do it in "northern" China as well. They sure didn't give me any free soup before meal 20 years ago when I travelled through China.

[XiaoLing]

It's not all restaurants. Some serve soup, others a variety of pickles and some nothing. I don't remember getting free soup in Beijing or anywhere actually when I was last in China two year ago. I think I've been gypped!!

[MiFi]

As for the other things you'd like to find in Beijing, let me know whereabouts you usually stay and I can can maybe recommend a good market or two.

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Would be grateful for any recommendations on good markets. Normally stay at the Kerry Centre Shangri-la, in the Chaoyang District - not a lot around.

[Fengyi]

Hi! I dont' think there's many traditional markets around the Kerry centre. But you should be able to pick up tea, peppercorns,etc.. even in the supermarket in the Kerry centre or walk to the Guomao and there's a supermarket in the basement there.

However, if you hop the subway at Jiangguomen and take the circle line to Chongwenmen (where I am living at the moment), there is a lovely traditional market (the Chongwenmen cai shichang) where I do most of my shopping. It's just south of the subway station.

It's really lively (though a bit more expensive than the more suburban markets due to the central location) and has some seriously beautiful produce (even an organic fruit stall!). The fish are terrific and the veg to die for!!!

You can also go to the produce market at Hongqiao for some serious foodie gazing.....

I would love to post some pictures of the market - but at the moment, my internet access is limited and I haven't got all my stuff together yet (have spent the last two months co-ordinating our move to Beijing and all the nonsense associated with that!).

Have you been to a branch of Huntun Hou? Their wontons (Northern style) are seriously nice!! Also, just ask someone where a 'Jiaozi Wang' (Jiaozi King) restaurant is - there should be some around!!

Next time I'm in the CBD I will look about and try and find something to post for you

PS Sometimes they only give you the dumpling water (aka soup) if you ask for it....

[Makan King]

One of my favorite dumpling restaurants in Beijing is called Tianjin Bai Jiao Yuan, or the Tianjin Garden of a Hundred Dumplings. It really seems to have over a hundred varieties of dumplings. There are all sorts of combinations of pork, chicken, duck, beef, lamb and even donkey meat, with various types of veggies and seafood.

My all-time favorites are the crab roe dumplings (Xie Huang Jiaozi), the pork and lotus root (Zhu Rou Lian-o), and the duck and mushroom (Xiang Gu Ya Rou).

It's a pretty big restaurant (three levels) located in a small street called Xin Wen Hua Jie, directly opposite the Marco Polo Hotel, in the Xidan area (not far from the Xidan subway stop).

Happy eating!