XI'AN MUSLIM QUARTER : SERIOUS EAT HERE!

THINGS TO DO AT MUSLIM QUARTER, XI'AN , CHINA

1. Old Drum Tower

2. Eat at Muslim Quarter

3. Grand Mosque

4. Eat at Muslim Quarter

5. Watch Puppet show and have an evening stroll at Gao Family Mansion

6. Eat again at Muslim Quarter

Ngeeeee... the major highlight here is eat and eat and eat.WTH!

You can't visit to Muslim Quarter in Xi'an, China with mind on strict diet. You will not make it through at all. What you about to see in this post.....I will not be blame for making you drools in front of your PC or saliva dropping on your smartphone screen. hahahaha...

Tips For non speaker who visit to Muslim Quarter all you need to know here... are this 2 words.

Yang Rou - Lamb meat

Niu Rou - Beef

For Muslim...other than that words don't eat. hahahaha

Muslim Quarter, located in the Northwest of the ancient City Wall of Xi'an is totally not to be missed if you visit to Xi'an. In fact, you will get hook by this place and will go there again and again if you love food like I do. Make sure to find your accommodation just by walking distance to this place. I will never end my night at Xi'an without Muslim Quarter. WTH!

 You can start you Muslim Quarter walking course by visiting to Old drum Tower which located on the entry way of this place. Then make your way to Grand Mosque of Xi'an which located on your left hand side if you are at the entry way of Muslim Quarter. Pay entrance fee 25 yuan and find your inner peace here before going through all those havoc Muslim Quarter street.

By the time you finish both place visitation you will see the crowd queuing up like going for a ride at Disney World or something. 

But this people are not going for any ride.....they are far from buying a ticket. They are queing for the best street food here at Muslim Quarter.

Xi'an is the starting point of Silk Road (I want to go for Silk Road journey before I reach 45 years old) and this place not only have one world's longest culinary histories but one of the richest too. You mind mind will blow away with all sort of food your can enjoy.

Being the home of various religions, including Muslim from Tang Dynasty and the cultures are mixture which gives strong influence of Middle Eastern and Chinese cuisine. 

Everywhere is all about Lamb on the stick. Lamb on the bread and lamb in the noodles. Not just lamb, they have beef too.

You won't see any porkie here since this is place for Muslim and they don't eat pork here.

Beef or Lamb Roujiamo or Steamed Bread Sandwich is super famous. You will see many people queuing up for this. The vendor will fish out chunk of braised beef from the steel pot then chopped the meat and place it in between of this white flat bread. Then he splits open the bread filled with meat and add in the chili oil. To me the taste is just ok and not worth to brave that long line. But for the sake of tasting it, I came to this place early morning so I don't need to join that long queue. I taste this for breakfast.

I love this fried pastry filled with beef better than that Roujiamo.

Meat on stick is everywhere here. Lamb on the stick is totally something I enjoyed so much here. Cost around 10 - 15 Yuan per stick. You dying for more once you tasted that juicy grilled lamb sprinkle with spices and chillies. Ahhhhh....totally love this so much. You buy and eat there (standing , ok) then give them back the stick.

Top photo left : Braised Lamb leg which I brave myself to eat for 15 Yuan and I don't like eat.

Top photo right : Wanted to eat that boiled lamb brisket and I miss it. The disadvantage of traveling alone it you can't eat that much. haihhhhh....

Bottom left : Steamed Bamboo from grumpy vendor.  It cost 10 yuan per bamboo. Inside taste like banana, mango and sticky rice. 

When I finally gotten mind the pass by people like how it taste how it taste...aihhhhh! mmmmmm.... not sure how to react to this kind of taste. hahahaha...

I found this charcoal grilled chicken only like my final two night here in Xi'an. Goshhh! love the tenderness and taste of this grilled chicken.

Totally in love with that tiny fried potatoes. Deep fried potatoes than stir fried to order with sprinkle of salt , spices, chillies and scallion....forget french fries! This is like ..Wow!

I have tried that beancurd but I don't like it a bit. huhuhuh

Mutton Dumplings!!!! Whoaaaaa!!!! I have been wanting to eat this and I got it. Having one of those is like heaven. Heavily spiced chopped mutton in that pursed shaped steamed dumpling served with black vinegar and of course that MUST chilli oil. Explosive!

But having to finish that trays of like 10 dumplings alone....not a fun task to me. haihhhhh...but I paid 36 yuan for this. Eating as slowly possible with thought...this is may be my first and last trip to Xi'an. I need to try this and that. WTH! 'kiasu'!

Top left : Nan bread with some nuts topping like pizza like shape is like everywhere here. So if you love this kind of hard bread you can buy 3 for 10 Yuan. I don't have a good tooth and eating meat is like a heavy duty task for my poor tooth.isk isk isk...

Top right : Smoked egg which I happily bought and taste it in my speed train ride to Luoyang. WTH! salted egg. hahahaha I wish I have hot porridge with me at that time. I ate that salty egg like the best egg ever...since I was hungry on the train and don't want to waste money to buy lunch box sell on the train. One hour journey anyway. hahahahaha sound like big deal huh?

Bottom photo : One morning, I was exploring every corner of Muslim Quarter then found this uncle frying fresh made beef ball. Whoaaaa!!! can't resist and I bought this for 10 Yuan. Love the taste of the spices in this beef balls. It taste like minty and then leave the numb taste to your tongue. Addictive! I was his first customer for that day. He look at my face and he knows I am from Malaysia. I guess many Xianese know Malaysia since we are Muslim Country. Some even have children study here. They love Malaysia since easy to find Halal food here compare to other country.

I don't try the squid but I tried the crab. The meat was juicy and delicious.

For dessert you can try this persimmons doughnuts. The texture is chewy like mochi. The challenge is they have many filling in the center. For many tourist like me who can't speak their language, I leave it to my fate when I point this to them. I end up with the original without any filling inside. Gotcha!!!!! I want the red bean one!!!!! isk isk isk... I tried to say it in Chinese but they don't understand my poor pronunciation.

I was hooked by this stuffed chicken wing. For 10 yuan , I got to eat this grilled chicken wing with delicious fried rice inside it. I can have 2 at one go for this. At first I bought one....then was eating while walking....hehehehe...thick faced turn back and order another. kakakaka...glutton fat woman!

You don't miss this dish. This is a must to eat if you visit to Xi'an. All you need is to wander deep throuh every cornet of Muslim Quarter and you will find this stretch of restaurants where people sitting at outside table, patiently tearing bread into small pieces. 

We are talking about Yangrou Paomo. The top in the list food to eat in Xi'an.

Once you finish tearing the bread then send it back to the cook. Then the cook will filled it with thin glass noodles , some chopped vegetables and few slices of braised mutton before pour over thick flavoured broth. You eat it with pickled garlic and salty chilli with this dish. I kind of like this. It cost me 55 Yuan. Bloody expensive! but worth it!

I even ate it again at the airport before depart back to KL. WTH!

My last day, I still exploring to every nook and corner of Muslim Quarter and found this small little shop which only can fit like 4 wooden table in the shop. Outside they have lines of claypot with chicken in it. Freshly cook. Brave myself to order and I was like....love it. It just braised claypot chicken. You can have it with rice but I just skip the rice and its good!

Wonder how this small little shop make business?

Well, I was there in the shop enjoying the food and the order is like non stop. All from online sales like Tabao and other e commerce. China Enterpreneurship is totally at different level. The motorcycle delivery man was like non stop to pick up the order for delivery. 

I was like Whoaaaaa!!!! huge market!

I saw this big plate chicken when I was coming back late night in the rain. So I was telling myself need to try those interesting dish too. hehehehe... the next day, here I was enjoying Dapanji a Xinjiang delicacies. It is served with Latiaozi or lamian which is hand stretched noodles. So don't itchy mouth to order bowl of rice like myself. hehehehe...Damn! not only it came in huge plate, it also like a complete meal by itself. It has chicken, potatoes, mixed vegetables and sort of cook with sichuan spices styles. I love the melt in mouth potatoes. 

Can't get enough of this Dapanji. Lucky its heavy rain outside. So I slowly enjoy my meal with all those weird stares direct to my lonely table and the only table ordered bowl of rice and stir fried greens with big plate of dapanji. 

Don't care less , foreigner ma...how hell I know how to eat this your style. I just do it myyyyyy wayyyyy!!!! hahahaha I finished it all after few hours butt sticking on that chair.

After few days in Xi'an..being Malaysian I missed fried noodles so much. I hardly find any here. Mostly soup noodles or dry mixed sauce noodles. I found this place with people frying intensely on big frying wok. I was so excited. Pointed for what that fella is frying and find my seat. hahahaha...my dinner for that night! Craving satisfied! just like that!

I have been talking about mostly heavy main course and greasy and oily food. We can get cheap and delicious fruits here.

Top photo : That melon to die for just for 10 yuan. Serious delicious sweet melon!

Bottom left : Red dates sweet and crunchy. I bought it for my snack while visiting some attractions.

Bottom right : They called it plum. To me? WTH! this is not plum? this taste like grapes! confused! until now...hahahaha Plum or Grape?

Not a fan of Banana but you can get to eat this in Xi'an.  Not sure how it taste....Banana taste??? hahaha

Here in Malaysia you will never get to buy big crispy and juicy apple for RM0.50 anymore. Here in Xi'an....WTH apple cost you like RM0.45 and that big juice sweet grapes cost me like RM4.50. Walauweiiiii!!!!!

You quenched your thirst and wash away the greasy oily food taste with this delicious drink like sweet pear and red dates drink.

I love this rose tea boiled with haw flakes and lemon with some dates in it. Serious, nice!

I can't end my day at Xi'an without drinking this sweet delicious pomegranate from slow juicer which cost me 10 yuan per cup.

If you go inner closed to Muslim community living place...which I did walked until that far...I found many cheap delicious food here too.

This are my breakfast , pan fried bread and the fried 'yao char kaoy' is super delicious here. Its like crispy in outside and soft in the inside. Even the dough tasted different here.

That horrid soupy things? I don't taste it. If not mistaken that one is pepper soup. Its a common local breakfast eat with Yao Char Koay.

I found this vendor is selling sort of crepes for breakfast.

That child not for eating at Muslim Quarter. He is one of those typical boy you can find at Xi'an. Love the hair boy!

My favourite dessert! Glutinous rice cakes or Zenggou with sour plum sauce. Serious! must eat this.

This one is mung bean cakes with red dates. Not bad too. I kind of like the savoury taste.

Top Left : This is typical garlic served in the restaurant

Top Right : Liangpi noodles which is common in Xi'an. Its a rice flour dough noodles served with cucumber , sprout , sesame seed sauce, chilli oil and black vinegar. Taste? OK la...but not big fan of this. Once is enough for me.

Bottom right : I don't like the taste. That cube things make from Mung bean. then pan fried it with some spices and black vinegar. .. can't help it to just left without going for a second spoon. huhuhuh.

How dare to eat this?

I found this at market. hahaha maybe sort of organ for sales.

After your serious eating while waiting for your food to digest for second or third round you can visit Gao Mansion to watch some puppet show. This place location is like in the middle of busy Muslim Quarter street. You won't miss it. Entrance fee 30 Yuan. But you get to see the most well preserved high official mansion on those historical era.

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