The historical and cultural wonders of Beijing are unmistakable, but as the city continues to define itself as a tourist hub beyond its domestic and Asian markets, the destination can still feel like hard work when it comes to halal food.
Unlike Singapore or even Hong Kong, Beijing does not immediately present itself as an easy place for Muslim travellers to eat, particularly for visitors from the UAE, where there is no shortage of excellent halal Chinese restaurants.
But that assumption is not entirely true.
Beijing is home to a Muslim community whose roots stretch back to at least 996. You can see, smell and taste that history in Niujie Street, near central Beijing and home to the historic Niujie Mosque, which dates back to the Liao dynasty.
The mosque remains at the epicentre of the city’s Hui community, an ethnoreligious group predominantly composed of Chinese-speaking adherents of Islam, and a neighbourhood filled with halal butchers selling everything from beef and lamb to tripe, alongside outdoor and indoor stalls serving sandwiches, skewers, sweet buns, noodles and other snacks.
Redevelopment in the late 1990s added more markets and streamlined the area, turning it into a bustling neighbourhood and a drawcard for both Beijing’s Muslim communities and foodies.
It’s off the beaten tourist track, but well worth a visit for a food adventure that will leave you sated, perhaps slightly heavy, and without having done too much damage to the wallet.
Here are seven must-try dishes in Niujie.
1. Beef pie
Pronounced niurou xianbing, the beef pie comes with various fillings.
I did a When Harry Met Sally and said, “I’ll have what she’s having”, pointing discreetly to the satisfied customer ahead of me. What I got was a piping-hot, pan-griddled pie with a crisp surface and juicy beef and scallion filling. In many ways, the gamey flavour profile reminded me of homemade Levantine-style samosas and, much like that Ramadan speciality, these pies are best eaten hot.
Price: 10-15 Chinese yuan (up to $2.20) each
2. Sesame shaobing
Niujie has its own twist on this northern Chinese speciality, with sesame-paste and pepper-salt versions of baked, rolled dough coiled into layers.
It is all about the thin crust here: soft, but providing just enough structure for the dough not to collapse into messy crumbs.
The white pepper-salt version, a crowd-puller in Niujie, is pleasantly savoury, while if you want more of a punch, the sesame paste delivers with a nutty, lightly bitter flavour.
Shaobing is very dunkable, so is best served as a side dish with soup. Or, eat as locals do – sliced open and used as a mini-slider for braised beef.
Price: 10-15 Chinese yuan (up to $2.20) each
3. Beef or lamb baozi
You do not have to look too hard to find baozi in Niujie. It is one of the neighbourhood’s most popular snacks, judging by the long lines that form at the various kiosks.
Baozi are soft, springy steamed buns filled with meat and scallion. These halal versions come with beef or lamb, with the filling kept juicy enough to flavour the dough without turning it soggy.
Beef is the milder option, while lamb has a richer aroma and flavour, especially when you pull the bun open and the steam escapes.
Price: 2.5 Chinese yuan ($0.40) each
4. Baodu
One of the defining sights of Niujie is the seemingly endless line of butcheries and specialist meat vendors, many of them selling baodu. The dish is essentially beef or sheep tripe plunged into fiercely boiling water for only a few seconds.
If you are fortunate, some of the hole-in-the-wall shops will let you watch the process. It really does take only seconds. Get the timing right and the tripe comes out crisp and tender; leave it in too long and it quickly turns rubbery.
Connoisseurs can get particular about which cuts to order, so I took the easier route and asked for the best one available. What arrived had a delicate crispness but was still soft enough to chew easily, with the mild beefy flavour of the tripe itself standing out.
A range of dips helps if you want something punchier, from vinegar and soy sauce to sesame paste. This one is for true carnivores.
Price: 30-50 Chinese yuan (up to $7.40)
5. Douzhi
The Arab world is no stranger to fermented drinks, from the savoury yoghurt drink laban to Hijazi sobia, a coconut and dairy blend made from fermented barley and oats. But douzhi is something else.
While found across Beijing, it is a popular drink at stalls in Niujie, where it is easy to spot in transparent plastic containers filled with grey-green liquid. You smell douzhi – made from the residue of mung-bean starch – before you taste it. The aroma can be charitably described as pungent and, unlike its regional counterparts, douzhi is best had lukewarm or hot.
I found it tough to stomach, although, ironically, it is said to be good for digestion. And who am I to argue with a celebrated centuries-old culinary culture?
Price: 3 to 5 Chinese yuan (up to $0.75)
6. Copper-pot mutton hotpot
A copper-pot mutton hotpot is a Niujie must-try. A good place for it is Jubaoyuan, where thin slices of lamb are cooked in a clear broth bubbling inside a traditional copper pot, then dipped into sesame sauce. Cabbage, tofu, mushrooms and vermicelli can also be added.
The restaurant is also relatively tourist-friendly, with an English menu. Anyone looking for a break from all that meat can load the pot with vegetables, tofu, mushrooms and noodles instead.
Price: 120 Chinese yuan ($18)
7. Sticky-rice sweets
If you’re looking for a sweet treat, look for sticky-rice cakes at Bai Ji, a halal snack shop on Niujie Street. Renowned as masters of the craft, they command a line for cakes cut into thick slices from a log to reveal swirls of purple jam or red-bean paste.
They are soft, sweet and sticky, with enough chew to make each slice feel substantial.
Price: 10 to 20 Chinese yuan (up to $3) depending on the portion