What Makes Xi'an Muslim Street Food So Special? - Deep Halal Food Tour

In this video, we are going deep into Xi'an's Muslim Quarter, one of China's oldest food markets. Beyond the tourist crowds and into the back streets where locals actually eat, Some of the city's best halal street food with one mission, to find out what Xi'an really tastes like. Creamy, fried until golden and crispy. Come on, let's have a drink. I'm going to take a picture with my brother. Next, Biangbiang noodles, the famous hand-pulled belt noodles. The name comes from the sound the doll makes when it hits the counter. What are the seasonings? Soy sauce and vinegar, right? Soy sauce and vinegar, soy sauce and vinegar, and beef. You have to make sure that the flavor is right. If the flavor is not right, it won't taste good. You can't squeeze it out. Then comes the best part. Seasoning hot oil poured right over the top. You can't squeeze out all the flavor from the chili oil. You squeeze it out, mix it, and it tastes good. Thick chewy noodles topped with beef, chili oil, garlic, vinegar and spices. That smell is incredible. Oh, this is the first time. First time. Oh, first time. This is the first time. Oh, this is the first time. Then we wander into a Xi'an style group tucked away in a back alley. These beef skewers are just one RMB each. I'm starting to speak now. Salt, cumin, and chili flakes, that's it. I'm starting to speak now. This is a very beautiful place. I'm starting to speak now. There are a lot of girls here. There are a lot of girls here. There are a lot of girls here. There are a lot of girls here. There are a lot of girls here. There are a lot of girls here. There are a lot of girls here. There are a lot of girls here. There are a lot of girls here. There are a lot of girls here. There are a lot of girls here. There are a lot of girls here. There are a lot of girls here. There are a lot of girls here. There are a lot of girls here. There are a lot of girls here. There are a lot of girls here. There are a lot of girls here. There are a lot of girls here. There are a lot of girls here. There are a lot of girls here. There are a lot of girls here. Chaotic and full of street energy. To go. Two of these, two of those, give them to me. Next, we step into a busy flatbread workshop. It's early morning, and they are already working. It's carefully weighed at 230 grams. I'm starting to speak now. Then rolled out and toasted on a griddle. It's been a while since I've eaten this. This bread is dense and chewy, and perfect for soaking up broth. The locals tear it into tiny pieces by hand before dropping it into net soup. When things get busy, machines do the job much faster. Usually Usually, what time do you start in the morning? 5 AM, I start here at 5 AM. Right here. People want the roasted mo early, all of them. How much is this bag of roasted mo pieces? Fifty pieces. Fifty pieces for fifty... ...yuan. Fifty pieces for forty yuan. Money, forty yuan. That's 0.8 yuan each. And then she adds ultimate street food flavor, the beef burger. Did you scan it? Yet? I'm scanning it now. Done. Ten Yuan, eight yuan. It uses that same flat bread stuffed with tender halal beef, slow braised with aromatics and spices. I don't have any money. I need to buy some goods. The beef gets chopped to order with all those rich pan juices, then packed into bread with fresh crunchy vegetables. Anything else? Hey, this is enough. That's enough, just one small steamed bun for me. Alright. Next up, the spicy pepper soup is classic Xi'an breakfast fuel. Glossy and packed with meatballs and slow simmered vegetables Don't worry, I... they every day noon six hundred is just taking several hundred kilo- meters, as long as you don't love other things, nothing will happen, don't come in Good morning. Then comes a generous splash of chili oil. Here we go. Add a piece of flatbread for dipping. And you've got the ultimate Xi'an breakfast. I like this smell. Yeah. I'm starting to speak now. We get to one of Xi'an's most iconic dishes, bread soaked in lamb or beef soup. Absurd. First, you tear the dense flatbread into tiny pieces by hand. The chef cooks it right into a rich broth with glass noodles and tender meat. The bread soaks up all that savory broth. It's soft, rich, and incredibly flavorful. Love the flavors. There is also a fried bread. This time, it hits a blazing hot wok with beef, eggs, tomatoes, chili oil, and aged vinegar. Wakes up Xi'an early in the morning, steaming bowl of Bu Jia Ji Dan to savoury tea porridge topped with peanuts, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and crispy fried dough bites. How long does it take to cook? One day. On Saturdays and Sundays. When it's time to go to bed, they will know the taste. It's delicious. Thank you. You can just sit here and eat. Rich savoury broth meets a seriously satisfying crunch. Something sweet. If you've got sweet tooth, you have to try Youba, traditional fried sweet pastry. It's made from hot water dough, stuffed with sugar and roasted black sesame, then fried until golden and crisp. He's a really good one. I don't know what you're talking about. Uh, check it out. Okay, good job. Yeah, go. Two and a half yuan. Do you want to eat it? Of course! And then there's this soft chewy rice cake. Glutinous rice is steamed and pounded until super soft. Oh, boy. Then layered with sweet red bean paste. Crispy, chewy, sweet. Pretty much the perfect little treat. Do you want to cut it into pieces? No, I want to cut it into three pieces. Three pieces, one is enough. But if you love big bold flavors, this hot and sour beef dumplings will blow your mind. All right. These dumplings are hand-washed mix of aged dark vinegar, roasted chili oil, sesame seeds, and fresh cilantro. Healthy, spicy, rich, and seriously addictive. And finally, something completely different, fried yogurt. I can't hear it. Thank you. Sweet creamy yogurt goes onto a freezing cold plate with a generous heap of crushed cookies. Thank you. This is almost instantly and then gets chopped into little bite-sized blocks. I'm starting to speak now. I'm starting to speak now. After all that food, we're going deeper into the Muslim Quarter. And then I came across this unbelievable piece of street art. Guess what he's making? He's literally enjoying Xi'an's historical bell tower using hot melting caramel as his ink. As it cools, it turns into a crispy edible lollipop. Oh, this is a set. Now the children are not easy to coax, if you are too ugly, you don't want it, right? When did you start, did you develop it yourself? No, this is passed down from my father-in-law, my grandfather passed it down. Oh, it's not easy, it's not easy to find this craft, and then I want to go to work with him, but I can't find a suitable job. People sometimes sell tens of dollars a day, sometimes sell 100 dollars, It's 100 yuan. And just like that, our food adventure wraps up in Xian's Muslim Quarter, so don't just follow the main street, go a little deeper, that's where the real flavors begin.