 You said we don't have a chaser, but I have a chaser. I love it. Cheers guys. Cheers. Bye Jill. Yo what's going on everybody, welcome to a very very special Beijing episode of Fung Gros Food. An ancient episode. Shout out to the Lost Play Tour. We're here with some friends Fiona and Nicole. A hutong, basically this alleyway that we are in, is actually a Mongolian word which means water welled alley. So a lot of communities back in the day in Beijing would set up their homes with a water well in the middle of it. And it's just beautiful. We're going to see a lot of families that have been here for generations. So recent studies show that there are more than 5,000 hutongs. They were first found in the 1200s, but mostly they were torn down in the 60s to make room for the subway. Alright basically guys, we are going on a food crawl with our local Beijing friends. And we're about to be experiencing kind of the old style of living in Beijing. It's actually still very popular and still a lot of people live in them. Hutong food crawl. Let's go. So do you live in a nice remodeled hipster hutong? The reason why I chose to be in a hutong was I really wanted to experience the life and know the neighbors around me. That neighborhood feel like, hey Ni Hao, it's all, you know, we'd say all of that stuff. Good morning, where are you going? And they care about you. So you're saying that you got a strong sense of community down here. I do, in the hutong. So over here we're going to meet the drivers. So you guys can say Ni Hao to our drivers. So we're going to be riding tuk-tuk from stop to stop. So we got the hutong bodega right behind us. They're still using an abacus to calculate things. Thailand kind of popularized the tuk-tuk like that card. But it's in Chinese, it's called a du du chi. See because it makes that sound. You are the one of the only ABCs. I know that went to Beijing to pursue a front facing in front of camera career. I guess, I like the attitude here because it's so embracing. It kind of reminds me of New York, right? It doesn't matter where you're from, what culture, what race you are. If you buy and you contribute, you speak Chinese, right? And you're giving back, then welcome. So over here we're going to try the most famous thing in Beijing, zha jiang mian. Which directly translates to fried sauce noodles. Over here the chef is a perfectionist. He hand rolls the dough and he hand cuts them every single morning. And the sauce has to have like a perfect consistency. So it's our favorite zha jiang mian restaurant. You love zha jiang mian. I love zha jiang mian. Specifically, I feel like you like Shandong style zha jiang mian. Zha jiang mian comes from Beijing or Shandong? Beijing. We got the answer, it comes from Beijing. Do you think it's proud? Can you represent the common culture? Not proud. Not proud? We are the first stop at the hu chong, hu chong zha jiang mian. So basically the sauce here is made with thick broad bean paste along with a little bit of soy sauce. And on top of it we have some chives for garnish and inside we have some pork. For all the sauce into your noodles, use your chopsticks to make sure everything is incorporated. And then you can stand for the condiments. cucumber, radishes, celery and mung beans. This is my favorite favorite, this is their homemade ghost pepper paste. In Chinese it's called hu chong zong long jiang. The new thing, we're going with the ghost peppers. They say the emperor is zha jiang mian. Oil right here is Sichuan peppercorn extract oil. So Sichuan peppercorn gives you that numbing flavor, right? The Beijing style is close to the Shandong style but it's not the same. Well what's not the same? The flavor of the bean paste. I think it's definitely better quality. You can tell with the bean paste it's just not so pungent and strong. Zha jiang mian is one of those dishes where every province, maybe even every city has a specific version. Basically the more south in China you go, the zha jiang mian is going to get less black and more red. Usually I'm eating this with ground pork but I really cherish the pieces of pork in here. I think they put some type of oil with the bean paste. Kind of just neutralizes the strong flavor from the bean. Usually when I eat zha jiang mian it just sprouts in cucumber but here it has this reddish neutralizing. This was one of my favorite zha jiang mian experiences I've ever had in my life. Next up we're going to try mungolian barbecue. On to the next spot. By the way I mean just because you live here. The reason why we love this place is because they use their secret family recipe marinate to marinate their meat before they serve it. The olden days it was used to be cooked in like a helmet, like an iron helmet of the mungolian soldiers. We'd go into a yurt, they'd sing, we'd dance around, put the hadas on our necks. But I guess that we're just going to get down and dirty into the meat. We just did a mungolian food episode with Tam. Shout out to Yao Da Ji. Yao Da Ji. We have two types of meat over here. They come in the same marinade but the beef comes with some red onions and the lamb has spring onions. It's been a while. Taste the original flavors first and to add in more flavor you guys can use the condiments as well. Mungolian beef, the real one. Wow. Those spices are different. I'll tell you guys how to use the condiments for mungolian barbecue. So first one is chili pepper of course. And the second one is cumin. The last one over here is breadcrumbs of each condiment. Put it in your bowls, mix it, and dip your cooked veggies or meat inside. Some of these spices look a thousand years old. I love that everybody helps eating at these restaurants. Or like true Lao Bei Jing, like Hu Tong people. No matter as real as you can get, they're not trying to impress anyone. Alright, here's a eggplant. Andrew, I have to use your olive oil. Oh my gosh, I'm actually really upset by the lamb. So actually the mungolian reels in the mall are actually not fully fake. Mungolian lamb. Kind of gamey, right? Yeah, that dish on its own is definitely one of the best things I ate in Beijing so far. Specifically the lamb. Wow. Actually they halal lamb. So where like the blood is drawn from the animal before they cook it. That's why you get like a pure taste. Mungolian culture I think is so widespread that it's not even mentioned anymore. You know what I mean? It almost just became part of Chinese culture. They say that you don't really take over China. China just absorbs you. Alright guys, we're going to eat a little bit more off the grill. But we got to go to the next spot. These fatty pieces are so good. Ah, this is fire! We're going to a Muslim dive bar, which sounds a little bit weird. Because Muslim people don't drink or smoke. But when you go in there, you guys will see people like drinking, screaming, smoking. So over there we're going to try what I like to call Bei Jing's ultimate hangover cure. And we're going to sample some traditional Chinese spirit called Bai Zhou. A pigeon on her shoulder. So in the Hu Tongs, Fiona, you're saying that people like to just show their birds off. Like just flex their birds. Bird flexing and cricket fighting or grasshopper fighting. Oh snap! Yo, and you know what it is man? You're just seeing like some elements of like rural China come at you. And I love it. Shout out to Luzhi Modern China. But today it's all about Lao Bei Jing. We're going to try my favorite dish in Bei Jing. I'm not even joking. If I could eat this every day, I will. It's called Men Ding Ro Bin. So Men Ding means like doornails. Have you guys been to the forbidden city? There are like red gates, big red gates with like golden doornails. If you guys know a lot of Chinese food, actually it's kind of like the characters. I feel like there's such history behind it. Like you know like a regular jiaozi looks? That's supposed to look like the ancient ingot. There's a bunch of Lao Paos out there. So basically this is a big juicy beef patty with mis cinder, garlic, onion and chives. And it was wrapped in wheat dough. And over at this place they pan fried this for half an hour. It's super crunchy on the outside and super juicy on the inside. You guys have to peel the dough open to let it air because it's very hot. And then according to your taste you can put in some like black vinegar or chili. Men Ding Ro Bin. Whoa! Mmm. There's something special about that actually. When you said that they are pan fried for 30 minutes, I can tell because the bottom is super crispy and chewy. It tastes like a way to hold. Mmm. But even better because it has more stuff in it. You guys already know about this, I'm assuming. The alcohol percentage can vary from like 30 to 70. And it's a good palate cleanser. There's no chaser guys. You said we don't have a chaser. But I have a chaser. I love it. Cheers guys. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers. With the Men Ding Ro Bin. Yeah. So, I'm going to watch it now with the Pee Dah Dofu. Okay. Pee Dah Dofu. The eggs are not actually a thousand years old. They just look a thousand years old. What's Ma Dofu? Fermented tofu? Is this– Y'all give me that. That's a nice little like pear you have going on. Ma Dofu. Ooh, great, ooh, ooh. Wow. No funk. Yeah. No cheese. A little sour, a little savory. This is a stewed lamb spine. Yang shi zi Oh my gosh It's so tender It looks like Oxtail almost David you don't make salad just I just put ma tofu on the yang shi zi Oh my gosh We're going for the kway zi Eating with Justin Kim in 90 seconds Let's start It's a mukbang, come on let's go Hit him with a shot of Baijiu Oh that's really good Give me some real descriptions of the Baijiu taste Did it burn? It's really sweet That's not for my palate People didn't know I used to live in China for a little bit in Beijing But I had all these characters right One of your classic characters that I think was the first time People had seen it on YouTube Was an old Beijing chef I've been informed by Nicole that this is a 3.5 ranked public toilet In a hutong, making it the best public hutong toilet Hey guys, actually this is 3.5 That is super clean, look Oh you hear your knees cracking This is tiny This is tiny This is a family This is a family Come on, this is real Very Chinese Gorgeous You know what I should have? I should have a gigantic calligraphy bush And just be writing on the ground right now Like Tony Lern Trying here is spring pancakes And it's a traditional Beijing style New Year dinner So Beijingers would get around family and friends And make these spring pancakes And eat this for a good New Year and a good harvest There aren't a lot of pancake places left in Beijing Because it just takes up a lot of time and effort to make these So they bring it from the factory But over here they only use the ingredients that they would use for their family So you know it's like very made with luck So you put these into two Because the things come in pairs Like this And you put the crispy side down Okay so it's got two layers so you open it up like that Pocket Like a pita Boom Pita fajita Well I mean I would compare it to you guys If you guys have been to like you know typical Chinese restaurants Mushu You know the Mushu Pork dish right So you put the crispy side down on your plate or on your hands And you put in whatever filling you'd like This is a traditional filling for the pancakes Called reunion dish in Chinese So bean sprouts, leeks, glass noodles Tofu skin, wood ear mushrooms And scrambled eggs Oh yes Yeah and then there's scrambled eggs and spring onions Sauteed with soybean paste Over here we got compound chicken We already know that this is from like the Tron province But over here they make the best compound in town It just has a great balance of sweet salty spicy and sour Trending It's a couple of years now That's legit If you guys know about provincialism in China Like the provinces can be so different Sometimes they don't even care about each other Because they don't even feel like the same type of people And the food's different The language is different The holidays are different Right, here is Jinjiang roast It's Beijing pork strips What is this? This is actually tofu skin So you take one slice of tofu skin You put a couple slices of pork It's also marinated with some sweeter soybean paste And a little bit of spring onion And you just like roll it like a tobacco This is it That chicken is a hit It's true gummer, man I'm going in on the compound The compound is actually really good Should I get one more? Cheers, you guys So much to see you You don't live in the hutong next to a wireless Come visit me again I'll give you my version of the hutong tour This is a very old school drink that people Like who were young in the 80s grew up drinking The best way to compare this It's sprite with a little bit of orange juice Got to make a double, double decker here So I'm going to fold it over, right And then I have some surface space right here Gong bao ji ding on Oh, you guys Dude, we should have been eating this whole week, man We've been eating this K.O. avocado Triple layer, all four Actually, not bad That's very light, eggy and vegetarian And then you kind of have your More salty, spicier flavors here Oh my gosh The little vegetables have so much flavor Yeah Like I'll just eat an onion And the onion will be more oniony Than an onion in the states Yeah Hey, how's this nectar? Oh, the Arctic Ocean What, is this Hawthorne? Yeah Oh Everybody, what was your favorite What was your favorite out of these dishes? The traditional chen bing Quickly, I think this dish was my favorite Yeah, yeah Her thai, yeah, just her thai I really like the pork and the her thai Put together because you had Your kind of saltiness And Stronger flavors from this Balance out with this I think that, you know, the easiest way To describe Beijing is that It has the vibes And this place got the vibes for real Alright, you guys We are ending off our trip Peace Bye Peace to the drivers The shijis And basically we are ending at A cool vibe bar In a hutong So I want to give a huge shout out to everybody Who are joining us Thank you to Fiona Thanks for having me guys Thank you to Nicole Thanks for having me Thank you Thank you for joining us For the tour Shout out to Lost Plates Where do they find out more about it? Lostplate.com Come on our website Woo! Lostplates.com Trust me We never would have been able to do Any of this Without the tour I wouldn't have found myself here My favorite thing about living in a hutong Is I'm surprised every single day Nicole, you've shown me all these places I've never been to So that means I gotta keep adventuring, man I think sometimes life in the big city Especially amongst the money class Is so cold And it's like kind of Status driven Which is A lot of modern society works But in the hutongs, man They're still keeping it The old ways It's all about community We're coming live from the hutongs In Beijing Until next time We out Peace