Xining (ཟི་ལིང) Part I: Street Food

Written by on in Food, Travel
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Crispy, spicy potato cakes, about 4” in diameter; small baked breads with turmeric powder and powdered fenugreek loaves seen in background.

 

Xining (ཟི་ལིང, Silung in Tibetan), the city I called home for five years before I left for England, is the capital of Qinghai Province on the Tibetan plateau (see photos of Xining here).

The province governs eight prefecture-level divisions – two prefecture-level cities, one Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and five Tibetan autonomous prefectures. One of the five, Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, is of course where I’m originally from.

Although Qinghai Province is ranked fourth largest in size with rich resources of oil, natural gas, and salt, it only houses about 5.6 million people and is third smallest by population.

Qinghai (ཨ༌མདོ, Amdo in Tibetan) is also the birthplace of the current Dalai Lama and the 10th Panchen Lama (the second highest rank in Tibetan Buddhism after the Dalai Lama).

Xining is a city of 2 million inhabitants. Because of 2,000 years of history, and many ethnic groups, including Chinese Han, Tibetans, Hui (Muslim), Tu/Monguors, Mongols and Salars (Oghuz Turks) and others who call it home, the city is a cultural hub, a melting pot.

And my favorite part of it was the food, the street food, indeed. My two sisters and I walked literally for only five minutes along Mojia Street in the center of the city and saw many appetizing goodies.

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Subing pastries that melt in your month are filled with healthy ingredients like nuts, sesame seeds and bean paste.

 

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Kebabs that are made of Yak meat, and chicken.

 

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Deep-fried, crunchy, sweet goodies that the Hui (Muslim) ladies are so mastered in making. I literally can’t stop enjoying them.

 

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Chinese Ma La Tang, meats, vegetables and tofu pieces skewered to cook in that hot, mouth-numbing liquid. I had this popular street food countless times in the past.

 

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Tangbing, another deep-fried, sweet goodie, and stuffed sesame balls.

 

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Sho or Suannai, made fresh daily, yogurt in bowls are calling you to sit right there and enjoy.

 

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A colorful loaf of bread with a touch of sweetness that my sister fancied and brought some home.

 

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Shagam or Niurou Gan, varieties of yak jerky: curried, spiced, mala and other flavors.

 

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Mahua, often lightly sweetened, is another masterpiece of Hui (Musilm) ladies.

 

A very popular local dish, this savory pancake is called Gou Jiao Niao or Gou Jiao Niao Bing. It’s often multilayered with powdered fenugreek leaves and turmeric but also seasoned with sesame seeds, scallions and chili powder.
A very popular local dish, this savory pancake is called Gou Jiao Niao or Gou Jiao Niao Bing. It’s often multilayered with powdered fenugreek leaves and turmeric but also seasoned with sesame seeds, scallions and chili powder.

 

And what do you think?

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I was born and raised on the Tibetan plateau. And I sing and dance with the utensils in my kitchen, while remembering and storytelling in my mind. Consulting in the realm of user experience (UX) design now based in Madison, WI, US, I’m blessed with the positive responses to my design contributions in the field and winning several awards. Growing up in the mountains of Rebgong (རེབ་གོང། Rebkong, Tongren), a cultural hub, I learned the art of making comfort food and the essence of what it takes to make juicy yak meat dumplings that will splash in your mouth while the delicate wrapper stays perfectly intact. And no one trained me better in cooking than my beloved late grandmother, Sonam. My love of cooking fresh meals daily, gardening and storytelling has continued to this day. And my friends here in the West are continually fascinated with my rich heritage, the dishes I cook, and the stories I share. “Beyond Her Kitchen” is where I celebrate Tibetan culture through food and stories, honoring disadvantaged women & girls. Continue reading at: https://beyondherkitchen.com/meet-jolma

10 Comments

  5. It all looks amazingly good. Now I want to try Gou Jiao Niao Bing in the worst way…

    Savory pancake….WANT WANT WANT! 8- )

  6. I love your photos. You really have done a great job of bringing this food to us.
    The yogurt picture brought back to mind the taste of the homemade yogurt your mother gave us after dinner. So much better than store bought!

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