As our trip in China began to get underway, we were slowly exposed to more and more exotic foods. First Beijing and Xi'an, then to cities of Sichuan fire in Chengdu and Chongqing, a quick stop in Guilin, before moving to milder flavours in Guangzhou. Xi'an, with mostly Muslim food, didn't exactly spike our palette. One of us even got diarrhea by drinking the milk-and was forced to relieve themselves in the Terracotta Army's disgusting bathrooms! The day right after, that same person ate too much fatty food and was forced to skip the Roujiāmó, vomiting and trying to rest for most of the morning. In the same afternoon, they got the worst allergic reaction they had ever experienced to a plate of dumplings!
Yangrou pàomó (羊肉泡馍)
Yangrou pàomó (羊肉泡馍) is a specialty Shaanxi food and can be found everywhere in the city. The ingredients are basically lamb stew and chopped-up steamed leavened bread. It is very flavorful. Due to the nature of lamb, the stew can be quite greasy. If you don't like greasy soup, you may want to skip this one.
Liuxinniu Mutton Diced Pancake In Beef Side Dish (刘信牛羊肉泡馍小炒) - This is where you can find good yangrou pàomó (羊肉泡馍). The lamb stew was very flavorful but a bit greasy. [Google Maps] [高德地图]
Roujiāmó (肉夹馍)
Roujiāmó (肉夹馍) is another Shaanxi specialty food. It is also called Chinese hamburger. It looks exactly like a hamburger, except that the meat inside is shredded pork rather than grounded beef. In some restaurants, you can choose how much fat you want the pork to have. A little bit of fat is important or else the pork will taste dry.
秦豫肉夹馍(东羊市店) is famous for their roujiāmó (肉夹馍). You can order regular meat, extra lean meat, and premium meat. We ordered regular and it tasted great. [高德地图]
Biangbiang noodles
Biangbiang noodles is a traditional noodle dish in Shaanxi. Compare to Yangrou pàomó (羊肉泡馍) and Roujiāmó (肉夹馍), it is actually quite healthy. The noodles are broad and hand-made. They are mixed with tomatoes, eggs, bean sprouts, some vegetables, and some grounded pork. It was sometimes served with an extra large bowl (see picture) and we all loved it. You can request for a non-spicy version if you cannot bear with the spice.
Chinese character for Biang
The Chinese character for Biang has many different ways of writing. It is one of the most complex Chinese characters. The picture shows just one way of writing it. No one is able to verify the origin of this character.
Zènggāo (甑糕)
Zènggāo (甑糕) is steamed glutinous rice with red dates. It was a traditional Shaanxi dessert made popular again by a recent TV drama. The red dates provide just the right amount of sweetness. It is one of the sweets that I wish I can eat again from time to time.
Babao porridge (八寶甜稀飯)
The main ingredients of Babao porridge (八寶甜稀飯) are red beans, mung beans, black beans, peanut rice, sorghum rice, millet, black rice, red dates, barley, lotus seeds, lilies, raisins and so on. It is a very healthy version of congee.
Lamb skewer
If you are in the Muslim Quarter, make sure you save some room in your stomach for the lamb skewer. It was so good that I forgot to take any picture of it. Luckily, I bookmarked the location and I have included it in the list of restaurants below.
新亮烤肉 (大麦市街) serves one of the best lamb skewers in town. It was conveniently located inside the Muslim Quarter. [Google Map] [高德地图]