http://www.hawberry.net Fresh eats from Beijing & beyond Sun, 11 Sep 2011 03:33:55 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Most foreigners in Beijing might think of another salt-themed restaurant, but the Salt Merchants restaurant, by the Purple Bamboo Park, is the only one for me. I could happily go to Jinfu Yanbang (锦府盐帮) anytime for its unique and utterly delicious Zigong cuisine, which you might think of as a regional variation within the varied [...]]]> http://www.hawberry.net/2011/08/28/beijing-favorites-salt-merchants-zigong/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=beijing-favorites-salt-merchants-zigong I have been preoccupied by a great many things recently, including another trip to Chiang Mai, where I went on a visa run. (The Chinese consulate there is very efficient, friendly and conveniently close to the old city.) But the real reason (or at least one of them) why I’ve gone to Chiang Mai twice [...]]]> http://www.hawberry.net/2011/08/22/a-quest-for-sausages/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-quest-for-sausages There’s little else I’d rather eat on a hot summer’s day than a mountain of shaved ice (刨冰 baobing) – sometimes in lieu of the meal itself. What better way to cool down during a blisteringly hot day in Beijing – or after a spicy chili-laden meal – than a mountain of snowy ice, heaped with all [...]]]> http://www.hawberry.net/2011/06/28/shaved-ice-desserts/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=shaved-ice-desserts Nothing says Guizhou to me like zao lajiao (糟辣椒), or fermented chili pepper paste. It exemplifies the best of Guizhou country cooking: homey, simple and bold in flavor. With a few slices of scallions and cloves of garlic, it can transform ordinary ingredients (cabbage! potatoes!) to a beautiful thing of complex spiciness. Zao lajiao has [...]]]> http://www.hawberry.net/2011/06/15/zao-lajiao-fermented-chili-pepper-paste/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=zao-lajiao-fermented-chili-pepper-paste It’s a rare chance that we get to appreciate the weird and wondrous ways of nature in the midst of Beijing, but our weekly vegetable deliveries from Therese’s organic farm usually do the trick. Though Therese’s vegetables are usually quite conventional, every spring she offers ‘wild vegetables’ (野菜 yecai) from her farm, God’s Grace Garden. Last [...]]]> http://www.hawberry.net/2011/06/02/eating-weeds-lycoris/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=eating-weeds-lycoris What happens when we watch nothing but Bollywood movies week after week? Strong intermittent cravings for all things India, including, of course, Indian food. That’s when a trip to Tamarind is called for (it’s a little more convenient than Delhi). Tamarind is a bit unusual for me – it’s located in the Beijing Marriott Northeast [...]]]> http://www.hawberry.net/2011/05/19/tamarind-marriott-northeast/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tamarind-marriott-northeast These are one of my favorite snacks when wandering around the hutongs of Beijing. They are almost granola bar-like, and seem to contain nothing more than what you can see and taste: sunflower seeds, honey and a dash of salt. It’s crunchy and nutty, not too sweet, rather perfect for both you and your pet [...]]]> http://www.hawberry.net/2011/05/10/sunflower-seed-cakes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sunflower-seed-cakes We went to Huen Phen twice during our Chiang Mai trip, and each time, the experience was transformative. Imagine this: it is 38°C in Chiang Mai. The sun is beating down. The wats are shiny. We’ve been wandering around, looking at things, and getting hotter and sweatier, melting a little more with every step (I [...]]]> http://www.hawberry.net/2011/04/29/chiang-mai-huen-phen/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=chiang-mai-huen-phen Sup nawmai was one of my favorite dishes in Chiang Mai, and no surprise: it’s got a winning combination of bamboo shoots and chili pepper. This spicy salad of fermented bamboo can be found at places that serve Isaan, or northeastern, styles of food. It’s usually pounded with a mortar and pestle, which is a [...]]]> http://www.hawberry.net/2011/04/20/sup-nawmai-and-chicken-too/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sup-nawmai-and-chicken-too Thailand had never been very high on my list of places to visit: it’s taken me nearly five years of  living in China to make the relatively short trip. And now I see that I have been terribly wrong – as soon as my plane landed in Beijing and the last Kop khun ka of [...]]]> http://www.hawberry.net/2011/04/12/pork-and-spice-high-in-chiang-mai/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=pork-and-spice-high-in-chiang-mai