Recent Favorite Food Cities + winner of Giveaway

Thanks everyone so much for your participation in the giveaway. I was thrilled at the response. I really think it's the most popular one I've ever hosted. I guess everyone likes to travel. :)

And the winner is . . . .

Gee Emm!  This was chosen randomly (using random.org) out of 187 entries. Gee Emm said "I would love to stay at the only North American Club Carlson Radisson Blu... in Chicago!"

I must say, I was surprised how many people picked Radisson Blu in Chicago. I didn't even know about the hotel, but it must be pretty incredible. That reminds me, I really need to get myself out of Chicago one of these days - go back to my Midwestern roots!

Anyway, thanks everyone else for playing. It was heartwarming to hear your comments (I hardly get any comments on this blog, so I'm never quite sure what people think about my posts!). It was encouraging to hear what aspects you all liked, and thanks again for some great suggestions!

For fun, in the spirit of this travel-oriented giveaway, I thought I'd share about some of my recent favorite food cities to visit.


JAPAN
Japan is one of my favorite countries to visit. I first got to know the culture when I spent a summer there during college working at a chemical research company. I loved experiencing the simplest parts of everyday life, such as riding my bike to work, shopping for groceries in the market, and cooking in my very Japanese kitchen. I made friends, explored the area, and really fell in love with the culture. It's in Japan that I first learned to enjoy raw fish.

The food in Japan is phenomenal. You won't find better sushi anywhere else in the world. For high end (and very, very expensive) sushi, check out Sushi Mizutani, Sukiyabashi Jiro (post coming soon), Sushi Sawada, Sushi Kanesaka or Sushi Mitani. My favorites are probably Sushi Mizutani and Sukiyabashi Jiro, but you can't go wrong with any of them.

If you'd rather not be forced to eat omakase (which was me after one of those days when I had a huge lunch), some places offer a la carte sushi at dinner, such as Sushi Kanesaka, Kyubey, and Sushi Aoki (post coming soon). It's a way to get that Michelin star experience without paying an arm and a leg.

Another way to save money is to go during lunch. Places like Kyubey have pretty reasonable lunch prices (though be aware - other places, like Sushi Sawada, charge the exact same price for lunch and dinner). Daisan Harumi is a great value, giving you excellent sushi at about half the cost of the highest end places.  Japan is also know for its beef, the most famous being Kobe (though there are many other just as famous types). You can try Kobe beef as shabu shabu at Seryna, where 6 thin slices of the prized meat will set you back over $100 USD (oh but it's so worth it!). There's also teppanyaki, which we tried at Ukai-tei this past time. (According to Bryan, the best steak he's ever had in his life).

The Japanese are obsessive about their pork too. Try Butagumi for specialty tonkatsu (pork cutlet), where you can find over 50 different breeds of pork offered. Maisen is more mainstream (there are several locations) and still excellent. On top of pork, they offer other breaded and fried options, such as shrimp.

For other fried goodness, you must try Tempura Kondo, which is still (to date), the best tempura I've ever had in my life. 
Although I've written mostly about high-end food, there's a ton of really good casual food in Japan as well. Just look for long lines at a ramen stall - it's bound to be pretty good. Rokurinsha is one of the most famous, and branches can be found at both Tokyo Station (Ramen Street) as well as at the Tokyo Sky Tree shopping complex called Solamachi. We also loved Suzuran in Shibuya, which is a little off the beaten path and very, very authentic.

For other fun casual food, try an izakaya (Kago specializes in Kagoshima cuisine) or a fun robatayaki when they grill all these gorgeous seafood and produce right in front of you (Inakaya in Roppongi).

Finally, if you want a taste of what cutting edge chefs are doing in Tokyo these days, check out Aronia de Takazawa for some really creative, artistic, and whimsical plates, as well as Tapas Molecular Bar for a sampling of molecular gastronomy bites while sitting at the top of the Mandarin Hotel in Tokyo overlooking the city lights.

 
TAIWAN

Taiwan will always bring back fond, nostalgic memories because that's where my family originates. I have been to Taiwan a lot as a kid but not as many times as an adult. I guess because Bryan hardly ever has business trips there, I have less opportunity to catch a "free ride" to Taiwan compared to Japan, where I've been visiting almost annually the past few years.

Of course, my all time favorite place to eat in Taiwan is the original Din Tai Fung for dumplings. The food is excellent at the other locations as well. I just like the ambiance and feel of the original one, which is more traditional, cozy, and less modern & sleek.  For a traditional Taiwanese breakfast, try Yong He Soybean Milk, where you can get all sorts of freshly made goodies such as scallion pancakes, egg pancakes, soy milk, and you tiao (fried crullers) for a mere few dollars. Taiwan actually has excellent food representing many regions of China. Bryan loves Peking duck, so we had excellent traditional (and reasonably priced) Peking duck at Celestial Restaurant. Of course, you can't leave Taiwan without visiting at least one night market. Bryan and I went to Shilin Night Market, one of the most famous ones.

I can't wait to go back again. There are still so many things I have yet to try!

CHINA

China is a vast, vast country and it will be impossible for me to summarize everything in this short paragraph. Check out the China Eating Guide for more details.

 Beijing is well known for its duck, noodles, and dumplings. As a result, we focused largely on those types of food while we were there. If you want to see a cool show of noodle making while you eat, check out Noodle Loft, made even more famous after Anthony Bourdain visited. Of course, there are many other excellent places where hand-pulled noodles are made (e.g., Noodle Bar). In fact, you can even take a class (in English!) and learn how to pull your own noodles and wrap your own dumplings. Frankly for $30 USD, the class was a steal.

We ate tons of Peking duck while we were there. Bryan's favorite is Made in China (he still goes back everytime he goes to Beijing!), while my favorite was Da Dong for their leaner ducks and wide variety of other types of dishes. We sought out several recommended dumplings places and they were all fantastic.  Xian'r Lao Man didn't have any English language menus, so we struggled a bit to understand everything that was offered. Even then, everything we ordered was fantastic. Bao Yuan Dumpling had lots of pretty photos on its menu and some English, which was very, very helpful. Bao Yuan offers different colored dumplings (all naturally dyed with beets, veggies, etc), which is both colorful and fun.

Finally, for a change of pace, check out Beijing's best snacks at Nine Gates Snack Street, right near the touristy and popular spot called Hou Hai.

In Shanghai, we mostly spent time at the World Expo. When we weren't visiting all the various pavillions, we had early morning soup dumpling breakfasts at Jia Jia Tang Bao or Yang's Fry Dumpling (both incredible and super cheap) late night dinners at Din Tai Fung and Crystal Jade (fantastic but expensive for China, even though still quite reasonably by US standards).

ITALY

Bryan and I first went to Rome for our honeymoon over 11 years ago. The past year, we took a spontaneous weekend trip back to Rome. It was my first time blogging about it.

Although high-end dining in Rome was perfectly enjoyable (we had a lovely meal at Il Convivio and Etabli), our favorite meals were actually the simpler ones. We fell in love with Roscioli for their incredible pasta carbonara (among many other things).  We couldn't stop raving about the incredibly thin crust pizza at Pizzeria dal Paino. As always, gelato was fun to get, and I ate it almost everyday. Don't miss the excellent coffee at the numerous cafes, of which Sant'Eustachio Cafe is one of the most famous.

A note from our sponsors: Consider traveling to Turkey! Though many of us food enthusiasts undoubtedly will be excited at trying the food there, Turkey has something for everyone. Check out the link and consider visiting Turkey for your next vacation.

I do want to see Turkey some day. The amount of history in that region alone is reason to visit. I've realized from my visits to Greece and Italy that I really love exploring really old cities. Of course, it would be fascinating to sample the cuisine as well. It's so different from Asian food, and frankly, an area at which I'm a complete newbie. My small exposure to Turkish-influenced cuisine in America has been quite positive, so I'm sure I would love it.

Chinese Oven Roasted Duck

This post is an extension of the larger post: An Asian Twist on a Traditional Holiday Meal.

My family never ate turkey for Thanksgiving.

We didn't even come close. Instead, without fail, every year we huddled around a warm, boiling pot of broth and enjoyed a traditional Chinese hot pot. It wasn't until I went to college and spent Thanksgiving at a friend's house that I had traditional turkey for the first time.

Bryan, on the other hand, ate turkey every year growing up. They did all the fixings - mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes . . . His Chinese mother learned the tricks of the trade from an American host family back when they first moved to the U.S. three decades ago.

Just two years ago, I saw another "version" of Thanksgiving when we visited his aunt for the holiday. It was an interesting hybrid of our two cultures: the traditional turkey and bread-based stuffing turned into an oven roasted duck and sticky rice filling.

Inspired by that meal, I decided to try make my own Asian inspired oven-roasted duck for Thanksgiving this year.



I had never made duck before, so I did tons of research before settling on a method. My original idea was to try using our new Weber Summit grill's rotisserie function. Alas, Bryan was nervous about the fact that we'd never set it up before (he hates experimenting on guests), so we decided to save that for another day.


Start with a Liberty Pekin duck and generously dry-brine it with a mixture of salt, baking powder, and crushed fragrant Szechuan peppercorns (one of my favorite spices of all times). You can grind the spices together in a mortar and pestle, or use a food processor (much easier!).

You want to make sure both the outside and inside cavities are well covered. Using your fingers, separated the skin from the meat. The skin is tougher than you might initially think, so go ahead and get your hands in there to really separate it. At times I had to really tug at connective tissue to really separate the skin.

This extra step allows the fat to render more quickly while baking, which helps create a crispy skin. If possible, rub the salt/peppercorn mixture inside the cavity directly onto the meat. This will help flavor the meat a lot.

If you think your duck is particularly fatty, you can aid the fat rendering process even more by poking tiny holes in the skin (I've read recommendations that suggest poking every inch or so!). Make sure not to macerate the meat while you're at it.
Let the duck dry overnight in the refrigerator, uncovered. If you have a roasting rack, you can use that. Otherwise, I just put it on a tray on top of a small baking rack.

Once you are ready to start baking, take out the dry bird. Bring about 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil and pour the hot water over the entire duck. This allows the stretched out skin to shrink and tighten back towards the bird. It happens pretty instantly right in front of your eyes.

Let the duck air dry for about 5 minutes. Fill a tall 16 oz beer can about half full of water. Place the duck's cavity over the can so that the duck is sort of "sitting" on the can. This allows the duck to bake evenly on all side. Brush surface of duck with soy/honey glaze. Bake at 350 °F, rotating every 30 minutes.

After about 1 hour, lower the temperature to about 250 °F and continue baking until most of the fat has rendered out (about 30 minutes?).

Let the duck rest for about 10 minutes before stuffing with Chinese sticky rice. Carve and serve!

This dish was a hit with the guests, who all commented on how moist and flavorful the meat was. I personally wished that the skin was crispier. I think the duck I got was particularly fatty, and therefore needed a lot more oven time before all the fat would be rendered. If I make this again, I would poke a ton of holes in the skin and let it render fat for a lot longer. I may also try increasing the baking temperature at the last 15 minutes or so, just to crisp up the skin. 
All in all, though, I would definitely call the meal a success. The dry-brining method is awesome - it adds a nice, deep flavor to the meat and also keeps it moist and tender.

If you've never had duck before, please keep in mind that a 5-6 pound duck has surprisingly less meat than you might think. It's probably enough to serve 2-3 people max, or maybe four people if you have a bunch of other dishes. Our party of 4 adults ate most of the duck, leaving just the carcass (which I used to make soup the next day!).

Chinese Oven Roasted Duck
Serves 4
adapted from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at Serious Eats 

Ingredients
1 tablespoon szechuan peppercorns (ground in mortar & pestle or with food processor)
2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt
2 tsp baking powder

1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey 

1 Pekin Long Island Duck (4-6 lbs)
Chinese sticky rice


1. Separate the skin from the meat by sliding your fingers in between the skin and the meat, starting at the bottom of the breast and moving your way up.  


2. Rub the duck all over with the dry rub both inside and out. If possible, try to get under the skin. Set the duck on a wire rack on top of a roasting pan or baking sheet in the refrigerator and let sit overnight.

3. Bring about 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil and pour the hot water over the entire duck. Let the duck air dry for about 5 minutes.


4. Fill a tall 16 oz beer can about half full of water. Place the duck's cavity over the can so that the duck is sort of "sitting" on the can. Combine soy sauce with honey and brush the soy/honey glaze all over the duck.

5. Place the duck with the can on top of a baking sheet and bake at 350 °F, rotating every 30 minutes. After about 1 hour, lower the temperature to about 250 °F and continue baking until most of the fat has rendered out (about 30 minutes?).

Optionally increase the heat to 450 °F for about 15 minutes at the end to crisp up the skin. Note - I did not personally try this but my aunt recommended it, and I can attest that her duck is delicious

6. Gently remove the beer can (be careful of fluids that might come out of the cavity!) and stuff with Chinese sticky rice.

7. Carve and serve!

The Art of Hand Pulled Noodles - Noodle making class in Beijing, China

It's arguably becoming a lost art.

Many of you might know that I'm a bit obsessed with hand-pulled noodles.

OK, I should clarify. My husband is obsessed with eating fresh, handmade noodles. As a result, I became obsessed with figuring out how to obtain them. After an exhaustive search of Boston, we realized that hand-pulled noodles do not exist in Boston.

So I set out to learn how to make them myself. It wasn't easy. I soon learned that the internet is sparse when it comes to information in English for making hand-pulled noodles. Sure, there's some information, but at the end of the day, I think a lot of the information is still hidden in China.

So when I went to Beijing last fall (after having made my noodle making Project Food Blog post), you know what I had to do. I signed up for a hand-pulling noodle class with a Chinese noodle master.


First, we learned that Beijing-style hand-pulled noodles are different than the Shaanxi-style hand-pulled noodles. Shaanxi-style hand-pulled noodles make use of a base (called kansui or jiansui), which is typically a mixture of potassium carbonate and sodium carbonate. The version I had been making at home was based on this method, but used sodium bicarbonate instead (baking soda), since it was easier to obtain in US markets. Beijing noodle dough, on the other hand, is simple, consisting only of high gluten four (te jing fen), water, and salt.

What causes hand-pulled noodle dough to be flexible and stretchy?

1) an increased water to dough ratio
2) the addition of salt
3) continual kneading and twirling of the dough

Because the class was only 2 hours long, the instructor had pre-kneaded the dough for us already. (Yeah, I know, he did the hardest part!) Nevertheless, it was interesting to learn some proper techniques related to dough twisting and pulling.

The idea is to stretch out the dough like a rope, bring the two ends together while twirling, and then stretch the dough again to its original length. Check out the video below to see this in action. You do this over and over and over again until the dough reaches the right consistency. It takes a bit of experience to be able to tell when the dough is the right consistency. A proper dough will be soft, pliable, and can stretch easily without breaking.

Many things can affect the quality of the dough - humidity in the air that day, temperature, gluten percentage in your dough. He told us that on a humid summer day you may only need to twirl for about 10 minutes, whereas in the winter you may need to twirl for 15-20 minutes.

Ideally, you twirl in different directions each time: counterclockwise, then clockwise, etc.

When the dough is finally ready, then you begin pulling. For Dragon's Whiskers, which are super, super thin, you end up pulling the dough close to ten times! That's like 1024 noodles! The noodles become so thin, you really can't boil them. They would fall apart if you tried. Instead, these types of super thin noodles are typically deep fried.

If you want to make noodles for boiling, typically you don't want to stretch them more than 4-5 times!

Despite the fact that I had some experience with making noodles, I was surprised how hard it was when I tried do everything "properly." I guess the lesson is - don't learn bad habits! They are hard to unlearn.

Here's a brief video I made of the class. Below, I've provided the recipe that they gave to us.

If you want to take the class yourself, check out the offerings on their website.

If you have trouble watching the video embedded here, click here to go straight to Youtube

Disclaimer: I have not tried this recipe at home. The only recipe I have validated at home is the one from my first blog post on this topic.

Hand Pulled Noodle Dough

167g high gluten flour (te jing fen)

100g water

1 tsp salt

Combine flour, water, and salt. Knead dough until elastic (possibly up to an hour, or you can try using a stand mixer on speed 4 or a bread machine). Cover the dough with plastic and let it rest at room temperature for at least 15-20 minutes (to relax the gluten). Twist the dough for about 15-20 minutes or until it is nice and stretchy. Pull noodles.

This is part 14 of the China Series detailing my recent trip to Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai. 

Other posts in this series: 

part 1: Wander the Streets of Beijing

part 2: Xian'r Lao Man (handmade dumplings)

part 3: Made in China (Peking duck)

part 4: Noodle Bar (hand pulled noodles)

part 5: Bao Yuan Dumpling (handmade dumplings)

part 6: Da Dong (Peking duck)

part 7: Jia Jia Tang Bao (Soup dumplings / xiao long bao)

part 8: Yang's Fry Dumpling (Pan fried steamed buns / shen jian bao)

part 9: Din Tai Fung (dumplings)

part 10: Eating At the World Expo

part 11: Crystal Jade (Dim Sum)

part 12: Jiu Men Xiao Chi (Nine Gates Snack Street) - the best Street Snacks in Beijing

part 13: Noodle Loft (Mian Ku)

China: Lost in Translation

Happy Birthday Bryan: an Ode to Noodles and Ducks
How to make hand-pulled noodles, la mian, shou la mian, 

Happy Chinese New Year! China Series Recap

Great Wall of China

Welcome to the year of the rabbit!

We in Boston are still digging ourselves out of mountains of snow that fell on us the last two days. However, things are definitely looking up. The sun is out today, the snow is melting, and Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow yesterday! Maybe hopes for an early spring??

As many of you are aware, I have been running a pretty extensive China Series detailing my (two!) recent trips to China this past fall (both during Project Food Blog, no less!). It's taken quite a bit of time to write up all the posts, but I'm nearing the finish line. My last post? A hand-pulled noodle class that I took in Beijing! That particular post is taking a bit longer because I have some neat video footage from the class that I want to put together. [Update - the post is here!]

Stay tuned for that final post to round out this series!

Meanwhile, I've compiled the rest of the posts together in one photo montage. Peruse and enjoy!


Happy New Year!

Wandering the Streets of Beijing	Xian Lao Man (Beijing dumplings)
Made In China (Peking Duck)	Noodle Bar (Hand-pulled noodles)
Bao Yuan Dumpling House	Da Dong (Peking Duck)
Jia Jai Tang Bao (Soup dumplings)	Yang's Fry Dumpling
Din Tai Fung (Beijing and Shanghai!)	Crystal Jade (Shanghai)
Eating at the World Expo	The Best of Beijing Snack Foods
Noodle Loft {Beijing}	An Ode to Noodles and Duck

Shaanxi Cuisine / Terra Cotta Warriors	Lost In Translation

The Art of Hand Pulled Noodles - Noodle Making Class in Beijing


PREVIEWS
China: Lost in Translation

Happy Birthday Bryan: an Ode to Noodles and Ducks

BEIJING

part 1: Wander the Streets of Beijing

part 2: Xian'r Lao Man (handmade dumplings)

part 3: Made in China (Peking duck)

part 4: Noodle Bar (hand pulled noodles)

part 5: Bao Yuan Dumpling (handmade dumplings)

part 6: Da Dong (Peking duck)

SHANGHAI

part 7: Jia Jia Tang Bao (Soup dumplings / xiao long bao)

part 8: Yang's Fry Dumpling (Pan fried steamed buns / shen jian bao)

part 9: Din Tai Fung (dumplings)

part 10: Eating At the World Expo
part 11: Crystal Jade (Dim Sum)

BEIJING 2nd TRIP
part 12: Jiu Men Xiao Chi (Nine Gates Snack Street) - the best Street Snacks in Beijing
part 13: Noodle Loft {Mian Ku} (Anthony Bourdain favorite)
part 16: The Art of Hand Pulled Noodles - Noodle Making Class in Beijing

SHAANXI / XIAN
part 14: Shaanxi Cuisine and the Terra Cotta Warriors

Shaanxi Cuisine [Xi'an and the Terra Cotta Warriors]

For thousands of years, the Chinese knew the legend of Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of China. Emperor Qin ascended to the throne at the young age of 13. Obsessed with wanting to live forever, he began constructing his tomb soon afterwards. Qin wanted to be surrounded by the largest and strongest army possible in afterlife. According to Sima Qian, a well known historian who lived about a century after Emperor Qin (circa 100 B.C.), it took nearly 700,000 men over three decades to build this massive army.

Chinese children grew up hearing stories about a magnificent tomb buried underground filled with thousands of life-sized terra cotta soldiers, precious jewels, and magical rivers.

Imagine the shock and awe when, in 1974, a poor farmer hit upon this tomb while digging for water. For the first time in history, the legend had been validated.

The army was real and incredibly well preserved.

How could such a tomb be so well preserved?

Legend has it that Emperor Qin buried alive everyone that worked on the tomb in order to keep its location secret forever. He was obsessed with living forever. Ironically, he died from drinking a magical "elixir" that was supposed to help him live forever. The elixir was mercury.

Soon after Emperor Qin's death, tomb robbers raided the site, setting it on fire. By some crazy stroke of luck, the ashes and the dirt fell on the soldiers, protecting them from the elements (e.g., oxygen, sunlight) for thousands of years, keeping them nearly perfectly preserved.

Excavation has been going on for about 30 years, although at times the Chinese government decided to stop digging because exposure to the air was causing these soldiers to lose their beautiful lacquered colors. Even though the warriors were brightly colored when they first emerged, exposure to the air caused the colors to disappear within 7-10 days.

Scientists are still trying to figure that out. They've decided to keep some tombs covered until they can perfect the technology.

Rows and rows of unearthed soldiers, still buried and preserved

Three pits of the tomb have now been at least partially unearthed, and thousands of soldiers have been slowly pieced back together.

The variety of soldiers and animals is mind-numbing.

No two faces are exactly the same.

Pictured about is the "Control Room" where higher level generals met.

This massive room (Pit No. 1) is the most impressive of all. Rows of soldiers seem to go on forever. There are estimated to be around 8000 soldiers total, many of whom are still buried.

This guy is called the Lucky One because, to date, he is the only one that was found completely intact. He has become the symbol of the region.

So much work still to do . .

Xi'An Dining
Visting the Terra Cotta Warriors in Xi'An is a breathtaking experience and totally worth the extra two-hour flight from Beijing. We traveled to Xi'An solely to see this incredible life-sized clay army. We stayed for hours, just soaking in the immensity of the work. No photo can truly capture the sheer massiveness and wonder of seeing the warriors in person.

The Shaanxi region of China (which is where Xi'an is located) has a few well known dishes. Their homemade noodles, especially their hand-pulled noodles, are well known. One deliciously simple dish we tried was the Chili Oil Noodles (油泼面 you puo mian). Essentially, they give you these REALLY WIDE noodles that you hand mix with their addictively spicy sauce.

It's oily, chewy, and oh-so-satisfying after an entire morning and afternoon hanging out with the terra cotta warriors.

The wide noodles are called "biang biang" noodles (see ridiculously complicated character shown above).

Another very classic dish is the mutton stew (羊肉泡沫 yang rou pao muo). The waiter brings out a dry piece of wheat flour bread (almost like a really thick cracker) which you break up into pieces. He then takes the pieces back into the kitchen, to which he adds the rest of the stew.

The stew was hearty and delicious (as long as you like the taste of lamb). I liked the texture of the crackers, which was slightly chewy and quite dense. Pickled garlic also seems to be quite popular.

Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to try the third type of well-known Shaanxi dish, the dumpling banquet.  It would have been fun to try all the various colorful dumplings that are characteristic of these banquets. Some day . . .

Hoping to return . . .

Xi'an holds what many consider to be the eighth wonder of the world. The site is continually changing as the workers clean up and restore more and more soldiers. It will be so cool to return once they have perfected the technique of preserving the colors on the soldiers.

I would highly recommend making a stop at Xi'an, both for the fascinating history and also for the food. Xi'an was the first capital of China, and therefore has a ton of older Chinese history embedded within those old walls (yes, the inner city is still completely walled! It's really cool!).

Looking forward to the day I return. Until then, I guess I can always pull my own noodles. ;)

This is part 14 of the China Series detailing my recent trip to Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai. 

Other posts in this series: 

part 1: Wander the Streets of Beijing

part 2: Xian'r Lao Man (handmade dumplings)

part 3: Made in China (Peking duck)

part 4: Noodle Bar (hand pulled noodles)

part 5: Bao Yuan Dumpling (handmade dumplings)

part 6: Da Dong (Peking duck)

part 7: Jia Jia Tang Bao (Soup dumplings / xiao long bao)

part 8: Yang's Fry Dumpling (Pan fried steamed buns / shen jian bao)

part 9: Din Tai Fung (dumplings)

part 10: Eating At the World Expo
part 11: Crystal Jade (Dim Sum)
part 12: Jiu Men Xiao Chi (Nine Gates Snack Street) - the best Street Snacks in Beijing
part 13: Noodle Loft {Mian Ku}

China: Lost in Translation

Happy Birthday Bryan: an Ode to Noodles and Ducks