Exploring Shahe Market: Beijing’s Traditional Food Hub

delicious they are! The fillings for this cake usually include sesame seeds, bean flour, bean paste, brown sugar, and chestnuts. This is the most popular bean paste filling. Bean paste is a filling made from red beans that have been steamed, cooked, and mashed. Bean paste is smooth and sweet, and is often used in Chinese desserts and pastries. For example, mooncakes, buns, and glutinous rice balls. Local residents are gradually coming to the market to buy fresh and affordable food. "Candied fruit skewers" (冰糖葫芦) is a traditional snack in northern

China. This snack is made by first boiling sugar syrup. Then, the skewered fruits are dipped in the syrup, and finally cooled to form a crystal clear, crispy hard shell. This snack is usually made with hawthorn and strawberries. It is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and tastes even better when frozen. It is sour and sweet, and is very popular with young people. The fruits are always the freshest in the early morning. Customer: How much is it? Vendor: 5 yuan/500g. Vendor: 1.5 kg, 15 yuan in total. This stall sells goat meat soup. "Take a

look at our authentic goat meat soup!" Vendor: This is the exclusive spice package for our goat meat soup. Me: How much is the goat meat soup? Vendor: Pure goat meat soup is 25 yuan a bowl, goat meat and offal soup is 13 yuan a bowl. Me: I'll have a bowl of pure goat meat soup. Vendor: Okay. Vendor: This is authentic goat meat soup, you've come to the right place! In the cold winter, what could be more heartwarming than a steaming bowl of goat meat soup? The goat meat is very firm, with an extremely delicious flavor. Just one bite, and your whole body is

filled with warmth and vitality! This steaming goat meat soup is definitely the most heartwarming delicacy in the cold winter. Every sip can dispel the chill, awaken your taste buds, and is irresistible! This stall makes "Whole-Grain Pancake Wrap" (杂粮煎饼), a very popular snack in northern China. But the pancakes made at this stall are especially large. The whole-grain pancakes use flour including plain flour, corn flour, mung bean flour, and soybean flour. The sauce used to brush the whole-grain pancakes is made from a mixture of soybean paste,

soy sauce, chicken essence, sugar, and salt. Add various vegetables and crushed peanuts. Customer: Add more vegetables. Vendor: Okay. The pancakes at this stall are really huge. This stall sells sausages of various flavors. "There are garlic, original, cumin, black pepper..." Customer: How much is it? Vendor: 35 yuan/500g, all made with pure lean meat. "Free tasting." "All freshly made..." "Sausages of various flavors, try before you buy!" The aromas of sausages with various flavors mingle together. It's as if they are composing a symphony of

deliciousness in the air. It makes you want to stop and take a deep breath, and experience this unique temptation! "22 yuan." "Freshly made, try before you buy!" This stall sells roasted goat meat leg skewers. Vendor: Halal roasted goat meat leg. Because China's beef and goat meat production is relatively low, the prices of beef and goat meat in China are relatively high. You may notice that these roasted goat meat skewers are all marbled with fat and lean. It's precisely because the fat melts and moistens during roasting. It makes the meat more tender.

It also gives the roasted goat meat that unique and alluring aroma. The vendor brushes the roasted goat meat with plenty of cumin powder. The aroma is instantly tempting. A large skewer of roasted goat meat leg costs 90 yuan. These roasted goat meat skewers can be bought as a whole skewer. You can also buy them in portions according to your needs. Customer: How much can I get for 20 yuan? Vendor: 125 grams. This stall makes "Meat and Egg Burger" (肉蛋堡), a very popular street food in China now. The fillings for the meat and egg burger usually include

four types: pork, beef, chicken, and shrimp. The meat and egg burger is very easy to make. You can easily make it as long as you have a shaping mold. This is the ground pork filling. This is the ground chicken filling. Vendor: All freshly made. The batter for making the meat and egg burger needs to be fermented. This makes the batter more fluffy and tastier. Finally, pour egg batter over the meat filling and continue to fry until it is cooked through. It's 10 am now, and the market is getting busier. This is another meat and egg burger stall, with a

large scale and a lot of people. Customer: What fillings do you have? Vendor: Pork, chicken, beef, and shrimp. The prices of the meat and egg burgers with different fillings are 6, 7, 9, and 10 yuan each. In many traditional markets in China, you can see the lively scene of making rice cakes on the spot. The vendor skillfully shapes the freshly squeezed rice cakes into the shape of a love magic wand. It gives it a unique warmth and childlike charm. This skill has become a unique part of the market's landscape. The ingredients for rice cakes usually

include rice and white sugar. Some also add a small amount of malt sugar or other grains. It is made using a high-temperature, high-pressure puffing process. People buy rice cakes not only to enjoy their traditional flavor. It's also to relive childhood memories and experience the unique feeling of handmade food. This stall has hundreds of kinds of pickled vegetables. Various colors, shapes, and aromas intertwine. Not only is it dazzling to the eye, but it also stimulates every nerve of your taste buds. Pickled vegetables are especially favored by older

people for their rich flavor. This stall sells freshly roasted crispy pork belly and roast duck. The color of this roast duck is absolutely perfect! Everything is roasted on the spot, it's so fresh! The crispy pork belly at this stall is very popular. You can tell how crispy the pork is just by the sound! Mobile payments are now mainstream in China, but we can still use cash payments. This stall sells fried eggs. Boiled eggs are fried again. Finally, add seasoning powder, and it becomes a unique and flavorful snack. There is a university near this

market. College students come to the market to shop. Therefore, there are many foods in this market that cater to young people. Barbecue is one of them. The various barbecue skewers in this market are all large in size. Barbecue grilled over charcoal is always more fragrant and flavorful than electric grilling. The smoky aroma of charcoal blends into the ingredients, creating a unique primitive flavor. This is grilled pork ribs. Most customers at these barbecue stalls are college students. The aroma of barbecue seems to contain the taste of youth! This

stall sells "Jujube Cake" (枣糕). Jujube cake has a very strong jujube aroma. It is one of the most popular flavored cakes in China. Customer: I want the one that's just out of the oven. Vendor: Is this date cake nice? Me: Nice! "Freshly baked date cake!" Winter is the peak season for strawberries in China. These strawberries are very large and tempting. How much do strawberries cost in your country? Feel free to comment and tell me. This stall sells "Steamed Rice Bun" (馒头). Steamed buns are one of the staple foods in northern China, they are white

and fluffy. They have no filling, but can be paired with various dishes. Don't let its simplicity fool you, every bite is full of the practicality and warmth of northerners. Simple yet classic, steamed buns are an essential delicacy in the lives of northerners! Cash payments often involve the hassle of giving change. So more and more people in China are using mobile payments now, eliminating the need for change. "Wholesale price, all clothing 20 yuan each!" The low-priced unbranded winter clothing attracts many passersby to choose from. Fleece-lined

knitted trousers are 20 yuan each, it's really affordable! The sweet potato strips sold at this stall are golden yellow and have a natural sweet aroma. It's as if each piece embodies the taste of sunshine. This natural snack is sweet and has a chewy texture. Customer: How much is it? Vendor: 15 yuan/500g. Vendor: There are soft and hard persimmons, young people choose hard ones, and older people choose soft ones. Persimmons are covered with a natural "white frost." This natural snack is sweet but not greasy, with a soft and chewy texture. It is a perfect

pairing for tea on the tea table in winter. The market is crowded right now. The vendors' calls and the customers' laughter create a lively and vibrant scene. Passerby: Is it a bird calling or are you calling? Vendor: It's a bird calling. This is a vegetarian stall. This large bowl of vegetable stir-fried noodles, although it doesn't contain any meat, has a rich aroma. It's a perfect choice for vegetarians, simple and healthy. Customer: How much is the cotton candy? Vendor: The original flavor is 10 yuan, the three-flavor one is 15 yuan, and the

rabbit-shaped one is 20 yuan. Cotton candy is a timeless classic snack in people's childhood memories. Sweet and warm, it's as if every bite comes with childhood laughter. This stall sells citrus fruits and oranges. This citrus fruit looks like a pear and is produced in Chongqing, China. These are jelly oranges. The jelly orange has delicate and smooth flesh, almost seedless, and it's chewy like jelly. This stall makes Four-Grain Jujube Pancake (四合面红枣煎饼). This dough is made from a mixture of millet, soybeans, rice, and corn, with chopped

jujube pieces added. These pancakes aren't about the shape, they're all random. Pour in water. Wait for 8 minutes. The pancake is incredibly crispy on the bottom and very soft on the top. It has a moderate sweetness and is full of a rich jujube aroma. This seemingly ordinary pancake is unexpectedly delicious! Sugar-fried chestnuts are definitely one of the most heartwarming snacks in the cold winter. Vendor: These sugar-fried chestnuts are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a golden color, right? This stall sells "Japanese Hot Pot Stew"

(关东煮). "Japanese Hot Pot Stew" is a traditional snack originating from Japan. This snack is made by slowly simmering various ingredients in a rich broth, filling the air with a delicious aroma. It's both a street food delight and a source of warmth and comfort in the cold winter. "Japanese Hot Pot Stew" has become very popular in China in recent years. It is especially loved by young people. The prices of the various ingredients for "Japanese Hot Pot Stew" are 1-5 yuan per skewer. People had a day filled with joy and delicious food at this market.

It's 4:30 pm, and most people have already gone home with full bags. The market administrator urges the vendors to pack up and asks for the market to be cleaned. Thank you for watching, looking forward to our next food adventure!