Iconic Morning Market in Xi’an, China: Delightful Vibes, Top Service, A Window into Northern Cuisine
About this video
In this 45-minute video, DaWen Food Quest visits an iconic morning market in Xi'an, the ancient capital known for its rich culinary heritage. The market opens early, and the camera captures the first rush of customers seeking breakfast staples like lamb paomo, biangbiang noodles, and sesame flatbreads. The service here is notably warm, with vendors greeting everyone with smiles and quick hands. The video highlights the northern Chinese emphasis on hearty, wheat based dishes, with steaming bowls of soup and plates of dumplings appearing at every turn. The market itself is a maze of narrow alleys filled with the clatter of chopsticks and the aroma of cumin and chili. The host focuses on the interaction between vendors and customers, showing how food is served with genuine care. This video is a celebration of Xi'an's food culture and the hospitality that makes morning markets so special.
Video transcript
"Isn't this pork knuckle beautiful?" "Wholesale price: 8 yuan!" "Blueberries: 10 yuan for two boxes." "Come! This is my homemade crispy fish!" "These pomegranates are from Xi'an." "Purple radish!" Hello, friends, I’m Dawen (大文). Today, I’ve come to downtown Xi'an, China. Let’s explore Xi'an's most iconic winter morning market together! It’s 7 AM, and the sky isn’t fully bright yet. As I arrive at the morning market, the first thing that catches my eye is the many *roujiamo* (Xi'an Meat Burger) stalls. *Roujiamo* (Xi'an Meat Burger) is one
of the most classic breakfasts in Xi'an. The fillings for *roujiamo* (Xi'an Meat Burger) typically come in two varieties: pork or beef. Beef *roujiamo* (Xi'an Beef Burger) is usually only sold at Hui Muslim stalls. Every *roujiamo* stall emits a unique aroma. The main ingredient for pork *roujiamo* (Xi'an Pork Burger) filling is pork knuckle. Me: "This pork knuckle looks incredibly delicious!" After being stewed for a long time, the pork knuckle becomes extremely tender and soaked with rich flavors. Now it’s 7:30 AM, and the sky is fully bright. This
morning market operates daily from 6 AM to 9 AM. It’s a great place to learn about the food culture of Northwest China. Besides traditional classic breakfasts, this morning market also offers newly emerging varieties of morning snacks. This stall sells steamed rice cakes with various fruit jams. Customer: "How much?" Vendor: "12 yuan." This stall sells flower-scented soy milk. Soy milk paired with fried dough sticks or buns is a classic Chinese breakfast combination. On a cold winter morning, a cup of hot soy milk is perfect to warm you up and boost
your energy. Winter is the harvest season for persimmons. At Xi'an’s morning markets, you’ll find dried persimmons and fresh ones everywhere. Dried persimmons have a chewy texture and sweet flavor. This stall sells fresh persimmons. Ripe persimmons look like tomatoes, very soft to the touch, easily squishable, with delicate and juicy pulp. Me: "These persimmons are so pretty!" This stall sells pea pudding. Pea pudding has a mild pea aroma and melts in your mouth. These puddings are enriched with red beans or grains, enhancing the flavor. Vendor: "Low
in calories, perfect as a snack." Since Xi'an is located inland, seafood at the market is mostly frozen. Frozen yellow croaker costs 15 yuan per 500 grams. This stall sells baked bread. All bread costs 12 yuan per 500 grams. Vendor: "Handmade, with no additives at all." It may look like plain bread, but it’s very popular locally. This stall sells smoked crispy fish and fish in sauce. "All the fish bones are tender and can be eaten along with the meat." These crispy fish are made by smoking them in a wood stove. The price for crispy fish is 15 yuan for
two. This is fish in sauce, exuding a rich and fragrant aroma. This sauced fish is flavored with five spices. "25 yuan." Vendor: "Come, try this fish with tender bones. You don’t need to remove them!" This is a fried crispy rice snack. "Roujiamo, roujiamo!" This vendor is actually selling *roujiamo* toys. Fresh navel oranges: 3.3 yuan per 500 grams. Vendor: "9.3 yuan." These sweet tangerines are from Yunnan Province, China. This is a Halal beef stall. The average price of beef is about 35 yuan per 500 grams. Approximately 60% of the beef in Chinese
markets is imported. This is pork skin jelly. It is made by simmering pork skin with spices, then cooling it into a gelatinous delicacy. Now it’s 8 AM. "These pomegranates are from near the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an." Pomegranates: 6 yuan per 500 grams. Pomegranates are rich in vitamins and polyphenols, which are excellent for boosting immunity and heart health. Small bottles of pomegranate juice cost 15 yuan, while large bottles are 20 yuan. This stall sells chicken marinated with Sichuan pepper flavor. A steaming hot Sichuan pepper chicken is
perfect for a cold winter day. Vendor: "Should I shred the chicken for you?" Customer: "Yes, please shred it." Sichuan pepper chicken costs 58 yuan per whole chicken. "Half a chicken costs 30 yuan, a whole chicken is 58 yuan." Sichuan pepper chicken has a unique aroma and a slightly numbing sensation, leaving a lasting impression. The enticing aroma of Sichuan pepper chicken makes everyone passing by want to have a bite immediately. This stall sells smoked sausages and smoked chicken. I just arrived at the market, and the stock is almost sold out. The
strong smoky flavor is the main feature of these sausages. Smoked sausages are priced at 30 yuan per 500 grams. Me: "Are these made of chicken or pork?" Vendor: "Chicken." These sausages are made with chicken thigh meat, and the darker parts contain preserved egg. Smoked chicken thigh sausages cost 15 yuan each. Vendor: "These are made with chicken thigh meat and preserved egg." This is smoked chicken. "The darker-colored smoked chicken has a stronger smoky flavor." Me: "How much are these matsutake mushrooms?" Vendor: "10 yuan per 500 grams." The fresh
matsutake mushrooms at this stall are both affordable and of excellent quality. The Xiaonanmen Morning Market is a treasure trove for the locals of Xi'an. It’s also a great place for tourists to experience authentic local life. Fresh sweet corn: 10 yuan for seven ears. Vendor: "Come and have a look! Authentic black-soil pork!" "This is pork from black pigs." Vendor: "Compare mine to others. Mine is better!" This stall sells lamb for 32 yuan per 500 grams. This is a Halal spiced beef stall. This spiced beef is savory, spicy, and slightly numbing, making
it a perfect pairing with beer or energy drinks. A customer requested a sample, and the vendor was very happy to oblige. Spiced beef costs 55 yuan per 500 grams. This is a stall selling noodles. Xi'an is located in northern China, where the staple food is wheat-based. In contrast, the staple food in southern China is rice. Friends, what is your staple food? Feel free to share in the comments below. This vendor sells salted baked quail eggs. Quail eggs are priced at 10 yuan per box or can be weighed. Salted baked quail eggs cost 14 yuan per 500 grams.
This stall sells dried pork jerky. This is the spicy-flavored pork jerky. This is the five-spice-flavored pork jerky. In northern China, pork jerky tends to be drier and tougher. In southern China, pork jerky is softer and juicier. To learn more about southern pork jerky, you can check out my video titled “Guangxi Morning Market.” This stall sells various types of pickled vegetables. In China, pickled vegetables are typically served as an appetizer. This stall offers beef balls, pork balls, and vegetarian balls. The ingredients for the meatballs are
freshly hand-chopped. Vegetarian balls cost 10 yuan per 500 grams, while beef balls cost 30 yuan per 500 grams. This stall sells vegetarian intestines (Soy Intestines). It’s a plant-based dish that mimics the taste and texture of pork intestines. To achieve this, tofu skin is smoked and seasoned to create a meaty taste and texture. Customer: "How much are the soy intestines?" Vendor: "3 yuan each." Soy intestines are very popular at both night markets and morning markets in Xi'an. This stall offers baked pastries in various flavors. Among them, the
durian-flavored pastries are especially popular. This stall sells rose-layered pastries. Rose-layered pastries are made with multiple layers of flaky crust filled with rose jam. "7.3 yuan." This stall sells smoked cured pork. Customer: "Is this smoked meat?" Vendor: "Yes, it is." "21.3 yuan." These are smoked pork belly strips. These are cured meat samples for customers to try. The rich smoky aroma is irresistible! These smoked cured meats are simply perfect! This stall sells a traditional northern Chinese snack—twisted fried dough (Mahua). The dough
is rolled into strips, twisted into a braid shape, and then deep-fried. This snack is crispy and comes in both sweet and savory flavors. It can be enjoyed as a snack or as a treat for breakfast or afternoon tea, making it a favorite among locals. "These twisted fried doughs are handmade! Come and try!" A little girl says the savory ones taste better. "Chives: 3 yuan per 500 grams." Me: "This purple radish is so beautiful!" "Chives: 3 yuan per 500 grams." White cauliflower: 3 yuan each. Celery: 1.5 yuan per 500 grams. Carrots: 2 yuan per 500 grams. These
two elderly ladies might be old friends who haven’t seen each other in years. They both bought naan and insisted on paying for each other. This is a vivid example of Chinese hospitality, where friends compete to treat each other. Vendor: "Come, if it doesn’t taste good, I’ll give you a refund!" With just a few minutes left before the market closes, vendors are shouting promotional slogans. Vendors must completely pack up by 9:20 AM as per regulations; otherwise, they will face penalties. This stall sells one of Xi'an’s most famous snacks:
*hulatang* (Spicy Pepper Soup). *Hulatang* is made with beef, carrots, mushrooms, peppers, and other ingredients. The soup is thick, flavorful, and aromatic. It’s an ideal dish to enjoy on a cold winter day. This is a Hui Muslim stall selling beef *roujiamo* (Xi’an Beef Burger). Hui cuisine follows Halal dietary laws, and pork is not consumed. Therefore, Hui *roujiamo* typically uses beef as the filling. Beef *roujiamo* costs 16 yuan each, twice the price of pork *roujiamo*. Customer: "These green peppers look good. Please add a bit to my order."
This is another version of *roujiamo*, where both the filling and the bread are steamed. The filling is made with beef and rice flour. This stall makes thin and crispy pies with beef filling. This is the beef filling. "Thin and crispy beef pie: 15 yuan each." It’s very crispy and has a strong cumin and green onion flavor. This stall sells stir-fried jelly noodles. The main ingredients for stir-fried jelly noodles include jelly noodles, green onions, soy sauce, sesame oil, chili powder, and cumin powder. This dish is translucent, smooth, and bursting
with a rich, toasted aroma. Thanks for watching! Looking forward to our next food adventure!
