Beijing has numerous breakfast options. In this post I want to focus on the most popular ones. These dishes are the ones you’ll find in the breakfast spots and street vendors all the locals frequent. The breakfast joints open early and most close by 10/11 mid morning. Expect a proper rugged, rustic and local affair – that’s the proper local experience right? Forget flower walls, you won’t even find an AC/fan in these places. But these are the places you need to find to try proper local and delicious food! Here are the most common dishes you can get at these breakfast spots. The Beijing Breakfast… The Full Chinese!
Dou Fu Nao
The name translates to tofu brains, a tofu pudding dish that is popular all around the country. Silky, creamy and sweet or salty depending on where you are. And here’s where the nationwide debate starts. If in England we debate whether cream or jam first, in China it’s whether this dish should be sweet or salty. In the south, the preference is sweet – tofu pudding topped with honey or a sweet syrup and even ginger for a kick. This version almost tastes like pudding. In the north, headed by Beijing, they opt for the more salty version. It’s topped with coriander, chili, and a gravy made from multiple kinds of mushroom (sometimes meat, so double check with them). This is the perfect winter morning pick me up!
Fresh Soy Milk
Soy milk (dou jiang) is the coffee of Beijing. It’s a process that involves soaking soy beans overnight then boiling, blending and straining the mixture to remove the solids. If you haven’t tasted fresh soy milk before, seriously you’re missing out! You’ll see locals with a cup of this in the mornings either by itself or with something. Youtiao is the common accompaniment.
Youtiao
Quite possibly the most popular breakfast item throughout the whole of China. It is basically, a long doughnut. It’s not sweet as it’s just dough and the idea is that you eat it with or dipped into the soy milk (sometimes ripped up and dropped into the milk just like cereal!).
Baozi
Baozi or steam buns are also super popular for breakfast. Of course these need no introduction. Unless, you’re in the halal areas you’re probably going for the veg option – which is a wonderful green leaf baozi. Soooo good – you won’t even miss meat!
Tea Eggs
This is basically boiled eggs left to soak up all the flavours of tea plus spices. The result is visually interesting, but to be honest it didn’t taste too different to a normal egg to me. Very popular though.
You Bing
This is similar to youtiao, but spread out like a naan. It is then fried and you have it with a bowl of soy milk or dou fu nao. It also comes in a sweet form where it is topped with brown sugar.
There we have it. Here are some of the most common breakfast dishes you’ll find in the Beijing breakfast spots or street vendors. Which one would you be interested in trying?
Make sure you check out the other posts on traditional Chinese breakfasts – Miancha and Douzhi (these will be hard to locate!)
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