- Oh ho ho, you could just watch this all day.
And I think that's what we're gonna do.
Just hang out and watch for a bit.
All right, check it out guys.
It's Trevor James.
Big noodle tour comin' up today.
We're gonna go for a ton of noodles in Xi'an.
Hui Chinese, Muslim, Halal street noodles.
Let's check it out.
If you love noodles and street food, get ready.
'Cause we're bringing you to try four
amazing bowls of Halal street noodles in Xi'an, China,
home to the Hui Chinese Muslims,
and a huge variety of delicious street food.
And we're bringing you into the back
of every single noodle kitchen that we enter into
today in Xi'an.
So let's eat some delicious life-changing noodles.
Right around the corner here,
there is supposed to be a really good,
local, dry-style biang biang noodles.
Fat, ultra fat belt noodles.
Here we go.
(speaking in foreign language)
Oh this is the beef noodle.
So you can get beef noodle,
or the fat belt biang biang noodle.
(speaking in foreign language)
So you can see, they've got
a few different variations of regular noodle,
but we came for the fat biang biang noodle.
(speaking in foreign language)
Oh yeah, look a that.
Oh you can see we're just adding on
(speaking in foreign language)
There's some carrot, greens, cabbage,
it's all in there.
Oh, and there's the biang biang mian.
Nice.
Oh yes.
(speaking in foreign language)
So each noodle,
each bowl has three strips.
And you can see we're just gonna stretch them out.
And it goes biang, like the sound.
(speaking in foreign language)
The slap!
The noodle slap.
Local Xi'an specialty.
Wow.
(laughs)
This is awesome to be in Xi'an.
And then they split it and put it into the cauldron.
This is the beef stock that goes a little bit
on the bottom of the biang biang mian.
(speaking in foreign language)
Wow (speaking in foreign language)
That is a bag full of spice.
(speaking in foreign language)
Oh, wow, it's all in there.
And you can really smell that.
It's very floral and intense.
(speaking in foreign language)
Yeah.
Oh, and in the beef noodle.
And you can just see all of the beef bones in there.
That is ultra, ultra rich.
(speaking in foreign language)
Wow, look at that.
(speaking in foreign language)
That is actually very aromatic.
Very aromatic.
You can really smell all of those herbs and spices
that we just heard.
(speaking in foreign language)
- Beef, beef.
- Oh, the beef.
(speaking in foreign language)
Oh, look at how shung that is.
What a beautiful scene that is.
Just so much soft beef.
That is so beautiful.
Just look at all the beef there.
You can really smell the bay leaves and the cinnamon.
Oh, and this is what Xinjiang Food and Xi'an is all about.
Tons of spices and herbs.
Oh, (speaking in foreign language)
Oh.
(speaking in foreign language)
(laughter)
(speaking in foreign language)
Oh look at that.
(speaking in foreign language)
There's cinnamon, bay leaves, star anise.
(speaking in foreign language)
And we're gonna try it out.
- [Man In Background] Very, very good.
- Mm!
Oh. (speaking in foreign language)
(laughter)
Oh, it's very soft.
(speaking in foreign language)
- [Man In Background] It's very, very good.
- Very good.
Oh (speaking in foreign language)
Oh and here they come.
The big biang biang fat belt noodles.
Wow, into the bowl.
That is beautiful.
Look at that.
And here the, oh, hot veg!
Tons of veg on there.
That looks beautiful.
Oh and there's the beef!
(speaking in foreign language)
Fresh beef.
(speaking in foreign language)
Oh, look at all the chili oil!
(speaking in foreign language)
Sesame oil.
Oh, that's gonna make it fragrant.
(speaking in foreign language)
Look at this, guys, this is the ultra bowl
of biang biang mian.
Ultra felt belt noodles hand-pulled.
Look at that stewed beef.
Tons of spices.
And then they also give cilantro and fresh veg,
cabbage, carrot, beans, and then mixing it up,
that's the true joy.
You get to see.
Look at all the chili oil on the bottom.
And this is what we came to Xi'an for right here.
(slurping)
Mm.
That is what Xi'an is all about.
That right there, that bowl.
The dry style noodles.
The sesame oil, the chili.
It's like nutty and fragrant.
The beef is soft, there's a bit of that smokey tofu aroma.
It's peppery, you can taste some pepper in there.
It's condensed and rich and full of intense flavor.
(speaking in foreign language)
That was amazing.
Next up, we're going to another famous Hala joint
that serves a different style of hand-pulled noodles.
The Liuxiang mian, with beef spiced
so fragrant with cinnamon,
and a huge lineup of chefs pulling noodles.
This is where noodle lovers eat,
and where the noodle masters cook.
Awesome, guys.
We're in a little alley, and right up ahead
there's a famous little noodle joint,
Hui Chinese noodle joint.
Oh, it's gonna be good.
Let's go try it out.
Wow, we are entering the noodle heaven.
Oh, wow!
(speaking in foreign language)
Look at these wheat noodles
and they look really nice and chewy.
(speaking in foreign language)
Look at this noodle scene here.
Wow (speaking in foreign language)
Look at all these noodle strips.
So he's gonna stretch it out.
Oh, beautiful.
And then they put them right into this deep cauldron,
and boil them and put them right over that
beef vegetable stock.
Wow.
That is amazing.
And now we're stretching them out.
(speaking in foreign language)
Look at this.
Hand-pulle.d
And you can see they're really looking nice and chewy.
(speaking in foreign language)
Wow.
Oh and they're just getting,
each time they get thinner and thinner.
Oh and they're going right in the pit.
There we go.
(speaking in foreign language)
Wow.
(speaking in foreign language)
Oh.
(laughs)
Wow.
Each time they get thinner,
and that is just a huge noodle clump.
That's gotta be tough.
Oh, Xi'an is just the birthplace,
the soul of Hui cuisine here in China.
Oh.
(laughs) Incredible.
(speaking in foreign language)
Yeah, this is a Hui specialty,
and they're just going each time
right in there.
Oh that's a lot of noodles.
It's a dream here.
(laughs) Oh this is noodle heaven.
Enter noodle heaven.
You could just watch this all day.
And I think that's what we're gonna do,
just hang out and watch for a bit.
And they're nice and fat.
And you can see, they just look perfect and chewy.
And they're just pulling the noodles as we speak.
You really gotta come to Xi'an, or Lanzhou,
or Western China to experience
true hand-pulled noodles like this.
Western China, the more west you go,
you got Hui Chinese, and then you get
Uyghur Chinese as well
that pull the noodles.
And that's what we're doing on this series,
is just goin' to the best places for noodles,
and really, really delicious halal food.
(laughs) Oh yeah.
It's a dream.
This is in the base of the bowl.
Oh (speaking in foreign language), chili.
(speaking in foreign language)
Cilantro, vinegar, MSG,
oh (speaking in foreign language).
Look at that beef.
That looks really soft.
You can see it again.
Chili oil, cilantro,
sesame oil.
(speaking in foreign language)
Oh, and then the beef.
(speaking in foreign language)
Wow.
And look at the selection of noodles here.
Oh yes.
We are gonna get one of these.
I love all the veg on there.
And they're just gonna start pouring the noodles on.
Look at that.
Oh wow.
The noodles go right on top, look at that.
That is beautiful.
Oh yeah, right on top.
Oh it's mesmerizing.
(speaking in foreign language)
Look at this, guys, we got it.
Look at these ultra chewy noodles.
(speaking in foreign language)
We're gonna go try it out.
Beautiful scene.
Look at this.
There it is.
Look at that, there's the beef at the bottom.
Oh (speaking in foreign language)
Awesome.
Oh that beef, that carrot.
Oh, you can really smell the carrot.
The carrots are very aromatic.
And there's a bit of bean sprouts in there, too,
so there's a bit of a nuttiness.
Look at those noodles, covered in that.
You can really smell that aromatic beef,
the carrots, the vinegar.
Oh, and then we've got a hit of garlic for afterwards.
Let's try these.
(slurping)
Mm.
Oh!
(speaking in foreign language)
Wow.
(speaking in foreign language)
Oh yeah.
(speaking in foreign language)
Those are so aromatic with cinnamon.
They taste very cinamonny.
They taste like a beef cinnamon gravy
with the cilantro and the sour vinegar,
but just a smooth vinegar.
The carrot, all the veg in there makes it hearty.
Mm.
And it's just amazing to see them pulling them in the back.
Next up, before going for perhaps
the best noodle dish in all of China,
the big plate chicken, and getting
an intro into making it in the kitchen,
we met up with local liangpi master, Mr. Sheng
for an intro and a taste
of one of Xi'an's most iconic pulled jelly noodle dishes.
(speaking in foreign language)
We are in the Hui district here.
It's all halal, Muslim Chinese street food,
and that's what we're doin' today.
There is variations of each dish
that we're having, you can get either Hui Chinese,
or Han Chinese, and today we're gonna get
all Hui Chinese street food.
All right, guys, so we are at a famous
liangpi joint here, and we're a little early.
Sheng Lao Ban, this nice gentleman here
is gonna come and meet us, and show us
how to make these famous liangpi,
and we're gonna try it out.
Let's go and try a liangpi.
So we're hangin' with Sheng Lao Ban here.
(speaking in foreign language)
- Okay?
(speaking in foreign language)
- Okay, awesome.
(speaking in foreign language)
Wow, that is legit.
(speaking in foreign language)
Oh yeah, cold.
(speaking in foreign language)
Okay, so there's four simple ingredients here.
(speaking in foreign language)
Okay.
(speaking in foreign language)
Oh, the secret sauce.
(speaking in foreign language)
28 secret ingredients in it.
Oh, beautiful.
(speaking in foreign language)
Okay, sesame paste.
(speaking in foreign language)
Oh, wow.
That is beautiful.
(speaking in foreign language)
Oh wow, look at how thick it is.
Tons of chili in there.
Wow (speaking in foreign language)
Look at that, wow.
(speaking in foreign language)
Right when I went to go taste my liangpi,
Boss Sheng reminded me
that with any liangpi, you have to
eat a roujiamo Chinese burger.
And here, served with beef, Xinjian halal style.
Oh.
(speaking in foreign language)
And we're gonna get that in a pita.
(speaking in foreign language)
I think I smell a bit of cumin in there.
Oh, it's so delicious.
- [Boss Sheng] You can try it.
- [Trevor] Oh, I can try it, really?
Oh!
- [Boss Sheng] Oh, yes! (laughs)
- [Trevor] Look at that!
(speaking in foreign language)
- [Boss Sheng] It's delicious.
- [Trevor] This looks delicious.
- [Boss Sheng] Yes, yes.
- Mm.
- It's good.
- Oh, wow.
- This is Muslim food.
It's very good.
- Very good.
- Oh, it's so soft.
- Yes.
- Mm.
(speaking in foreign language)
So healthy.
And she is just heating up a moa bread.
This is Chinese pita.
(speaking in foreign language)
Oh, okay.
So it's a spicy black bean sauce with all of that
beautiful stewed beef.
(speaking in foreign language)
Look at that thick sesame paste.
(speaking in foreign language)
Look at how pure that it.
That pure sesame paste.
All that chili oil, and then their secret stewed vinegar.
The we've also got the plum juice here.
Triple combo, triple joy.
And it's really thick.
This is what's unique.
All throughout Xi'an I've had quite a few
of these liangpi, but this one
really looks unique because of that stewed vinegar
and this ultra thick, ultra pasty looking sesame paste.
(slurping)
Oh wow.
Oh yeah.
That is just ultra aromatic
It really is about the chili oil, vinegar, sesame combo.
It's so thick.
That sesame paste is ultra thick.
It's the most refreshing and satisfying
and she-ang combo you'll ever have.
So there's two type of roujiamo in Xi'an.
This one is the beef, the Hui halal version,
and you can see on the bottom, there's a bit of that,
they put that bean sauce with chili,
and the pita itself.
Mm, looks nice and soft and fluffy.
Let's try it out.
Mm.
Oh.
(speaking in foreign language)
Wow.
(speaking in foreign language)
Oh, oh.
(speaking in foreign language)
(laughs)
For our final noodle dish, we're having
the king plate of noodles in China.
Originating from China's far west Xinjiang province,
the dapanji big chicken plate.
This is the most massive plate of fried chicken
and chilis and potatoes,
and all placed overtop of a huge bed of hand-pulled noodles.
Pure heaven.
All right, guys, next up to finish up the night,
we're gonna go for a classic Chinese dish,
the dapanji.
Wow, the big plate chicken.
Right up here there's a famous dapanji joint.
Oh it's gonna be good.
And it's got big, fat stretched noodles on the bottom.
Let's try it out.
And we're gonna go in the kitchen
and see how they make the big plate chicken.
Oh.
(speaking in foreign language)
Wow, beautiful.
You can really see the soul that's put into this.
(laughs)
Amazing.
Hand-pulled fat noodles going into
the big cauldron here, and that's gonna go
underneath the dapanji.
We've got like three woks going right now
of dapanji, oh.
And this is the soul for dapanji.
Wow.
That is amazing.
(speaking in foreign language)
Oh! (laughs)
(speaking in foreign language)
Oh and then we're putting the chicken in.
Oh, so there's chicken and I think,
(speaking in foreign language)
ah, so there's chicken and ginger in that wok.
Oh, and it's so hot.
And here comes the chilis.
Look at those chilis.
Wow.
That is amazing.
Chilis, peppercorn, it's all in it.
(laughter)
Lots of chilis.
Oh.
Look at all the chilis in there.
(speaking in foreign language)
And then lots of potato.
Oh, this is gonna be really good.
Little water.
And it's going right on top
of these beautiful hand-pulled noodles.
Oh, that is incredibly beautiful.
All that chili aroma.
Wow.
(speaking in foreign language)
(laughs)
That is so she-ang.
Oh, (speaking in foreign language), wow.
Look at this monster dapanji.
All of these big chunk of chicken,
there's bell pepper, there's potato,
and look at all the chilis.
Tons of chilis.
It's gonna be spicy and she-ang.
Oh, there's a bit of daikon in there,
and ginger, and on the very bottom,
there's all of those fat, hand-pulled noodles.
(slurping)
Mm.
Wow.
That is insanely she-ang.
Look at all the sauce dripping down that noodle.
It's so nice and peppery.
It's very she-ang.
You've got that rich cinnamon star anise kick,
oh and the noodles, they give you
this soothing comfort feel.
(speaking in foreign language)
Whoa.
(speaking in foreign language)
That is just fantastic.
There's definitely a Sichuan peppercorn hit.
It's numbing, floral,
you can taste the ginger, you can taste the cinnamon.
Oh, and it is just the most heart-warming,
soothing, spicy plate of noodles you'll ever have.
And look, they're just bringin' out so many.
That's insane.
(speaking in foreign language)
What an amazing day of noodles that was.
I hope you guys enjoyed this Street Food on Trial video.
Make sure to click that Like button,
subscribe to this channel,
and the bell notification button beside it.
This is just a true noodle heaven.
Thanks so much for watching guys.