I tried Chinese Street Food in Xi'an, China!

0:00 All right, check it out, guys.

0:01 It's Trevor James, hanging with my buddy, Alex, from "Just Food."- Hello.

0:04 [Trevor] We just got into Xi'An China, and this is gonna be insane.

0:06 We're going for a full on Muslim

0:08 Chinese and non-Muslim Chinese street food adventure.

0:11 I cannot wait, I'm super pumped.

0:13 Let's get into it.

0:14 Let's go.

0:15 (upbeat music) Welcome to the Silk Road, Food Rangers.

0:18 This is Xi'An, the start of "The Silk Road"

0:20 series and a very special place in the world,

0:23 home to the Hui Chinese who are Muslim and, also,

0:25 home to the non-Muslim Xi'An style food as well.

0:28 So if you're looking for a colorful

0:29 and a huge variety of Chinese cuisine in one city,

0:32 I can't recommend this place enough.

0:34 Let's eat.

0:35 So in today's video, you guys are gonna wanna watch the whole thing because

0:38 we got a good variety of Muslim Chinese and non-Muslim Chinese.

0:41 I love that.

0:42 And to start out, we're gonna go to a morning market.

0:44 Okay.

0:44 First half is gonna be non-Muslim Chinese,

0:46 second half of the video is gonna be full on Halal Chinese street food.

0:50 It's gonna be insane.

0:51 Let's get into it.

0:51 Okay, and first up, we're gonna go visit a morning market.

0:53 This is it, super busy and get some local breakfast,

0:56 and, here, we have a special jinggao.

0:58 This is a special date cake.

0:59 It's a sweet breakfast treat.

1:03 Oh, look at this.

1:04 Man, it's almost out.

1:05 It looks like...

1:06 (Trevor and vendor speak Chinese)- Oh, jinggao, jinggao, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

1:11 Jinggao, the breakfast date cake.

1:13 Yeah?

1:14 (Trevor and vendor speak Chinese)- Okay, so it's got date and beans.

1:20 Yeah, so you can see it's a sticky rice.

1:21 Yeah.

1:22 And then there's layers.

1:22 There's dates and beans, and it's sweet, and it's like a nice morning...

1:27 (vendor and Trevor speak Chinese) It's like a nice morning sweet dessert.

1:33 My God.

1:33 We're gonna get a small portion.

1:35 It looks so thick.

1:36 Yeah.

1:36 Doesn't it?

1:37 (Trevor speaks Chinese)- So it's five yuans, bout 70 cents, for a portion.

1:43 I tell what, it's really affordable.

1:45 Yeah.

1:45 (Alex laughs)- I love it, everyone's taking a video of this place.

1:48 Yeah.

1:48 Must be really popular.

1:49 Yeah, exactly.

1:50 Wow.

1:50 Oh, that is so thick.

1:52 [Trevor] It's like a thick, sweet date bean dessert.

1:57 Whoa.

1:58 There you go, cheers.

1:59 Let's it try out.

2:00 Mmm, mmm.

2:02 (people chatter) Whoa.

2:06 It's so warm.

2:07 It's thick, it's like eating a thick porridge.

2:09 [Trevor] A sweet date porridge.

2:10 It's sweet, but it's not like overly sweet.

2:12 I thought it was gonna be like really sickly,

2:13 but it's not, and then the beans adding a bit of savory.

2:16 Yeah.

2:16 So weird with the beans.

2:18 Unique, right?

2:18 It is unique.

2:19 (Trevor and vendor speak Chinese) Oh,

2:33 he says it's good in the afternoon once you let it cool down.

2:37 Oh, really?

2:38 Yeah.

2:38 Tastes pretty good to me.

2:39 I don't think it's gonna survive 'til the afternoon.

2:41 Yeah.

2:41 (both laugh)- Okay, and right next door.

2:43 Yeah.

2:44 I see a breakfast jianbing crepe.

2:46 We gotta go try.

2:47 Let's try it.

2:47 (Trevor and vendor speak Chinese)- Oh this is jianbing, take a look at this.

2:56 This is the morning breakfast, Chinese morning breakfast crepe.

2:59 [Alex] So what is it, it's like a thick dough?

3:01 It's like a wheat, yeah, it's a wheat dough.

3:02 (Trevor and vendor speak Chinese) Okay, so we're gonna get a classic jianbing.

3:10 Yeah.

3:11 (Trevor speaks Chinese)- Look at this.

3:14 So this is the (indistinct).

3:16 It's so thick, isn't it?

3:17 Yeah.

3:18 It's so thick, breakfast crepe, Chinese breakfast crepe, classic.

3:22 (upbeat music continues) (people chatter) Oh, yeah, look at that.

3:29 We're gonna get two eggs.

3:30 Oh, look at that, so the eggs go on.

3:33 (upbeat music and chattering continue)- [Alex] I

3:37 love the little girl in the background, just so you know, ice cream.

3:39 (both laugh)- This is gonna be good.

3:43 (Trevor and vendor speak Chinese) I said it looks good.

3:54 This is why you have to come with Trevor.

3:56 I wouldn't stand five minutes in this market without him.

3:59 (vendor speaks Chinese)- [Trevor] Oh, it's their signature sauce.

4:03 So we get some chili, and then some signature bean sauce.

4:07 Oh, looks good.

4:11 [Alex] Again, spread with an industrial sized paint brush.

4:13 Yeah.

4:13 So it's always a good sign.

4:14 Exactly.

4:15 Oh, he's gonna scrape it off.

4:18 Zha cai, that's pickled veg going in, some onion, coriander.

4:23 [Alex] Did the coriander and a bit of lettuce.

4:24 [Trevor] Lettuce, wow.

4:27 [Alex] What's this that he's adding now?

4:29 Oh, this is a crispy wafer, crispy wafer, and then wrap it up.

4:33 (upbeat music and chattering continue) (Trevor speaks Chinese)- Xie xie ni.

4:42 There it is.

4:42 Xie xie ni, let's try it out.

4:44 There it is.

4:45 Mmm.

4:46 Mmm, mmm.

4:48 Yeah, yeah.

4:49 Oh, the bean paste.

4:52 Nice bean paste.

4:53 It's such simple ingredients.

4:54 Yeah.

4:54 I wasn't expecting much, then you have a mouthful of it.

4:56 It's actually really tasty.

4:58 It's addictive.

4:58 Pretty nice morning market, eh?

5:00 Yeah, it's absolutely packed, but it's full of like local people just trying

5:03 to get their vegetables for cooking later in the day.

5:05 It feels like rustic and authentic.

5:06 It's not like touristy at all.

5:08 Exactly, okay, so we're gonna enter into a pan fried dumpling heaven up here.

5:13 Just found it.

5:14 Looks really good.

5:14 I can see them.

5:15 That's very good, I know.

5:17 [Alex] After you, man, after you.

5:18 [Trevor] Look at this, they just added them in.

5:20 oh, so we got two fillings, pork and veg.

5:25 Oh, really?

5:25 There's one pork and one garlic chives.

5:28 He's just gonna add water in.

5:30 (wok sizzles) Oh, (speaks Chinese)- Oh, that's the scene.

5:36 (both laugh) (cover scrapes)- Oh.

5:40 Here comes the flip, look at this.

5:41 Look at the yellow sizzle on the bottom.

5:43 (wok sizzles) That's insanely beautiful.

5:48 This is what you were looking for, wasn't it?

5:50 This is exactly what I was coming to China for.

5:51 (both laugh)- You did.

5:52 I was like, "I want dumplings.

5:53 There they are."- And we got 'em.

5:55 My God, I'm so excited.

5:56 (both laugh) (Trevor and vendor speak Chinese)- So we're gonna get six of each.

6:06 Six of each, yeah.

6:06 That's a good start, eh?

6:08 Perfect start.

6:08 (both laugh)- Xie xie ni.

6:11 (vendor speaks Chinese)- And they look so good.

6:13 They do, right?

6:15 I'm dying over here.

6:17 (laughs) (Trevor and vendor speaks Chinese)- [Trevor] Oh, okay.

6:24 (speaks Chinese) So we're gonna get two of this pepper soup.

6:27 Pepper soup.

6:28 (vendor speaks Chinese)- [Trevor] Hey, hey, you want chili?

6:30 Yes, please.

6:30 (laughs)- Yeah.

6:31 So we're gonna two of this pepper soup.

6:34 (Trevor and vendor speaks Chinese) And the five spice chili,

6:39 the five spice, Chinese spice mix.

6:42 [Alex] That's the biggest wooden spoon I've ever seen in my life, by the way.

6:45 Yeah.

6:45 (Alex laughs)- And the secret is comes with a little vinegar.

6:48 (people chatter) You can just pour a little.

6:51 Yeah, yeah, Chinese vinegar is so famous and so delicious.

6:54 Is it?

6:55 It elevates so much.

6:56 Okay, okay.

6:57 Let's just go, right?

6:58 Yeah, get the dumplings.

6:59 (both laugh) There it is.

7:00 There it is, let's go.

7:02 Mmm, mmm, peppery.

7:05 Oh, my God.

7:06 Mmm.

7:07 The vinegar definitely caught, so you like the fat.

7:09 Yeah.

7:09 Like the oil a bit.

7:10 Have I got...

7:11 I got a vegetable one.

7:12 You got a vegetable.

7:13 I was robbed!

7:14 (both laugh) I was like, "Where's the pork?" (both laugh) The pork's...

7:19 The pork's the one.

7:20 Yeah.

7:21 It is peppery, isn't it?

7:22 Mmm.

7:23 Let's try that hulatang now.

7:25 This is a Xi'An specialty.

7:26 Yeah?

7:26 [Trevor] It's like a five-spice Chinese peppery soup.

7:29 (upbeat music continues) (people chatter) Mmm.

7:33 Mmm.

7:34 Oh.

7:34 Oh, that's super peppery.

7:35 Super peppery and spicy.

7:36 Yeah.

7:36 It is spicy as well.

7:37 (Trevor and vendor speaks Chinese)- So it's one renminbi for three dumplings.

7:46 Oh, my God.

7:47 So it's about 15 cents for three dumplings.

7:49 (speaks Chinese)- Handmade hand cakes cannot get any better than that.

7:54 Okay, and next up, it's gonna be a crazy day,

7:55 we're going to the origin of the hamburger.

7:59 What?

7:59 (laughs)- This is the birthplace of the hamburger.

8:02 Oh, my God, now, you're talking my language (indistinct).

8:04 It's a theory, it's a theory.

8:05 I think it's true, and, here, let's go get in the car.

8:07 Okay.

8:09 Let's do this.

8:10 Time for the burger.

8:11 Origins of the burger.

8:13 Origins of the burger.

8:14 Let's go.

8:15 All right, where is it?

8:16 It's just up here.

8:17 Oh, it's busy.

8:18 Here we are, roujiamo, classic Xi'An street food, number one, in my opinion.

8:23 It's a beautiful pork pita.

8:26 Yeah?

8:26 Fully loaded, sloppy and delicious and busy.

8:29 (Alex laughs)- Yeah, it's packed.

8:30 Everyone's just eating right on the street.

8:31 (upbeat music continues) (people chatter)- Wow, this is gonna be good.

8:33 Always good when it's this busy.

8:35 Yeah.

8:35 Straight off the bat.

8:36 Line up and get one.

8:38 Gonna get a big, plump, fatty one.

8:40 Oh, yes, yes, please.

8:42 How do you say 400 burgers?

8:43 (both laugh)- Let's get it.

8:47 There he is.

8:47 (Trevor speaks Chinese)- Ni hao.

8:49 Ni hao.

8:49 (Trevor and vendor speak Chinese)- This is gonna be good.

8:59 (people chatter) Holy moly, take a look at this.

9:03 [Alex] Oh, the boss is screaming.

9:05 Take a look at this.

9:06 (dishes clink) (chattering continues) So this is jelly noodle with chili oil.

9:10 Whoa, look at the color on that.

9:13 Oh, my God.

9:14 Here's the pork.

9:15 [Alex] Look at that.

9:17 Wow.

9:17 (Alex laughs) There's the jiggly goodness.

9:21 Look at that.

9:23 Look at that.

9:23 (chattering continues) Oh, my goodness.

9:28 (person shouts) That's insane.

9:31 (chattering continues)- Look at that, wow.

9:36 Wow.

9:36 We came to the right place.

9:38 We came to the right place.

9:39 [Trevor] We did, right?

9:41 Oh, my gosh.

9:42 [Trevor] Okay, and this is where it starts.

9:44 [Alex] I was not expecting this.

9:45 [Trevor] Oh, look at the skin.

9:46 He's loading the skin on there.

9:50 Look how jelly that is.

9:52 Oh.

9:52 Ooh, it's jiggly.

9:53 It separates the fat off.

9:55 [Trevor] So he's gonna slice it open.

9:58 [Alex] And a whole slice in there.

9:59 [Trevor] Look at that, he puts a whole slice of the skin in there,

10:03 (chattering continues) a whole slice of the skin.

10:07 (Alex groans) Wow.

10:11 That is incredible.

10:12 I wasn't expecting that.

10:13 When he literally just gets a whole slice

10:15 of the skin with the fat and everything straight in, whoo.

10:18 And here's our, xie xie ni.

10:19 (Trevor speaks Chinese)- Let's go.

10:22 Look at that.

10:23 Okay.

10:23 (Alex laughs) And then we got the noodles over here too.

10:25 I'll grab the noodles.

10:26 Okay.

10:26 They fully loaded them.

10:27 (Alex laughs) They fully loaded them.

10:30 Wow.

10:31 Look at those.

10:32 The origins of burgers.

10:33 The origins.

10:34 I've never seen something like that.

10:35 Oh, the burger, oh.

10:38 They loaded it with the skin.

10:40 Look at the skin there.

10:41 I wasn't expecting that.

10:42 I thought he was gonna throw it away,

10:43 and he just keeps the whole skin, just throws it there.

10:45 Just sliced the whole skin in there.

10:46 Man, this is massive.

10:47 Wow.

10:48 Oh, and that bread smells really crispy.

10:50 That mo, that Chinese pita.

10:51 Mo.

10:51 Oh, oh, xie xie.

10:53 (vendor and Trevor speak Chinese) This is their porridge.

10:57 Porridge, okay.

10:58 Free porridge.

10:59 Wow, the origin.

11:00 The jiggle.

11:01 Look at the jiggle.

11:02 The jiggle.

11:03 (laughs) Look at the jiggle,

11:05 and they stew that pork in a light soy and a five-spice.

11:09 Oh, is that what it is?

11:10 And it's so soft.

11:11 Oh, man, I don't think we can hold it.

11:13 Let's just go.

11:14 Let's just go.

11:15 All right.

11:15 (upbeat music) (people chatter)- Mmm, oh!

11:21 (laughs) Mmm.

11:24 Oh!

11:24 (laughs)- Mmm.

11:27 They invented the burger.

11:28 They invent-- They invented the burger.

11:30 They invented the burger.

11:30 Look at that, whoa.

11:33 The skin is salty.

11:34 It's fatty.

11:35 Whoa.

11:36 Oh, it's so good.

11:38 Mmm.

11:38 I love the bread.

11:39 The bread's really crispy, but then the filling is like soft.

11:41 It's gelatinous.

11:42 Oh, my God.

11:43 It's so packed with flavor, the fattiness.

11:46 Yeah.

11:47 And it's got that, it's seasoned nicely, that five-spice.

11:49 Yeah, definitely.

11:50 The light soy.

11:50 Definitely.

11:51 The light soy, the crispy patty.

11:53 The crispy pita.

11:54 Oh.

11:54 Oh!

11:55 Xie xie ni.

11:56 That is something else.

11:57 Wow.

11:57 If you're watching this, come to Xi'An.

11:59 You have to try that.

12:00 Unbelievable.

12:01 (Trevor talks indistinctly) Unbelievable, what a dish!

12:03 Yeah.

12:03 What are these noodles?

12:04 Okay.

12:04 Talk to me.

12:05 Now we got the liangpi.

12:06 The liangpi.

12:07 These are the jelly, rice jelly noodle loaded with their signature chili oil.

12:12 Sesame, you can see they put sesame in there.

12:13 They put a little light soy, celery, and you just mix it up.

12:16 Man, I'm really proud I can take you to taste all these.

12:19 Yeah.

12:19 (laughs)- 'Cause for me,

12:20 the first time I tasted these, it was like a life-changing experience.

12:24 I can see why.

12:25 Like, you come to China, you taste this food.

12:26 Yeah.

12:27 And it's like, "Wow, it's a new world."- It is a new experience.

12:30 It's a new world.

12:31 That is drenched in chili oil.

12:32 Yeah, it's gonna be-- [Alex] It's just like a river of chili oil underneath.

12:35 You definitely gotta mix it around.

12:36 Wow.

12:36 (both slurp) Mmm, mmm!

12:40 Mmm!

12:41 That's sesame.

12:42 (Trevor laughs) Oh, my gosh.

12:45 As soon as you bit in, it's the sesame, and then the chili comes in afterwards.

12:48 Mmm.

12:49 Wow.

12:50 It's the toasted sesame.

12:51 What a guy.

12:52 (laughs) (Trevor speaks Chinese)- Okay.

12:55 It was so good.

12:56 Xie xie ni.

12:57 Thank you, thank you.

12:58 Thank you, thank you.

12:58 Thank you very much.

12:58 Thank you, thank you.

12:59 Xie xie ni.

12:59 Okay, next up, we are in a Muslim district now.

13:01 This is old Xi'An, the ancient quarter.

13:03 It's full of history, and there's so much delicious food here,

13:07 and we're gonna see what we can find.

13:08 There's a ton of dishes.

13:09 Yeah?

13:09 It's gonna be amazing.

13:10 Okay, and if I remember correctly, we're gonna go down this deep alleyway here,

13:13 and there's some hidden noodle joint.

13:16 Oh, man.

13:16 Like really flavorful.

13:17 Look at this place.

13:18 (both laugh) You'd never think to come down here.

13:21 No, it's a hidden gem.

13:21 You know it's (indistinct).

13:22 Like 10 years ago, we came exploring and just walking down the alleyways.

13:26 Yeah.

13:26 And found this little, this little jelly noodle joint,

13:29 and it turned out to be incredible.

13:31 Aw.

13:32 And it's like this run by like a local

13:34 lady that's been making it her whole life,

13:37 and if I remember correct, (Alex laughs) this is the alleyway,

13:40 and it should just, oh, yeah, it's just right up here.

13:42 It's right up here, take a look.

13:44 This is the spot, luzhi liangfen.

13:47 Oh, this is the spot.

13:49 This is it.

13:50 This is the spot.

13:52 Ni hao.

13:54 Ni hao.

13:55 Ni hao.

13:55 (Trevor speaks Chinese) Oh, this is the legit...

13:59 (Trevor speaks Chinese) Oh, look at this, this is the liangpi.

14:02 What is (indistinct)?

14:03 [Trevor] This is rice jelly noodle.

14:04 Look at that.

14:05 Oh, my gosh.

14:06 So she's slicing up.

14:06 This is just like a block-- The rice jelly.

14:07 What is this?

14:08 It's like a block of what?

14:09 Rice starch.

14:09 Just jelly.

14:10 Rice starch jelly.

14:10 Oh, rice starch jelly.

14:11 And then look at this.

14:11 This is the rouzhi.

14:12 Oh, my gosh, look that.

14:13 That's like the peppery...

14:14 That's the peppery gravy, wow.

14:17 [Trevor] The consistency is thick, isn't it?

14:19 [Trevor] Yeah.

14:19 (speaks Chinese) So she loads up, oh, and then let's go see how it's done.

14:23 Oh, my gosh.

14:23 (Trevor and vendors speak Chinese)- Wow.

14:33 It's gonna be good.

14:35 (vendor and Trevor speak Chinese) The most familiar place to see.

14:38 Yeah?

14:39 (laughs)- She says.

14:39 I've been here many times.

14:41 Awesome.

14:41 Oh, so we got the...

14:42 Oh, the mo.

14:42 The mola.

14:43 (Trevor speaks Chinese)- Okay.

14:44 Is she gonna do it for us?

14:46 No, we gotta do it.

14:47 Okay.

14:47 (laughs) (vendor and Trevor speaks Chinese)- So we gotta break this.

14:51 All right, okay.

14:52 (Trevor and vendor speak Chinese)- Okay, so we're breaking up this pita.

14:57 We're a bit of...

14:58 We're experts at this now, we are.

14:59 You gotta break up the mo.

15:00 This is Chinese pita.

15:02 You know what this means?

15:03 Loads of soaking up goodness.

15:05 Soaking up goodness.

15:05 That's just gonna get soaked up real good.

15:07 It's gonna be so good.

15:07 (both laugh) Okay, here we are.

15:12 I just had this image of dropping this bowl.

15:13 So I'm having to do it all over again.

15:15 So we got the mo.

15:16 Yes.

15:17 (Trevor and vendor speak Chinese) So we're

15:26 gonna get the century egg with it, too.

15:28 Yes, yes.

15:29 (Trevor speaks Chinese)- Oh, look at this, here's the century egg.

15:33 [Alex] Why do they call it century egg?

15:36 [Trevor] A hundred-year-old egg.

15:37 Well, it's not actually, but they ferment it for quite a while.

15:40 Oh, okay, all right.

15:41 (both laugh)- [Trevor] It's a sulfurous egg, look at the inside.

15:45 [Alex] Oh, my God, it's black inside as well.

15:46 [Trevor] It's black inside, they ferment it.

15:49 This gonna be strong flavor?

15:50 Strong.

15:50 Have you ever had century egg?

15:51 I don't know, I don't think so.

15:52 (both laugh) There's a first for everything.

15:54 Oh, and here's the jelly.

15:56 (knife thuds) Wow.

15:58 It's such an unusual consistency.

15:59 Yeah, it's like a rice starch jelly.

16:00 (knife thuds) This is, for me, one of the top dishes of Xi'An.

16:05 Look at that, she's loading it up.

16:08 It's like nice chunk-- It's so uniform, isn't it?

16:10 Yeah.

16:10 The way that she cuts it.

16:11 (knife thuds)- And there's a lot of ingredients that go into this.

16:15 It's not simple.

16:16 Really?

16:17 Yeah, so this is just the first layer.

16:18 There's more coming.

16:19 This is the rouzhi, the secret signature gravy.

16:23 It's like a peppery gravy, wow.

16:25 It's so thick, isn't it?

16:27 It's a thick, yeah.

16:28 (Trevor and vendor speak Chinese)- So what's this?

16:31 Oh, this is salt.

16:32 (Trevor and vendor speak Chinese) So she's putting salt,

16:36 and we've got that peppery gravy on there.

16:39 Suan.

16:39 Suan, garlic.

16:39 [Alex] A bit of garlic.

16:41 This is a unique dish.

16:43 Jiemo.

16:43 Jiemo, oh, that is mustard.

16:46 Ooh, mustard, interesting.

16:47 Jiemo, and then?

16:47 Xiang cu ah.

16:48 [Trevor] Xiang cu, vinegar.

16:50 Oh, wow, look at the color on that.

16:52 This is gonna be so good.

16:54 This is the signature.

16:54 (Alex talks indistinctly) This is zhimajiang.

16:56 This is what the old- (vendor speaks Chinese)- Oh.

16:58 Oh.

16:58 (speaks Chinese) And then laijiao yao.

17:00 Yeah.

17:01 [Trevor] Chili oil, look at that.

17:02 [Alex] My gosh.

17:05 That looks incredible.

17:06 (both laugh)- That looks amazing.

17:09 (vendor speaks Chinese)- [Alex] The color of that chili oil,

17:11 and then, what's this?

17:12 Oh.

17:13 Xiangyou.

17:13 Xiangyou, sesame oil.

17:15 [Alex] Ah, wow.

17:16 (vendor speaks Chinese)- Okay, okay.

17:18 Xie xie.

17:19 So she says don't mix it.

17:20 Okay.

17:20 [Trevor] Eat it from the side.

17:21 That's a masterpiece.

17:22 This is really the Hui culture here.

17:25 Yeah?

17:25 You can see there's so many different flavors in there,

17:27 the sesame paste, the chili oil.

17:29 Let's just go in.

17:30 We can't wait.

17:31 Look at the color.

17:32 Look at the color on that.

17:33 Of those noodles.

17:34 I'm excited for you to try your first luzhi liangfen.

17:36 This was a life changing moment for me, the first.

17:38 Really?

17:38 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

17:39 This is full flavor.

17:40 This is one of my favorite flavor combos in the world.

17:43 You don't wanna mix.

17:44 You just want to eat it from the side.

17:46 So you just take a scoop from the side.

17:47 Oh, look at that, look at that.

17:49 Have you got the noodles in there?

17:50 Oh, wow.

17:51 Make sure it's loaded with chill oil and sesame paste,

17:54 ooh, ah, oh, and just take it down.

17:58 Mmm, mmm.

18:01 Wow.

18:02 That's unique, right?

18:04 The sesame makes it, unbelievable.

18:07 Sesame, exactly and chili oil.

18:09 Mmm, the combo.

18:10 And again, that mola has soaked it all up at the bottom.

18:13 [Trevor] Yeah, it's a little too unique?

18:15 [Alex] No, no, no, I actually like it.

18:17 You like it?

18:17 Oh, you're going for century egg.

18:19 Did you try some?

18:22 That's a strong flavor.

18:23 (both laugh) Yeah, the egg.

18:25 (both laugh) Maybe on the egg.

18:28 (both laugh)- You like that?

18:31 I do.

18:32 I think it's a bit more of an acquired taste.

18:33 Like where the dumplings,

18:34 I think anyone could go to a dumpling shack and just pick 'em up and enjoy them.

18:37 This is more like if you appreciate Chinese food

18:40 and the nuances of Chinese food, this is better.

18:42 Yeah, the century egg might be a bit stronger something-- For like tourists,

18:45 for white boys like me coming in for that century egg, it's a lot.

18:48 (both laugh) I'm not gonna lie to people on YouTube.

18:50 It's a lot.

18:51 (both laugh) (Trevor speaks Chinese)- It was so good, right?

18:55 Xie xie ni.

18:56 Xie xie.

18:57 (Alex laughs) (Trevor and vendor speak Chinese) So good,

19:02 awesome, let's keep going.

19:04 All right, so-- We got food coming.

19:05 More food coming.

19:05 We got more food.

19:06 Yeah.

19:06 A lot more food.

19:07 Let's keep going, (horn honks) and next up, oh, man,

19:09 just wandering the streets, found a little kaobaozi to enjoy.

19:12 This is a classic street food.

19:13 Yeah.

19:14 From Xinjiang.

19:15 (speaks Chinese) Oh, man.

19:16 (speaks Chinese)- So what are we having?

19:18 Kaobaozi.

19:18 This one here?

19:19 (Trevor speaks Chinese) Kaobaozi, it's a roasted bun with lamb and onion inside.

19:25 Oh.

19:25 And he's gonna hand make them in this tandoori.

19:28 It's like tandoori dumplings.

19:29 You literally would've just walked past this spot.

19:32 Yeah.

19:33 It's so inconspicuous, but-- Oh, here they come, here they come.

19:35 Oh, he's making, what's he doing there?

19:36 He's making a fresh batch of the filling.

19:38 He's got beef and lamb in there, lamb fat.

19:41 Oh, that's just lamb fat.

19:43 Yeah.

19:43 (Trevor and vendor speak Chinese) Yeah, lamb fat and beef.

19:46 Oh, my gosh.

19:48 [Trevor] The secret sauce here.

19:49 (Trevor and vendor speak Chinese) Oh, that's the secret.

19:52 It's got cumin.

19:53 (upbeat music) (horn honks)- [Alex] That's why you love it so much.

19:56 Now, I've clocked it.

19:58 Ooh, loads of onion.

19:59 Oh, and an onion.

20:00 (vendor and Trevor speak Chinese) He's done it for 10 years here.

20:07 Really?

20:08 10 years.

20:09 It's just beef and onion?

20:10 (Trevor and vendor speak Chinese)- Oh, and some spices.

20:16 (vendor speaks Chinese)- I see.

20:18 Secret spices.

20:18 (vendor speaks Chinese) (horn honks)- Ah, some secret spices.

20:23 Secret recipes.

20:24 (both laugh) He's not disclosing his secret recipe, and I don't blame him.

20:28 Looks good though.

20:29 (upbeat music continues) (horn honks) (Trevor speaks

20:33 Chinese) That is so cool to see.

20:36 It's like a central Asian like influenced tandoori dumpling.

20:42 Yeah, you see them in like Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

20:44 Yeah.

20:44 All that kind of region, then you see them in the middle of Xi'An in China.

20:46 Yeah, it's the Silk Road.

20:47 You just put it into...

20:48 It's the Silk Road.

20:50 Exactly, and you see they're just starting to turn a golden brown on the bottom.

20:52 Yeah.

20:53 [Alex] For the first ones he's put in.

20:54 [Trevor] Yeah.

20:55 And they're done now.

20:57 [Alex] I wonder how he knows when they're done.

20:59 Yeah.

21:00 Maybe when they start falling off?

21:01 Yeah, oh.

21:04 Oh.

21:04 (speaks Chinese) Yeah, it's risky, you don't want 'em to fall.

21:08 [Alex] Exactly.

21:09 It's literal money down the drain.

21:11 Xie xie ni.

21:11 Xie xie ni.

21:12 (Trevor speaks Chinese) All right.

21:13 Let's try it out.

21:15 Moment of truth, here we go.

21:16 Xie xie ni.

21:17 Let's go.

21:17 (horn honks)- Mmm.

21:20 Mmm.

21:22 Whoa, whoa.

21:25 So delicious.

21:26 (horn honks) Mmm.

21:28 I said to Trevor, I was like, "After all this time,

21:30 I really hope they're good." They are sensational.

21:33 Wow.

21:34 They're fatty, they're rich, and the spices he put with the cumin.

21:38 Bursting.

21:38 Whoo.

21:38 (trevor talks indistinctly) I was worried they weren't gonna be good.

21:41 I was like, "After all this time..."- Wow.

21:44 Meat is fatty and rich.

21:46 Spices, good.

21:47 Bursting.

21:48 The pastry is nice and crispy, ooh.

21:50 (Trevor speaks Chinese)- You can say, "Xie xie laoban."- Xie xie laoban.

21:54 (Trevor speaks Chinese) The most patient man in the world.

21:56 (Trevor speaks Chinese) Thank you.

21:59 Next step, we're gonna go get a classic yangrou paomo dish.

22:02 Yes.

22:03 Which is an incredibly flavorful, stir-fried lamb Hui dish in Xi'An.

22:09 You gotta try it when you come to Xi'An.

22:10 Yeah?

22:10 Yeah, it's gonna be good.

22:11 I've heard a lot about it.

22:12 It's one of...

22:13 It's been on my list, we have to try it.

22:15 Got a bit more space left.

22:16 I'm good.

22:16 Let's go, let's go.

22:17 (both laugh) (horn honks)- Yangrou paomo?

22:21 Oh, this is yangrou paomo.

22:22 Ni hao.

22:24 Oh, my gosh.

22:25 (laughs)- Wow.

22:26 Oh, this is xiaoxiao paomo.

22:27 Here, this is the spicy version.

22:29 Oh, okay.

22:29 Oh, my goodness, and we're gonna see

22:31 the making of the yangrou paomo (speaks Chinese),

22:33 and we're going in the kitchen.

22:34 We're going into the kitchen.

22:35 [Trevor] Just got invited into the kitchen.

22:37 Oh, my gosh.

22:38 Oh, my God, you're not gonna be ready for this.

22:40 This.

22:41 Wow, the meat station.

22:44 Oh!

22:44 This is a bath of meat.

22:46 (Trevor speaks Chinese)- Wow.

22:49 Oh, my God.

22:50 Look at that.

22:52 Oh, here we go, the lamb stock.

22:53 Oh, my God.

22:54 The deep cooked, lamb stock.

22:55 Oh, and the middle of the xiangliao.

22:57 See that big, brown bag?

22:58 That's xiangliao, that's Chinese spices.

23:00 Oh, that's all the spices.

23:02 Wow, oh, the Chinese herbs.

23:03 (Trevor speaks Chinese) (Trevor and vendor speak Chinese) Look at that.

23:19 [Alex] Whoa, that's like a door stop of beef.

23:22 That's insane, wow.

23:23 Oh, my gosh.

23:24 Oh, we asked to double meat, we've got it.

23:26 [Trevor] Yeah, that's like (speaks Chinese) It's actually lot of meat, isn't it?

23:29 Yeah, exactly.

23:30 Now, I see why they're so shocked.

23:31 They're like, "You want double?" (both laugh)- Here we go.

23:35 So he is adding in...

23:36 (Trevor and vendor speak Chinese) Oh, okay, so the big pot here is beef.

23:42 This one is lamb, and he's mixing both together.

23:44 I see, salt- A little salt, a little salt there.

23:48 (stove hisses) Wow.

23:51 It's gonna be so aromatic.

23:52 Oh, and here it comes.

23:54 (people chatter) Oh, there's so much meat in there.

23:58 Yeah.

23:58 Rice noodle.

24:00 [Alex] So he's leaving the mo out.

24:02 He's leaving the mo out.

24:03 You're gonna put it at the end, I guess.

24:05 Man, these guys are so busy.

24:06 Yeah, they're busy.

24:07 There's bowl after bowl after bowl.

24:08 It's nonstop, and it's only 5:00 there.

24:10 Oh, yeah, of course.

24:11 They're busy already.

24:11 So you know, it's good.

24:12 Oh, here comes the mo.

24:13 There's the mo.

24:15 Wow.

24:15 [Trevor] Wow.

24:16 That is a dish.

24:18 There we go.

24:19 That's gonna be so flavorful with the beef and the lamb stock mix.

24:22 You can see-- You can see the way that he works like...

24:24 He's a master.

24:25 Oh.

24:26 Yeah.

24:26 Wow.

24:27 The technique, holding it and flicking it.

24:29 There it is.

24:32 Wow.

24:32 So much meat in there.

24:34 [Trevor] Look at that.

24:35 Wow, look at all the meat on there.

24:38 And the mo is soaking it all up.

24:40 We're in business.

24:41 (Trevor and vendor speak Chinese)- Oh, he's gonna bring us more soup, too.

24:50 All right.

24:50 There they are.

24:51 Time to eat.

24:52 (laughs)- The most beautiful noodle dish in the world, yangrou paomo.

24:55 I've heard a lot about this one.

24:56 This one, I'm excited for.

24:58 (Trevor speaks Chinese)- Extra stock.

25:01 (Trevor and server speak Chinese) (grandfather

25:03 and Trevor speak Chinese)- Seeing some old friends.

25:07 Oh, really?

25:08 Yeah, yeah, old friends.

25:09 (speaks Chinese)- That's crazy.

25:10 (Trevor speaks Chinese) (grandfather and Trevor

25:12 speak Chinese) You're a celebrity here.

25:15 (both laugh) Look at that.

25:17 Holy, they loaded it with meat.

25:18 My gosh, and that meat just falls apart.

25:21 Look at that, full lamb, fatty lamb.

25:23 We ready?

25:24 (upbeat music) (people chatter) That meat.

25:28 Oh.

25:29 The stock.

25:30 (laughs)- Mmm.

25:31 Whoa.

25:33 The meat is like butter.

25:34 It just melts apart.

25:36 It melts, wow.

25:37 That's something you gotta taste, right?

25:39 I must admit, you know when you said it was like the one we had the other day,

25:42 but no chili, I was like, "I like chili."- Yeah.

25:43 I like it, but this is a completely different thing.

25:45 Completely different, right?

25:46 That is full flavor.

25:48 It's melting.

25:48 Like you said, the lamb melts in your mouth.

25:51 I think they've cooked the meat for so long, the stock is so rich.

25:55 Yeah.

25:55 And then they've got the beef and the lamb stock together.

25:57 Yeah.

25:57 For me, that's one of the top lamb dishes in the world.

26:02 Oh ho ho, oh.

26:04 Don't come here on a date.

26:05 (both laugh)- Look at that, take a pickled garlic.

26:07 All right.

26:08 Mmm, oh, it's sweet.

26:11 All right.

26:12 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

26:13 It balanced it out really well.

26:14 (Trevor speaks Chinese)- Very good, xie xie ni.

26:17 (Trevor speaks Chinese) That was amazing.

26:23 (people speak Chinese) Okay, and it's been a full day of eating.

26:27 It has been a mega day of eating.

26:29 We got one more spot though.

26:30 We're gonna go for suan teng jiaozi, spicy sour dumplings.

26:33 Oh.

26:34 Amazing, amazing meal.

26:35 What a way to finish this day.

26:36 (laughs)- Yeah.

26:37 Let's go.

26:39 Let's go.

26:40 Oh, more food, more food.

26:42 More dumplings.

26:42 Dumplings all day.

26:43 I've got just enough space for dumplings right here.

26:47 Let's go.

26:47 Okay.

26:48 Is this the place?

26:49 This is the dumpling heaven here.

26:51 Which one, the red one?

26:51 The white one.

26:52 White one.

26:53 Oh, it's big.

26:54 Yeah, big dumpling heaven.

26:55 (Alex laughs) Halal dumplings.

26:58 (people chatter) So have they got the (indistinct).

27:03 They got the beef garlic chive dumplings.

27:05 You can get 18 for $2, 24 for $3, or 30 for $4.

27:10 I know I've said it already,

27:11 but can you imagine me coming here on my own looking at that menu,

27:15 trying to make sense of it?

27:17 I'll be like, "Dumplings, please, dumplings." (laughs)- Jiaozi.

27:21 Jiaozi.

27:22 Jiaozi.

27:22 (Trevor and vendor speak Chinese) Oh, their signature is the spicy sour broth.

27:35 Spicy, yes.

27:35 (Trevor and vendor speak Chinese)- We want chili, right?

27:39 Chili, 100%, 100%.

27:39 (Trevor and vendor speak Chinese)- Just gonna get some dumplings.

27:48 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

27:48 (vendor speak Chinese)- Ah, xie xie ni.

27:51 Okay, and we just got invited to the kitchen.

27:52 We're gonna see that this is a dumpling factory here.

27:54 This is...

27:55 To finish the day.

27:56 Come take a look at this.

27:57 Look at this, look at this.

27:58 (Alex laughs) (Trevor speaks Chinese)- Oh, look at this.

28:01 Ready, ready, ready, ready.

28:03 (Trevor and staff speak Chinese)- [Trevor] Yeah, it's chives and beef.

28:17 So this is the making.

28:18 (Trevor and staff speak Chinese) So chili oil,

28:21 they've got coriander, chives, oh.

28:23 (Trevor and vendor speak Chinese) Oh, vinegar.

28:25 That's where the sourness comes from.

28:28 Oh, and then look at the lineup.

28:29 They're gonna load the dumplings in here.

28:32 [Alex] So you got chili oil, vinegar, chives.

28:35 (Trevor and staff speak Chinese)- Garlic chives.

28:38 Garlic chives and coriander.

28:39 And coriander.

28:40 They've just prepared all of these, but you can see,

28:43 oh, there's this vinegar going in.

28:44 There's vinegar, that's where the sourness comes from.

28:47 There's chili oil.

28:48 There's (speaks Chinese).

28:51 (staff and Trevor speak Chinese) No garlic, no garlic.

28:55 Good?

28:55 (both laugh) For the first time today.

28:58 Yeah.

28:58 So it's vinegar, chili oil, coriander, garlic, chives,

29:04 and the dumplings, the beef and garlic chive dumplings.

29:07 There's just bowls.

29:08 Everywhere you look, it's just bowls, bowls, bowls, dumplings.

29:10 Yeah, the dumpling heaven.

29:11 Wow, this is the dumpling stock.

29:13 (Trevor speaks Chinese)- [Alex] So the dumpling stock is the base of the soup.

29:17 [Trevor] Yeah.

29:18 (speaks Chinese)- Wow.

29:20 These are Halal dumplings in Xi'An China, look at that.

29:23 So it's the vinegar and the dumpling stock getting mixed together.

29:26 Look, they got the drivers.

29:27 (person talks indistinctly)- [Alex] I'm so ready for this.

29:30 [Trevor] Oh, look at those sour, spicy dumplings.

29:33 Oh, there they are.

29:35 There it is.

29:36 Look at that.

29:36 Xie xie ni.

29:37 (server and trevor speak Chinese) (Alex laughs)- Where are you from?

29:41 Canada.

29:42 Oh, Canada?

29:43 Canada.

29:44 You?

29:44 England.

29:45 Okay, okay, okay.

29:46 Well, welcome to Canada.

29:48 Thank you.

29:48 Thank you, thank you.

29:49 Thank you so much.

29:50 Look at that, suan teng jiaozi,

29:53 sour spicy dumplings in Xi'An China loaded with vinegar,

29:57 chili oil, sesame, coriander.

30:00 Look at that- Wow.

30:02 and the filling is beef and garlic chives.

30:04 That's a classic, Halal.

30:06 Literally, I'm just like mesmerized by them, okay.

30:08 Hold on.

30:10 (people chatter)- Mmm.

30:12 Oh.

30:14 Mmm.

30:15 Oh, yeah, we're in business.

30:17 Wow.

30:18 Oh, we're in business, ladies and gentlemen.

30:20 Sour and spicy-- I see what you mean by the garlic chives.

30:21 It's a really strong flavor.

30:22 Yeah.

30:23 But it's lovely.

30:23 It's unique, right?

30:24 It is.

30:24 Some people-- Fragrant, fragrant, it's really-- Some people like it.

30:27 Some people don't.

30:27 Oh, no, this is gorgeous.

30:28 You love it?

30:29 Gorgeous, gorgeous.

30:30 All right?

30:30 XI'An is unlike anywhere I've been before.

30:33 I've never seen such a volume of food places and everywhere that we've been,

30:37 it's just been like truly exceptional.

30:39 [Trevor] It's insane, everywhere you go, food.

30:40 Everywhere you go, food.

30:41 Everywhere you look at, food.

30:42 It's food.

30:42 [Alex] Everywhere you smell, it's really good.

30:43 Restaurants everywhere.

30:45 It's everywhere, and everywhere you go is packed, we've eateN in so much today,

30:48 and I still want to tackle all of these dumplings.

30:50 Yeah, yeah.

30:51 Hope you guys enjoyed the video.

30:52 Oh.

30:53 Thanks for watching.

30:53 Hope you had fun, buddy.

30:54 Yeah, absolutely loved it, what a day.

30:56 It was absolutely sensational.

30:57 Food was incredible.

30:58 It was incredible, yeah.

30:59 Thank you so much for taking me around these places, man.

31:00 Thanks for watching guys,

31:01 and you guys can check out Alex's channel as well in the description below.

31:03 Thank you.

31:04 Just Food, he's got an awesome channel.

31:05 Yeah.

31:06 And thanks for watching.

31:07 What an awesome day.

31:08 Love it, let's do it again tomorrow.

31:09 (laughs)- Thanks, guys.